Serranocirrhitus latus

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Facts
Latin name Serranocirrhitus latus - Watanabe, 1949
Local name Hawkfish anthias
Family Serranidae - Serranocirrhitus
Origin Australia, Japan, Indonesia, East Pacific, Central/West Pacific
Max length 13 cm (5.1")
As aquarium fish
Minimum volume 100 l (26 gal)
Hardiness Delicate
Suitable for aquarium Suitable for special aquariums
Reef safe Always reef safe
Aggressiveness Docile but might be aggressive towards similar species
Feed
Recommended Small crustaceans (Krill, mysis, artemia...)
Zooplankton (Cyclops, pods...)
Beware of
Low light conditions

This species thrives best in an aquarium with dimmed lighting.

Small aquaria

This species can be kept in a small tank, if it is specifically equipped to meet its needs.

It is recommended however, to keep it in an aquarium which is larger then described above.

Keep in mind
Requires a varied diet

This species must be fed with an appropriately varied diet.

Secretive

A very secretive species which hides between the rocks.
When it feels at home in the aquarium it will appear more, but is still not as active in the water column as most of the other fish.

Frequent feeding

This fish requires feeding several times a day, especially when newly added.

When the fish can find its natural food in the aquarium it requires less frequent feeding. 

Can be choosy

In the beginning these fish can have problems eating frozen foods.

Food like Cyclops and Artemia is a good start when the fish are first introduced into the aquarium.
They will however over time learn to eat fish flakes.

Can coexist as a pair

They can live as a pair provided they are introduced simultaneously.

Hiding places

This species needs good hiding places, for example, between live rocks.

Docile

This species is very shy and docile, so one should be careful when keeping it with more aggressive fish.

Hermaphroditic

This species can change gender from female to male.

When a male is needed, a female changes sex and takes on the role.

Descriptions and further reading
Family description (Serranidae)

The Sea Bass family (Serranidae) spans a broad spectrum with regards to how suitable they are to aquaria, as some are best suited to specialist or larger aquaria, while other are often seen in reef aquaria.

Below are described the five subfamilies one sees most often in aquaria. There are however other species one can also keep under the right circumstances, but these are for the most, large predatory fish.

Anthias (Anthiinae)
The Anthias species spans over many different genera, but the most common is the Pseudanthias genus. They mostly have an attractive orange or pink shade.

They are generally all reef safe and peaceful.
There is however a large difference to their food requirements, some species demand constant feeding, whereas others can get used to being fed once a day.

The easiest species are the following: P. bartelettorum, Anthias, Luzonichthys, Nemanthias, Odontanthias, Pseudanthias, Sacura and Serranocirrhitus

Liopropomatinae
This subfamily encompasses some of the smallest fish in the Serranidae family, they can be very colourful but shy. The Liopropoma genus encompasses many species which are suitable for aquaria, however they normally thrive best in a very peaceful- or nano aquarium.

Grouper (Epinephelinae)
These fish grow typically too large for most home aquaria. There are however some species that do lend themselves to the slightly bigger domestic aquarium. Several of the species look very impressive and often have a interesting personality, and they often recognize the aquarist and will become tame over time. 

Groupers are predatory fish and eat everything they can swallow; fish, crabs, shrimps and sometimes other invertebrates. Like most large predatory fish they excrete a lot of nutrients to the water, so one therefore needs a good filter system.

Groupers include among others the following genera: Aethaloperca, Cephalopholis, Chromileptes, Epinephelus, Paranthias and Pogonoperca

Soapfishes (Grammistinae)
These fish are like the Groupers predatory fish, but they do not typically, grow so large. They are relatively hardy, but some of the species demand a thorough preperation if one wants to be successful.

Soapfishes are generally very shy and will often hide under an overhang during the day, and hunt at night.

Soapfishes include among others the genera: Grammistes

Serraninae
The most common genera in captivity is Dwarf Seabasses (Serranus) and Hamlets (Hypoplectrus).

See the description of the individual genera below.

FishBase
Aquarium trade Yes
Distribution Western Pacific: Moluccas to Fiji, north to the Izu Islands and Taiwan (Ref. 5193), south to New Caledonia and the Great Barrier Reef. Recently recorded from Tonga (Ref. 53797).
English common names Swallowtail basslet
Swallow-tail basslet
Hawkfish anthias
References and further reading

About references

Scott Michael. Aquarium Fish: Fathead Anthias (Serranocirrhitus latus) - Advanced Aquarist - (English)
Bob Fenner. A Different Fancy Sea Bass (subfamily Anthiinae), The Hawkfish, Sunburst or Fathead Anthias, Serranocirrhitus latus - Wet Web Media - (English)

Henry C. Schultz. 2006. Anthias Imposters! - The Genus Pseudanthias, Part IPart II - Reefkeeping Magazine - (English)
Scott W. Michael. 2001. Reef Fishes volume 1 - TFH Publications / Microcosm Ltd. - (English)
Bob Fenner. Fancy Sea Basses, The Anthiinae, Part I, Part II - Wet Web Media - (English)

Bob Fenner. The Basses, Family Serranidae - Wet Web Media - (English)