TankBud

Twospot hogfish

Bodianus bimaculatus

Also known as Twinspot Hogfish, Candy Hogfish, Yellow Candy Hogfish, Bimac Hogfish

SaltwaterFish

Twospot hogfish (Bodianus bimaculatus)
Dieter Karner from Loosdorf, Austria · CC BY 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
3.9 in
10 cm
Minimum tank
30 gal
114 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Own kind
One male per tank
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Labridae
Origin
Indo-Pacific reefs, from Madagascar and the western Indian Ocean to New Caledonia, and from Japan south to New Zealand

Overview

The twospot hogfish is a small bottom dweller and one of the few hogfish sold specifically as a nano reef option. It is best with a little experience.

Did you know

The twospot hogfish has been recorded more than 100 m down, while most reef fish in the hobby come from the top 30 m. Specialty collectors sometimes use mixed gas diving to reach the populations that supply the aquarium trade.

Caring for the twospot hogfish

Give the twospot hogfish at least 30 gal (114 L), in a tank tall enough to give it a real water column. Add plenty of live rock and keep the aquascape full of nooks, since it likes to duck out of sight between feedings. It does not appreciate bright lighting.

Keep the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It naturally sifts through sand and rubble for food all day long. Feed small meals of mysis, brine shrimp and other finely chopped meaty foods several times a day.

The twospot hogfish is a solitary, mostly peaceful fish that adjusts quickly once settled, though it can be shy at first. It may bother very small, docile tank mates, so choose them with caution. Keep only one male per tank, since it may square off with another hogfish.

It is reef safe and leaves corals, clams and ornamental shrimp alone. It will pick out the odd small worm or bristleworm as it forages.

Good to know

The twospot hogfish belongs to the family Labridae and is one of the smallest hogfish in the aquarium trade. It is a protogynous hermaphrodite, changing from female to male if a group loses its dominant male. It is bright yellow to orange, with two dark spots at the base of the dorsal fin. Those spots give it both its common name and its species name, bimaculatus, Latin for two spotted.

In the wild

The twospot hogfish lives on Indo-Pacific reefs, from Madagascar and the western Indian Ocean to New Caledonia, and from Japan south to New Zealand. It is a deep-water fish of rubble and sand, typically found at 30 to 60 m in a dim, current-swept part of the reef.

Common questions

What size tank does a twospot hogfish need?

A twospot hogfish needs at least 30 gal (114 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a twospot hogfish need?

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

What does a twospot hogfish eat?

A twospot hogfish eats small meals of mysis, brine shrimp and other finely chopped meaty foods, several times a day. It also picks out the odd small worm or bristleworm as it forages.

How big does a twospot hogfish get?

An adult twospot hogfish reaches about 3.9 in (10 cm).

Related species