Cuban Hogfish Compatibility – 05/08/08
Hey crew,
<<Hey Jason!>>
I have a 125 long that currently houses a Cuban Hogfish that is about 5 in. long.
<<A beautiful fish>>
He is bold, but not aggressive with his little tank mates.
<<Indeed…will get along with “most” tankmates…as long as they aren’t small enough to eat>>
I'm considering adding a Lyretail Hog that is about 3 in.
<<Mmm…maybe not such a good idea>>
Will these two get along OK?
<<Although these fishes are generally peaceful this behavior does not extend to conspecifics, and will likely spill over to interspecifics as well. Were the order of introduction reversed you “might” be able to get away with this…but I fear the well established 5” Cuban Hog will not take kindly to the introduction of another Bodianus species>>
Thank you my good fishy peeps,
Jason
<<Happy to share. EricR>>

Do Cuban hogfish eat medium sized hermit crabs (blue legged and red legged)? 10/2/07
Phil Hirschhorn, DDS
<Oh yes. Bob Fenner>

Twinspot Hogfish question, comp.    8/18/07
Hi Crew!
<Barbara>
I am planning a 72g bowfront in the next few months, upgrading from my 30g saltwater tank. I recently fell in love with the Twinspot hogfish and was hoping to add one to that system when I am ready. I read that they may nibble on shrimp on occasion.
<Yes>
I did not see any mention of that on your site though. I have 1 skunk cleaner and 2 peppermint shrimp currently and would like to possibly add another cleaner when they go in the 72g. Have you heard of this Hogfish eating shrimp?
<Yes... have seen this in the wild and captivity>
I will be adding the shrimp and clowns to the tank first so they can settle in before more aggressive fish will be added.
If it will help the other fish I am planning to stock are:
2 False Percula Clowns
1 Coral Beauty
1 Yellow Tang
1 Strawberry Dottyback
and a few turbo snails as well as the shrimp.
<Bodianus may consume these as well>
Thank you so much for your help and for maintaining such a fantastic website!
Barbara
<Thank you for being part of it! Bob Fenner>

Perspective on a Hog. Comp.  8/7/07
Dear Crew,
<Hey David>
Thanks for being on board this evening for Hog question.
<Ok>
I would like to know more about the Twinspot Hog, Bodianus bimaculatus.
I know that most other Hogs are risky with inverts; how about the Twinspot?
<Is fine with all but the smallest of shrimp, snails, worms...>
I have no plans to keep corals in the particular tank where it would reside other than mushrooms perhaps. I also keep some giant Tongan
Nassarius and there is one larger Emerald Crab.
Thanks again.
David A. Bell
<Should leave all this be. Bob Fenner>

Cuban hogfish introduction – 07/03/07
We have a 75 gallon saltwater tank with fairly non aggressive batch of fishes. We just added a Cuban hogfish (medium) to the tank. It looks healthy, is eating,
<Are you non-native speakers/writers? Am getting tired of inserting spaces here...>
and is still li'l scared but better. The only problem is that we have a yellow Dottyback ie aggressive towards it. Our other fishes are coral beauty, clown, damsel, yellow tang, fairy wrasse.
Do we take the yellow one out... as it is getting to a point that we feel we might lose our hog even though it is much bigger than the Dottyback. May be it is weak and can't fight back... which we were surprised to see a hog not do it( had a Spanish hog last yr which was a tough cookie thanks for the help
<I would either remove or isolate the Pseudochromid (in a floating colander for a week); to see if this will knock it down a peg or two in this social dynamic. Bob Fenner>

Rooster hogfish, Lachnolaimus, comp.   6/3/07
I currently have a 550 gallon marine aquarium with about 800lbs of live rock. The tank has been operating successfully for over two years with minimal issues.
<Spaces twixt your sentences...>
I presently have a 100 gallon sump, uv, c hiller, EuroReef skimmer, etc and I maintain excellent water quality at all times. (less than 20ppm nitrates). My present stocking list is as follows:
8" golden puffer
9"lunare wrasse
9" Naso tang
7" vlamingi tang
6" harlequin Tuskfish
5" maroon clownfish
7" Sailfin tang
6" clown trigger
6"pinktail trigger
5"niger trigger
6" magnificent Foxface
I recently added a 8" rooster hogfish after quarantining and the harlequin Tuskfish is constantly harassing him if he moves from the corner. Will the rooster eventually be able to defend himself?
<Maybe... this Atlantic species can be quite/too shy when small, placed with more aggressive fishes>
Secondly I continue to have trouble with marine angelfish developing flukes after quarantining. I have tried the following species (annularis
5", scribbled 6",emperor 6") over the last year. The fish acclimate fine while in my quarantine tank but appear to develop flukes (scratching)
<This symptom alone is not indicative...>
after a week or so in the main aquarium. It only affects the angelfish because the other fish are not affected. Can you suggest an approach for adding an angelfish successfully? Is it possible to utilize Prazi-pro in a FOWLR to help with the flukes?
Steve
Boston, MA
<Is possible... Bob Fenner>

Fish compatibility family Labridae  12/23/06
Crew,
<Bryan>
From what I have researched, I have found nothing negative about the compatibility of a Sixline Wrasse and a Twospot Hogfish.  However if the hogfish is part of the wrasse family, could there be an issue here if the two were in the same tank?  
<These two specimens both of the family Labridae should be able to be housed in the same aquarium if not overcrowded.>  
I like both of the fish, but not sure if I can have them in the same tank.  Any advice on keeping the two together?  
<Larger tank, smaller fish and introducing them at the same time would be the best recipe for success.  Good luck!>   
Thanks,
<Welcome!  -Mich>
Bryan

Mystery Wrasse and Masudes Hog... Incomp. of Pseudocheilinus and Bodianus spp.    4/8/06
I am getting a Mystery Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus ocellatus) tomorrow and want to know if I can add him to a 90 gallon reef tank.
<This is a very gentle species, genus...>
I have a 4" Bodianus masudai in a 90 gallon along with a few other fish.
<In the same tank?... Might be a problem>
The masudai has only been aggressive to one other fish (a Halichoeres chrysus that is no longer in the 90 gallon.) Otherwise he seems to leave everything else alone.
I also have a 58 gallon reef tank that is only 2 months old and has two Tangerine Skunk Clowns (Amphiprion sandaracinos) and a Candy Hog (Bodianus
bimaculatus).
<The genus Bodianus, Hogfishes can be quite territorial...>
I would really rather put the Mystery Wrasse in my 90, it is much more established, and in a more prominent area of the house, but I hate to take a chance with a $200 fish.
What is your advice?
Thanks,
Bill Edgel
<... To place this fish in yet another system... not with a Bodianus/alpha fish present... too similar in appearance, users of similar niche... Likely to be trouble in either tank here. Research before you buy... Bob Fenner>

Hogfish compatibility
Hi,
<Hello Tom>
I have a 110G reef, 120lbs+ live rock reef. Currently have a Yellow Candy hogfish which was added after a Sixline wrasse. It took a couple of weeks for the Sixline to stop bothering the Hog, but now they all get along fine. 
My question is, I just found a very nice Peppermint hog at a LFS, would like to know if you think it will get along with the Yellow Candy Hog and others
Current population:
Percula clown 2
Sixline wrasse 1
Purple tang 1
Royal Gramma 1
Yellow watchman goby 1
Blue pacific tang 1
Yellow candy hogfish 1
Flame angel 1
Dwarf hermits 20-30
Black brittle star 1
Derasa clam 1
L. amboinensis 2
Various LPS, SPS, Xenia, Mushrooms
Abalone 1
Nassarius 15
Thanks, Tom
<Mmm, I would not add this fish to this mix... the tank is getting a bit crowded psychologically, and the mollusks would likely suffer from the addition. Bob Fenner> 

Re: Hogfish compatibility
Hi again,
<Howdy again>
Agreed, just curious if there would likely be direct aggression between the two Bodianus species. If those two would tend to get along, I'd gladly trade the mollusks and maybe one or two of the other fish back to the LFS for credit on the Peppermint. The Yellow Candy hog has turned out to be one of the tank favorites, would love to add another small Bodianus if they'd get along.
Thanks, Tom
<Mmm, most small members of this genus do mix... okay... generally, given sufficient space... (and reciprocally, most larger ones do not)... especially if started small/er. If you have room to move one or the other if trouble breaks out... Bob Fenner>

Split-level Hogfish
Hello Mr. Fenner!
<Hello again>
I've written to you several times, most recently regarding my husband throwing a dog bone through the side of our tank the night before our vacation (you may remember this one). Anyway, we have purchased a new 55 gallon tank, all of the fish have been moved in, and the tank is doing very well.
<Yowsah, bowsah. Good to hear>
Today's question revolves around a new purchase. This past weekend, I purchased a red spotted wrasse and a split-level hogfish. I was a bit nervous about the hogfish, since he was about 3 1/2 inches long, which is much longer than any of my other tank mates (1 blue damsel, 3 Firefish, 1 red pencil urchin). But, the gentleman at the store indicated to me that he was very docile, and that he would not get much bigger than his current size.
<Hmm...>
So, finding him a very pretty fish, I rolled the dice and took him home.
Well, I've since read that he may grow to between 10 and 12 inches long!
This could be a very bad thing, since my tank isn't quite big enough to support this. So, my question is, will his growth be limited by the size of my tank, or will he just keep growing and potentially causing problems for himself and his tankmates? 
<More of the latter than the former... perhaps this same store, person will let you trade in this duplex Bodianus if/when it's oversized?>
If he is going to keep growing, I may be forced to take him back to the store for a smaller fish. It should be noted, I spent 5 hours observing his behavior within the tank last night, and he has not shown aggression towards any of the other fish. The wrasse, on the other hand, was a bit curious about my mini hermit crabs.
<Yes, and if/when hungry... will likely consume them>
Also, I've read that some hogfish eat crustaceans, etc. I had hopes of putting some shrimp in my tank at some point, and I currently have very tiny hermit crabs in there. Does this variety of hogfish pose a threat to crustaceans?
<Yes, please see my Labrid/Wrasse, Bodianus coverage on our site: www.WetWebMedia.com>
As always, any advice you could give would be welcomed! Thanks much!
Deborah H. Colella
<You're welcome. Bob Fenner>

 Bodianus pulchellus (Cuban hogfish) and gastropod snacks
Hi Crew.
<Matt>
I have a short simple question :-)
I would like to add a Cuban Hogfish (Bodianus pulchellus) to my tank (its a 180).
My only concern is if he would assassinate my population of snails?
<Too likely so in time. http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=1066&genusname=Bodianus&speciesname=pulchellus
Bob Fenner>
Thanks,
Regards,
Matt