Diana's Hogfish (Bodianus Diana)

Care Level : Moderate

Temperament : Aggressive

Color : Black, Orange, Red, White

Diet : Carnivore

Reef Compatible : No

Water Conditions : sg 1.020-1.025, 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4

Max. Size : 10"

Origin : Indo-Pacific 

Family : Labridae

Minimum Tank Size : 150 gallons

Diana's Hogfish (Bodianus Diana), is commonly referred to as the Red Diana Hogfish, Diana Hogfish, Red & Gold Hogfish, or Spotted Hogfish.

Diana's Hogfish get their name from the way they look for food in the substrate using their snout. They can regularly be seen blowing water down into the sand and in their natural habitat they often follow other fish which have disturbed it.

When juvenile this fish is particularly striking with a deep red body and pale belly covered in white spots and short horizontal bars with larger black spots on the fins. As the fish matures they lose most of these spots and the body becomes a more pale red with dark spotting on the spine behind the dorsal to the caudal fin. Dark spots may also be evident on other fins too. It can reach a length of 10 inches. The Diana’s Hogfish is a very hardy fish but one of the least friendly of the Hogfish genus.

An aquarium of 150 gallons or more provides a good habitat. Can be maintained in fish-only or reef aquariums, which should provide hiding places and lots of open swimming area.

The Diana’s Hogfish does best kept in relatively aggressive aquarium with larger species that will not allow this fish to bully them. Be careful when keeping these fish together with peaceful or docile species. Preferable tankmates are groupers, angelfishes, hawkfishes, and moderately aggressive triggerfishes. When fully grown they can become a threat to various invertebrates, e.g. worms, snails, small bivalves and crustaceans amongst others.

This species can change gender from female to male. When a male is needed, a female changes sex and takes on the role.

Requires a meaty diet, including fortified brine shrimp, mysis, black worms and other meaty type marine-based frozen foods, including flake foods, and should be fed two or three times per day.

Size: Juvenile: Small: 3/4" to 1-1/2" Medium: 1-1/2" to 2-1/4" Small: 2-1/4" to 3"; Medium: 3" to 4"; Large: 4" to 6"