Old, old Flame Hawkfish :/

[Timfish]

Well, looks like I'm going to loose this guy. 😢  This Flame Hawk was bought in summer of 2004 and has been a fixture sitting atop the rockwork watching people go by.  It's still eating well but the last few weeks it's behavior has changed markedly and slightly more recent it's colors have started to fad.  It's picked a quite corner under a rock where it watches everyone and is not nearly as active.  Not the first time I've seen this process - an old fish slows down and starts looking kinda ratty like old cats or old dogs when their coats have faded.  (Since people will ask the most recent additions to this system was a Yellow Watchman Goby in 2018, Yellow Tang was rehomed to this tank in 2013 [original purchased in 2000] and a pair of percula clowns added in 2010, damsels and Coral Beauty were added with the Hawk in 2004.)

 

 

Here's a pic of the tank with the hawkfish siting in the mushroom polyps in the upper middle right.

 

[+KimP]

I'm sorry to hear that. Is always hard to lose the ones that have been with you so long!

[Timfish]

Well, haven't seen this hawk in a few days now so guessing it's gone. 😪

[Timfish]

I've got a pair that were bought in 2007 so 14+ now.  I'd expect though 10 years is a more realistic age to expect them to live.  Kinda like cats, rarely one lives past 3 decades but 18 - 20 years is a pretty old cat.