Peppermint Hogfish ?'s
 

I've been doing some searches to find out some information on these guys but I come up short...can anyone direct me to some good information on these fish or maybe someone who has had one and can tell me alittle about it. I bought one this weekend...kind of fell in my lap and couldn't pass it up, especially with the price. Its got some yellow in the tail and for what I can see, many peppermints do not, so maybe its a sex thing. Anyway... anyhelp would be appreciated.

Thanks

I don't know too much about them other than they are beautiful fish and that they hide alot. In the book I have it says they prefer dark places and are rarely seen in the open. I've certainly never seen one diving here in Florida and they are supposed to be a local fish.

We had a few in at the LFS I used to work at from time to time and they always hid. Just make sure he is getting enough food. If you have to feed him by hand or with a baster or something. That could help.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by zfunk007 [/i]
[B]I don't know too much about them other than they are beautiful fish and that they hide alot. In the book I have it says they prefer dark places and are rarely seen in the open. [/B][/QUOTE]

That is not the case with these fish at all. They are EXTREMELY sociable, always out and about, very friendly and highly intelligent. Great fish, you shouldn't have any issues. Most specimens start eating flake food right away.

what size tank do they require?

id say a 55 at least depending on what else you have. with a tight top. verry tite top. very social, very active, very peaceful. come from cocos and christmas island area. my favorite.

Mine is very social and always in the open. It has however gotten aggressive. It killed my bicolor blenny and likes to bully other small fish like my labouti fairy wrasse.

Sorry, I was thinking of the Peppermint Basslet (Liopropoma rubre) my mistake :D. They do look similar, heres a comparison:

[url=http://www.themarinecenter.com/bodianusopercularis.htm]Peppermint Hog[/URL]

[url=http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1862&articleid=1807]Peppermint Basslet[/URL]

No problem zfunk, in those particular photo I can see what you mean. However in person, they have totally different physical appearance, swimming motions, behavior and personality.

Tank size: I would say minimum 40 gallons. They do not necessarily need large volumes of water, however they do use up every inch of the tank. Even in large 300-500 gallon tanks, after a week - they are all over the place and usually in plain site most of the time.

they get quite large (up to 6"-7") most in the trade are between 3-4".

I've seen two specimens that have been in captivity for 5+ years and are no more than 5". I also believe Leonard (reefscapes.net) has had one for about that long, not sure how big his is now though...

Jumpers, huh? what are people using to cover their SPS tanks without affecting light output? Have there been alot of cases with these guys jumping out?