Twinspot Hogfish info requested. Multiple hogs?

[Reefinmike]

Hey all,

For the sake of a straight to the point question without losing everyone in the details- I was finally able to purchase my dream fish after 5 years of searching- the twinspot hogfish. I bought two. Does anyone have experience with multiple twinspot hogfish in a system? If so, how large is your reef, what size were they introduced, were they introduced simultaneously? Did you have the same fish in a smaller system before with aggression becoming an issue?

Fwiw- i’m not unprepared for the potential of them not getting along. I have 4 different spots I can house the fish with ~ 800 gallons between them. They will see an observation tank before ever hitting a final home.

 

[KrisReef]

I don't think they are territorial? They school in the wild and I don't recall any cautions to keep just one. I'd put them in the same tank and see how they proceed. Keep us posted.

I don't think its a problem but don't blame me if I'm wrong

Hopefully someone with two will verify their friendly schooling behavior in captivity.

 

[Reefinmike]

I don't think they are territorial? They school in the wild and I don't recall any cautions to keep just one. I'd put them in the same tank and see how they proceed. Keep us posted.

I don't think its a problem but don't blame me if I'm wrong

Hopefully someone with two will verify their friendly schooling behavior in captivity.

Thanks for the input, I didn’t know they school in the wild. That’s a promising sign.

they’re not very expensive fish but they seem to be so dang rare among hobbyists. I’ve probably glossed over 5,000 pictures of different people’s reefs the last 5 years and seen maybe 3 Twinspot Hogfish all this time.

 

[i cant think]

Hey all,

For the sake of a straight to the point question without losing everyone in the details- I was finally able to purchase my dream fish after 5 years of searching- the twinspot hogfish. I bought two. Does anyone have experience with multiple twinspot hogfish in a system? If so, how large is your reef, what size were they introduced, were they introduced simultaneously? Did you have the same fish in a smaller system before with aggression becoming an issue?

Fwiw- i’m not unprepared for the potential of them not getting along. I have 4 different spots I can house the fish with ~ 800 gallons between them. They will see an observation tank before ever hitting a final home.

I wouldn’t. In captivity all Labrids become male, that pair you’d start with would wind up in 1 male and 1 dead.
The reason they can “school” in the wild and crest the harems of 100s is due to how there is the alpha male or terminal male in with many females. But there’s a third in the mix, the transitional males. The transitional males on their own would get beaten up by the alpha male but the females in the group disperse that aggression.

 

[Reefinmike]

Good info, thanks for the reply. I will house them in separate tanks for their long term health.

 

[Reefinmike]

Sadly, I will not be getting these hogfish as Liveaquaria disappointed me for the second time in a row.

The first time was my last order 10/25/21 for a harlequin tuskfish and two clams. One clam and the harley was coming to Ohio from their Wisconsin facility. The other clam was coming from ORA in florida. Shipping was kinda sketchy at the time “due to covid” but weather was ideal… I only buy online 12 weeks of the year. The ORA shipment was delayed because the clam went out of stock. The shipment from Wisconsin went out as expected but was delayed for an extra day- 48hrs in transit.

having great previous experience with LA and working for a local wholesaler- unpacking hundreds of trans-shipped boxes in transit for 36-72 hours halfway across the world… I wasn’t overly concerned. My heart sank when I opened the box and saw the packing materials- thin foam bags and air bags. The fish and coral were dead- no surprise with the 57*F water. I immediately canceled the delayed ora shipment. This is why I asked for special packing at my cost…

I will not be spending any more money with Liveaquaria. The health of wild collected animals isn’t a concern to them.

 

[Reefinmike]

Sadly, I will not be getting these hogfish as Liveaquaria disappointed me for the second time in a row.

The first time was my last order 10/25/21 for a harlequin tuskfish and two clams. One clam and the harley was coming to Ohio from their Wisconsin facility. The other clam was coming from ORA in florida. Shipping was kinda sketchy at the time “due to covid” but weather was ideal… I only buy online 12 weeks of the year. The ORA shipment was delayed because the clam went out of stock. The shipment from Wisconsin went out as expected but was delayed for an extra day- 48hrs in transit.

having great previous experience with LA and working for a local wholesaler- unpacking hundreds of trans-shipped boxes in transit for 36-72 hours halfway across the world… I wasn’t overly concerned. My heart sank when I opened the box and saw the packing materials- thin foam bags and air bags. The fish and coral were dead- no surprise with the 57*F water. I immediately canceled the delayed ora shipment. This is why I asked for special packing at my cost…

I will not be spending any more money with Liveaquaria. The health of wild collected animals isn’t a concern to them.

 

[Reefinmike]

Sadly, I will not be getting these hogfish as Liveaquaria disappointed me for the second time in a row.

The first time was my last order 10/25/21 for a harlequin tuskfish and two clams. One clam and the harley was coming to Ohio from their Wisconsin facility. The other clam was coming from ORA in florida. Shipping was kinda sketchy at the time “due to covid” but weather was ideal… I only buy online 12 weeks of the year. The ORA shipment was delayed because the clam went out of stock. The shipment from Wisconsin went out as expected but was delayed for an extra day- 48hrs in transit.

having great previous experience with LA and working for a local wholesaler- unpacking hundreds of trans-shipped boxes in transit for 36-72 hours halfway across the world… I wasn’t overly concerned. My heart sank when I opened the box and saw the packing materials- thin foam bags and air bags. The fish and coral were dead- no surprise with the 57*F water. I immediately canceled the delayed ora shipment. This is why I asked for special packing at my cost…

I will not be spending any more money with Liveaquaria. The health of wild collected animals isn’t a concern to them.

Apparently i hit send before entering all pertinent information. My request to pay whatever money necessary for a quality box and extra large bags with extra water and oxygen was denied. They don’t accommodate special packing and insisted the fish won’t be in transit for two days. Second, I’m informed the hogfish are out of stock but will ship “as soon as available, we get shipments weekly!” Well, it will be many months if not years for these fish and I can’t be prepared for a shipment at the drop of a hat.