Red hake

Where they come from

Red hake are a cold-water cod relative from the Northwest Atlantic, from Newfoundland down to the Mid-Atlantic Bight. You find them over sand and mud on the continental shelf, often tucked into soft bottoms by day and cruising for snacks at night. Think dim, chilly, and silty rather than coral reef.

Setting up their tank

Give them space and cold, stable water. They are long, active hunters with a big mouth and a slow metabolism at low temps. A cramped warm tank is a short road to disappointment.

• Tank size: 240-300+ gallons for a single adult. Aim for a long footprint (6-8 ft) with plenty of open bottom.
• Temperature: 6-12 C (43-54 F). Keep it steady. They start to struggle as you creep above 14-15 C.
• Salinity: 33-35 ppt (SG 1.025-1.027).
• pH: 8.0-8.3. Alkalinity 8-10 dKH.
• Dissolved oxygen: high. Strong surface agitation and a quality skimmer help.
• Lighting: dim. They are nocturnal. Use red light for viewing at night.

Filtration needs to be oversized. Biological filtration runs slower at cold temps, so go big on media and give the tank extra time to cycle. A skimmer rated for twice your volume is not overkill.

• Chiller sized for your total system volume, with a reliable controller and a backup plan (battery air pump or generator).
• Flow: moderate with calm zones. Keep the bottom gentle so they can rest, but avoid dead spots where gunk piles up.
• Substrate: 3-5 inches of fine sand so they can settle in and partially bury. Use smooth decor (PVC caves, rounded rock). Avoid sharp live rock.
• Cover: tight-fitting lid. They can bolt at night and hit the top.
• Plumbing: insulate lines to stop condensation and temp swings.

What to feed them

They are ambush carnivores. That chin barbel is their metal detector for food. Fresh, meaty seafood is your friend, and they usually feed best at dusk.

• Primary foods: squid strips, silversides, sand eels, pieces of mackerel/capelin, shrimp, clams, and marine worms.
• Starter tricks: offer moving food on tongs near the sand at lights-out. A slight wiggle usually does the trick.
• Vitamins: rotate foods and soak in a vitamin/HUFA supplement. Many baitfish are high in thiaminase, so add a thiamine supplement now and then.
• Frequency: juveniles small meals daily; adults 2-4 times per week. They do fine with a fast day after a big feed.
• Clean-up: pull leftovers within 10 minutes. Cold tanks hide decay, and waste builds fast.

How they behave and who they get along with

Red hake are shy by day and cruise at night. They sit on or in the sand, feel around with the barbel, and strike fast. They are not aggressive in the chest-thumping way, but anything that fits in the mouth is a snack.

• Best setup: species-only display.
• Possible tankmates (advanced keepers only): large, calm, cold-water benthic fish too big to be swallowed, like big sculpins or lumpfish. Feed separately so the hake gets its share.
• Avoid: small fish, ornamental crustaceans, and pushy predators (cod, wolffish) that will outcompete or harass them.
• Feeding time: switch off strong pumps, dim the lights, and target-feed. They learn your routine quickly.

Breeding tips

Not something hobbyists are pulling off at home. Red hake are broadcast spawners with pelagic eggs and larvae. In the wild they move seasonally and spawn in cool water columns full of plankton. Sexing is not straightforward, conditioning them would take a chilled public-aquarium-scale system, and rearing larvae needs dense live plankton cultures. Treat this species as non-breedable in home aquaria.

Common problems to watch for

• Heat stress: rapid breathing, pacing, hanging near the surface. Short-term fix is ice packs in the sump and maxed-out aeration. Do not drop temp more than about 2 C per hour.
• Low oxygen: big fish, high demand. Keep strong surface agitation and have a battery air pump for outages.
• Internal and external parasites: wild-caught hake often carry worms and flukes. Quarantine 4-6 weeks. Prazi-based treatments for flukes/worms and metronidazole in food for internal protozoans work well. Observe feces and appetite.
• Feeding strikes: common early on. Try fresh squid at dusk, add scent (clam juice), and reduce light. Once they eat, keep a steady routine.
• Mouth and skin abrasions: they can spook. Use a soft, tight lid and smooth decor. Skip rough netting; guide with a tub if you must move them.
• Dirty sand bed: they like deep, fine sand but it can go anoxic. Siphon the surface lightly during water changes and avoid deep stirring.