The Neon Hogfish, Bodianus sanguineus, is by far one of the rarest fish we’ve spotted in a long time. The first and only one we’ve ever seen was in a private collection over ten years ago, back when the only image of B. sanguineus in existence was taken from a deep sea submersible at a depth of 600 feet. Well this past weekend at the House of Fins SPLASH event we were once again graced by the intense coloration and singular rarity of this awesome deepwater Hawaiian endemic reef fish.

Last year House of Fins showcased the French butterflyfish, Prognathodes guyanensis, and the Neptune Grouper, Cephalopholis igarashiensis, and this year the spotlight definitely belonged to the Neon Hogfish. With a price tag of $4000 the Neon Hogfish is definitely reserved for the most affluent and dedicated of rare fish collectors. The one thing that is great about this species is that it’s a hogfish after all and it will likely live through all but the worst aquarium tank crashes and more likely to be taken out by carpet surfing than any real aquarium husbandry errors. Enjoy the video and stay tuned for more features of the uber rare fish that we documented at the House of Fins SPLASH event.