Son is doing a report on Spotfin (Cuban) Hogfish, need help finding information -- 04/03/10
Hi,
<Hello there>
I am hoping that perhaps you can help me. My son's 5th grade class has to all do reports on various animals of the coral reef. He was so lucky to end up with the Spotfin Hogfish. I had
<Umm, why isn't your son writing this?>
 no idea how hard it would be to find any quantity of information on this fish!! Your site has been great, but from the pages I've read, it appears to deal mostly with them in captivity. The questions he has to answer are:
1. Description of where the species is in it's food chain
<... ? Is near the top/apex predator>
2. Description of the species life cycle.
<Search the Net re Labrids period, Bodianus in particular>
He also has to talk about the characteristics, and I've found plenty of information on that, now I just need the above. I read through what I had printed from your site, but for the Reproduction, Sexual Differentiation, it speaks of the Spanish hog -- can I take from that, that the Cuban has similar reproductive measures?
<It is indeed>
I also read that they are cleaners as young, and that's when larger fish will prey on them, that as they get older and bigger, they have quite the bite and are fairly capable of fending for themselves. Could you elaborate just a bit more on this, as his paper has to be 5 paragraphs long!! What types of aquatic animals tend to feast on the small hogfish?
<Most any larger fish species... Basses, Triggers, Puffers... though cleaners do accrue some exemptive benefit...>
Thank you in advance for any help you can provide!!
Julie Severin
<Welcome. 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>