🐠 Coral Hogfish (Bodianus mesothorax)
A Burgundy-Purple Front Meeting a Yellow-White Rear • A Documented Juvenile Cleaner Fish • Fiercely Territorial, Not Reef Safe as an Adult
 
📋 The Coral Hogfish, also known as the Split-Level Hogfish, Blackbelt Hogfish, or Eclipse Hogfish, has a striking two-tone body, a burgundy-purple front half meeting a yellow-to-white rear, divided by a bold diagonal black band running from the pectoral fin toward the dorsal fin. Juveniles look different, appearing burgundy-brown with several bright yellow spots.
It comes from a wide range from the Nicobar Islands eastward to Tonga, north to Japan, and south to eastern Australia and New Caledonia, inhabiting coral-rich outer reef slopes to depths of around 40 metres. Every Coral Hogfish we ship is feeding well.
A charming behaviour: juveniles are often seen cleaning other fish, picking off parasites, though this is a facultative rather than obligate cleaning behaviour, and typically fades by adulthood. This is a hardy, characterful species that can be a little shy on introduction before quickly gaining confidence and becoming an outgoing tank presence. This species is not reef safe, with mature adults feeding on snails, worms, mussels, small fish, shrimp, and squid, a reef tank will effectively become its buffet. It's also fiercely territorial, and should be the only hogfish, and the only specimen of its kind, in the tank. It reaches up to 20cm, so a 280L tank suits it well.
 
💡 Highlights
🎨 Burgundy-Purple Front With Yellow-White Rear: A striking, classic hogfish pattern
🧽 Documented Juvenile Cleaner Behaviour: Young fish often pick parasites off other fish
⚠️ Not Reef Safe: Will consume snails, worms, small fish, and crustaceans
💪 Hardy and Characterful: Shy at first, becomes a bold, outgoing presence
⚠️ Territorial: Keep just one specimen per tank