🐠 Lyretail Hogfish (Bodianus anthioides)
Marine Not-Reef-Safe Wrasse • White Body With Red Polka Dots & Orange-Red Posterior • Genuine Juvenile Cleaner Fish Behaviour • Intermediate Marine Fish
 
📋 The Lyretail Hogfish, also known as the Lyretail Pigfish, has a genuinely striking two-toned pattern — a white body with red polka dots at the front, transitioning to a reddish-orange posterior, and a distinctive white, forked "lyre" tail that gives the species its common name.
Native to a genuinely wide range across the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to the Tuamotu Islands, this species is typically found along seaward reef edges, often below 25 metres.
A genuinely charming natural behaviour: juveniles are documented cleaner fish, eating parasites off other fish, before transitioning to a more independent, meaty diet as they mature. This species genuinely forages by blowing jets of water into the sand to uncover worms, snails, and small crustaceans. We want to be honest that it can be genuinely shy when first introduced, becoming bolder over time, and while peaceful as a juvenile, it becomes more semi-aggressive with maturity, best suited to similarly assertive tank mates. We want to be upfront: this species is not reef safe, and adults will genuinely eat invertebrates including worms, snails, small bivalves, and crustaceans. It's also a genuine jumper, so a secure, tight-fitting lid matters.
 
⚪🔴 Highlights
🎨 White Body With Red Dots & Orange Tail: A genuinely striking, distinctive two-toned wrasse
🧼 Genuine Juvenile Cleaner Fish: Documented removing parasites from other fish when young
🏖️ Genuine Sand-Blowing Foraging: Blows water jets to uncover hidden prey
⚠️ Not Reef Safe: Adults will eat worms, snails, small bivalves, and crustaceans
⚠️ Genuine Jumping Risk: A secure, tight-fitting lid is essential