Diana's Hogfish

Diana's Hogfish is a robust and attractively colored member of the wrasse family, prized for its hardiness and useful pest-control abilities. Juveniles display a striking dark reddish-brown to maroon body accented with prominent white spots along the dorsal area and flanks, creating a bold spotted pattern. As the fish matures, the coloration shifts to a deeper reddish-brown, and the white spots become less pronounced, though the overall appearance remains handsome and distinctive.

In the wild, Diana's Hogfish inhabits coral reefs and rocky outcrops throughout the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to the Western Pacific. Juveniles act as cleaner fish, setting up cleaning stations where they pick parasites and dead tissue from larger fish. This cleaning behavior sometimes persists in captivity, particularly when the fish is young, providing a fascinating natural behavior to observe. Adults are more generalist predators, feeding on crustaceans, mollusks, sea urchins, and worms.

Reaching about 10 inches in length, Diana's Hogfish requires an aquarium of at least 125 gallons. It is one of the easier hogfish to keep, readily accepting a wide range of frozen and prepared foods from the outset. While generally peaceful toward other fish, it is not reef-safe with invertebrates, as it will consume ornamental shrimp, crabs, snails, and other small invertebrates. It is an excellent choice for FOWLR systems where its active swimming behavior, attractive coloration, and pest-control abilities are highly valued. Like other Bodianus species, it is a protogynous hermaphrodite.