TankBud

Coral hogfish

Bodianus mesothorax

Also known as Eclipse Hogfish, Splitlevel Hogfish, Mesothorax Hogfish, Black-belt Hogfish

SaltwaterFish

Coral hogfish (Bodianus mesothorax)
Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
7.9 in
20 cm
Minimum tank
90 gal
340 L
Temperament
Aggressive
Social behavior
Solitary
Own kind
One per tank
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe with caution
Family
Labridae
Origin
Western Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean reefs, from the Andaman Sea to southern Japan, Fiji, and the Great Barrier Reef

Overview

The coral hogfish is a territorial reef fish that forages along the bottom of a big saltwater tank. It suits a keeper with a little experience.

Did you know

A young coral hogfish cleans parasites off the other fish in its tank. The habit fades as it matures into a bold, food-motivated predator that would just as soon eat a cleaner shrimp as accept its services.

Caring for the coral hogfish

Give the coral hogfish at least 90 gal (340 L), with a rockwork base full of caves and open sand to dig through. It spends much of the day rearranging rubble and substrate while it hunts.

Keep the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. Feed a varied carnivore diet of mysis, brine shrimp, krill and chopped seafood.

Adult coral hogfish are aggressive and territorial, and they bully smaller or more docile fish. Choose tank mates carefully, and add them before the hogfish if you can. Keep only one per tank.

A juvenile is reef safe with caution, but a full-grown fish hunts snails, worms, small bivalves and crustaceans with real efficiency. It also eats small fish and ornamental shrimp, so keep it out of a reef tank with anything it can swallow or crack open.

Good to know

Bodianus mesothorax belongs to the family Labridae, and it is a protogynous hermaphrodite. It starts life as a female, and a dominant female can change sex to male if the group's male is lost. Juveniles are burgundy with yellow spots. Adults keep a burgundy face, while the rear half turns rosy yellow, split from the front by a black band. That band is the source of the eclipse and split-level nicknames. Hogfish get their common name from the genus's habit of rooting through sand and rubble nose-first, much like a hog foraging in dirt.

In the wild

The coral hogfish lives on reefs of the western Pacific and the eastern Indian Ocean. Its range runs from the Andaman Sea to southern Japan, Fiji and the Great Barrier Reef. It is found at 5 to 40 m, though it rarely turns up below 20 m. Juveniles shelter in caves and crevices, while adults range more openly over rubble and coral.

Common questions

What size tank does a coral hogfish need?

A coral hogfish needs at least 90 gal (340 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a coral hogfish need?

A coral hogfish is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a coral hogfish eat?

A coral hogfish eats a varied carnivore diet of mysis, brine shrimp, krill and chopped seafood. A full-grown fish also hunts snails, worms, small bivalves, crustaceans and small fish.

How big does a coral hogfish get?

An adult coral hogfish reaches about 7.9 in (20 cm).

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