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Little Shop of Coral

Coral Hogfish (Bodianus axillaris)

Coral Hogfish (Bodianus axillaris)

$100.00 CAD
$100.00 CAD
Sale Sold out

The Coral Hogfish is a bold, active wrasse with tons of personality and a strong “centre of the tank” presence. It is an energetic swimmer that loves to weave through rockwork, hunt for small foods, and interact with its environment. This species is best suited for larger, established systems and is typically not a good fit for peaceful community reefs with delicate inverts.

Why we love it

  • High-energy fish with big personality and constant movement

  • Great display species for larger tanks with rockwork and swim space

  • Strong appetite and hardy once acclimated

Suggested parameters

  • Temperature: 24–26°C (75–79°F)

  • Salinity: 1.024–1.026 SG

  • pH: 8.1–8.4

  • Alkalinity: 8–10 dKH

  • Ammonia/Nitrite: 0

  • Nitrate: Under 20 ppm (stable is best)

Care and temperament

  • Difficulty: Moderate

  • Temperament: Semi-aggressive

  • Reef safe: With caution (may eat shrimp, crabs, snails, and other small inverts)

  • Minimum tank size: 125 gallons recommended (larger is best)

Diet

Coral Hogfish are meaty-food eaters and do best with variety.

  • Frozen mysis, brine, krill, and chopped shrimp

  • Chopped clam, squid, and quality seafood blends

  • High-quality sinking pellets for carnivores

  • Feed 1 to 2 times per day, smaller portions more often is ideal

Compatibility and tankmates

  • Best with larger, confident fish that can handle a pushier tankmate

  • Avoid housing with very small fish that could be harassed

  • Not recommended with ornamental shrimp, small crabs, or a delicate clean-up crew

  • Provide caves and rockwork for shelter plus open space for cruising

  • A tight-fitting lid is recommended, especially during acclimation

What you are buying

  • You will receive: 1 Coral Hogfish (Bodianus axillaris)

  • Colour and size can vary between individuals

As with all fish, slow acclimation is recommended, and quarantine is strongly encouraged when possible for sensitive or high-value systems.

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LIGHT

LOW: Place coral at the bottom of the tank. Depending on the type, coral may need to be placed off sand and therefore mounted on a ceramic disc of piece of rock.

MEDIUM: Place coral at mid-range of the tank. Best placed/glued on top of a rock scape at mid-range height. 

HIGH: Place coral from mid range to just below water level. SPS coral are shallow growing so they require and are able to tolerate intense light.

FLOW

LOW: Most soft coral do well with a small, gentle pulse. There are certain corals that can even be placed in areas of indirect flow, meaning places aside a rock structure or set into a entrance to a cave style space.

MEDIUM: Many LPS types of coral prefer medium pulse current. Most Euphyllia or corals that have more tissue structure connected to their skeleton, don’t like to be in a high flow area like the direct flow of the wave pump.

HIGH: Similar to high light, SPS enjoy being in some heavy current. Most LPS and SPS that branch encrust or plate prefer high flow that simulates the top water waves.

SKILL

ENTRY: While some may say beginner level, "Entry" is a good term to be used when starting out in the world of corals and marine life. Prior to adding livestock, you want to ensure that your reef has the proper parameters including zero levels of ammonia and nitrite. Seeing traces of nitrate in your waters is a good sign - just keep them at a lower level of 2ppm to 10ppm. Maintaining correct temperature and salinity are a huge factor to stable parameters. Starting to monitor your PH, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium is a great habit to get into to keep a successful reef.

While some soft coral don’t require too much light, having a proper reef light that puts out the proper pars is very important. You'll also want to have a good amount of flow and protected rock areas, as placing corals in their happy spot is ideal for success.

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