Spanish Hogfish - Bodianus rufus - Small

The Spanish Hogfish (Bodianus rufus) has a bright yellow body. The front two-thirds of the body above the horizontal midline is reddish-purple (the hue can vary from purple to more reddish or more blue depending on the area and depth that the fish was collected from). This is one of the larger hogfish but can be very hardy and easy to care for in a large, moderately aggressive aquarium.

Hogfish are closely related to wrasses and behave in much the same manner. They are active swimmers and are best kept in a tank with plenty of room for them to swim. They also spend much of their time picking at rockwork in the search for tiny animals living within. Juveniles of many hogfish will act as "cleaner fish", picking parasites and dead scales off of other fish. This behavior ends or may become harmful to the recipient fish by the time the hogfish is an adult.

Feed your hogfish a meaty variety of foods. They will normally accept most pellets, frozen formulas, shrimp, scallops and mussels. They can be housed with larger community tankmates like angels, tangs, damsels and some of the more peaceful triggers. Hogfish have been known to overturn corals while searching for food but most do not actively prey on corals; use caution when introducing hogfish into any reef system. They may prey on ornamental crustaceans like crabs and shrimp.