Cuban hogfish

About

The spotfin hogfish (Bodianus pulchellus) is a member of the wrasse family that ranges across a surprisingly broad stretch of the Western Atlantic, from the Carolinas and Bermuda down through the Caribbean to southern Brazil, with an isolated population recorded around São Tomé Island in the Eastern Atlantic. Adults are found on coral and rocky reefs, generally in shallower water, where they forage for crabs and small invertebrates. One of the more charming aspects of this species is what happens before adulthood: juveniles serve as cleaner fish, picking parasites from other reef residents. A behavior that gives them a very different role in the ecosystem compared to the adults they'll become. There's also an interesting genetic footnote worth knowing: spotfin hogfish are capable of hybridizing with the Spanish hogfish (Bodianus rufus) where their ranges overlap, so you may occasionally encounter fish with mixed traits. In the aquarium, this species is considered relatively peaceful for a hogfish, which makes it a more manageable option than some of its more boisterous relatives. That said, adults will absolutely go after small invertebrates, so a reef tank stocked with prized shrimp or crabs may not be the best fit. A solidly intermediate-level fish for a community fish-only or FOWLR setup.