Is a Six-Line Wrasse a bad idea?

[madweazl]

Ours is in a 75g and has killed a yellow assessor and royal gramma. The rest of our tank mates dont take any crap from it so it leaves them alone but if anything shows weakness, it will get pestered and harassed to no end. They are however, awesome to watch and they're always busy (and beautiful). Other semi-aggressive fish should fair well but if you have smaller community fish, be prepared for death (doesnt mean it will happen, just that it can). The only small fish left in there are our Randall's goby and tailspot blenny and for whatever reason, they dont back down to the wrasse so he doesnt harass them.

 

[mattzang]

get a pink streak instead

 

[Magellan]

I have a 6 line in a 28g tank, for maybe 7-8 months now. He loves it in there, and is my most peaceful fish. 2 clowns, a damsel, and a lawnmower blenny get along great with him. Never seen him do anything except be a quality and contributing member of the community. Plus, his coloration is amazing for such a little fish!

 

[Jesterrace]

I have a melanurus wrasse that has outgrown my 30 galloon biocube and will soon be moving to my 100 gallon reef. I want to replace him with another wrasse that helps with pest control and was thinking of maybe getting a six-line wrasse. Plenty of people say they are great community fish and completely reef safe but I've also heard horror stories of people ripping their tank apart trying to get them out. I'm looking for advice on whether I'm making a huge mistake.

I would love to meet the folks saying they are a great community fish and follow up with them about 18-24 months after they have them and see if they have changed their tune. Do a google search for 6 line wrasse aggression and there are no shortage of horror stories on a wide variety of forums/groups about them. If you want some pest removal without aggression look into a pink streaked wrasse. MUCH BETTER community fish.

 

[Jesterrace]

Six line is a peaceful fish, they don't nip on corals. They love hunting for pods and sometimes nip at crab and snails but nothing fatal.

Nope, definitely semi-aggressive at best and flat out aggressive jerk at worst.

 

[Magellan]

I would love to meet the folks saying they are a great community fish and follow up with them about 18-24 months after they have them and see if they have changed their tune. Do a google search for 6 line wrasse aggression and there are no shortage of horror stories on a wide variety of forums/groups about them. If you want some pest removal without aggression look into a pink streaked wrasse. MUCH BETTER community fish.

i agree. I read the same articles. tried to get one from numerous LFS’s for about a month, never found a pink streak. Kept seeing the same 6 line in my favorite store, no one wanted him because of those pesky horror stories. Brought him home and he’s been a great fish. My tank has lots of shade, a live sand bed, and no competition for him. If his attitude changes, it’s a small tank and I can easily remove all the rock work for a temporary search and rescue...

 

[mort]

This thread is a little different, a sixline thread normally goes like this

"Should I add a sixline line to my tank?"

No, ad infernitum


The thing with sixlines is they are great when small, a active fairly easy going fish but as they mature their nature changes and they become crazed demons to new introductions. For some it won't matter ad the fish can handle that but more timid wrasse or similar shaped fish will get a battering and you'll regret the day you added it unless you have a fairly robust fish population.
Now that's advice from someone who loves them, possibly my favourite fish. I do have one and always will whilst I have marine but it lives alone in a tank connected to my main system and on their own is how I'd recommend keeping them.

Mattzang's pink streak suggestion is where I'd go.

 

[Katrina71]

so you think if I added one to my 100 gallon it would be peaceful? I've been looking for smaller fish to add to that system. the only conflict I would envision is the 2 leopard wrasses already in the tank.

I have been told the pink streak is a much more compatible choice by some serious wrasse enthusiasts.

 

[Paul B]

Maybe they go nuts at the sight of the full moon but mine can't see the moon, only my bald head so I never have problems with them and I have been keeping them since Nixon was President. Just after he was impeached.
They eat so many flatworms that they can't swim.

 

[Webslinger]

I have a 6 line in a 28g tank, for maybe 7-8 months now. He loves it in there, and is my most peaceful fish. 2 clowns, a damsel, and a lawnmower blenny get along great with him. Never seen him do anything except be a quality and contributing member of the community. Plus, his coloration is amazing for such a little fish!

Just wait!

 

[Magellan]

This thread is a little different, a sixline thread normally goes like this

"Should I add a sixline line to my tank?"

No, ad infernitum


The thing with sixlines is they are great when small, a active fairly easy going fish but as they mature their nature changes and they become crazed demons to new introductions. For some it won't matter ad the fish can handle that but more timid wrasse or similar shaped fish will get a battering and you'll regret the day you added it unless you have a fairly robust fish population.
Now that's advice from someone who loves them, possibly my favourite fish. I do have one and always will whilst I have marine but it lives alone in a tank connected to my main system and on their own is how I'd recommend keeping them.

Mattzang's pink streak suggestion is where I'd go.

so as long as I don’t add any more fish (definitely not doing that I’m sure I’m close to overstocked as it is) I shouldn’t have any issues? Everyone has been together for at least 6 months now. 2 clowns, lawnmower blenny, 6 line and blue devil angel. Only real aggression came from the blenny towards the wrasse, about 3 days after I introduced the blenny. There was a bite mark on the side of the wrasse the next morning, and he’s been quiet as a church mouse ever since.

 

[evolved]

some say 50 gallons minimum, others 30. Having owned one I would personally say 100 gallon minimum and I'm sure many will say that is over reacting.

I was recently in a LFS which had a sixline and a leopard wrasse (M. meleagris) in the same 10 foot long, 400+ gallon frag tank (shallow tank). For 15 minutes I watched the sixline relentlessly chase the meleagris all over the tank, until I got tired of watching.
Tank size never trumps an outright nasty attitude.

So like said above, 100 gallon may be a peaceful wrasse?

Uh, I'll wager on "no"...

I'm pretty sure most Pseudocheilinus as a whole don't make very good tank mates.

This. 1000 times this.

so you think if I added one to my 100 gallon it would be peaceful? I've been looking for smaller fish to add to that system. the only conflict I would envision is the 2 leopard wrasses already in the tank.

Uhhh, see above...

I would love to meet the folks saying they are a great community fish and follow up with them about 18-24 months after they have them and see if they have changed their tune.

Agree! An attitude of a juvenile does not translate to maturity.

Sure, there are always exceptions. I'm sure there's a lottery chance that a peaceful, mature sixline exists. But most people buy lottery tickets and never win...

 

[DS204]

We kept a 6-line wrasse for about a year without any troubles. We moved the 6line wrasse + a flameback angel to a 110g where they were the only 2 fish for about 2-3 weeks. We then added a scooter blenny which is a pretty timid fish, and the 6-line IMMEDIATELY started to bully and harass the fish. 2 hours after that, the 6-line started dive-bombing the scooter blenny and nipping at it constantly. It would have certainly killed the scooter blenny if I left it enough time.

It was a royal PITA to remove the 6-line from the tank. Took 2 nets, 2 tools, 4 hands, and over an hour to get the guy outta there. After we removed the 6-line, we noticed the flameback angel looked much happier - even though we didn't suspect anything was wrong in the first place.

I would agree that as the 6-line ages they tend to become aggressive in the tank. Ours was a model citizen for a year until we added something more peaceful.

I love the look of the 6line and their personality is so much fun, but man what a jerk that fish was. Major jerk. Never again, unless its the last fish in.

That's our experience - hope it helps you to make an informed decision.

 

[DS204]

The thing with sixlines is they are great when small, a active fairly easy going fish but as they mature their nature changes and they become crazed demons to new introductions. For some it won't matter ad the fish can handle that but more timid wrasse or similar shaped fish will get a battering and you'll regret the day you added it unless you have a fairly robust fish population.

Couldn't have said it better myself - this exact experience happened to us and we had to remove the 6-line.

 

[Magellan]

Six Line Wrasse Care (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia)

Six Line Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia) fish profile and care information such as tank size, tank mates, life span, diet, foods, breeding, behavior, tank setup and temperament.

www.fishlore.com

literally every post is explained by this article. Don’t keep them with other wrasses, introduce them to your tank last, don’t keep them with more peaceful tank mates.

 

[Jesterrace]

One of the things no one wants to bother mentioning about adding the fish last is that at some point you are going to want to add another fish (ie replacing a random death of a fish, fish getting old, etc.) and with the 6 line there simply is no reason when it comes to late additions or after it matures.

 

[Magellan]

If old age kills my fish, I think I’ve done something right.

 

[mort]

One of the things no one wants to bother mentioning about adding the fish last is that at some point you are going to want to add another fish (ie replacing a random death of a fish, fish getting old, etc.) and with the 6 line there simply is no reason when it comes to late additions or after it matures.

They also live for a decent length of time (not 100% on the actual lifespan but know one that's over ten), so potentially you have the problem for a very long time.

Like I said earlier they are one of my favourite fish and I'd happily have a nano with just one of these and coral but they aren't for most tanks.

 

[AdamB]

What kind of pests are you concerned about? I ask because IMHO six lines, especially in a small tank, can be very aggressive and so limit the types and number of other fish you want in the tank. I had one that bullied a neon dottyback, a fish which is well known to be aggressive itself, to the point of having to remove him.

Opposite of your six line .my six line was a model citizen Then I added I a neon dottyback that was a tiger toward six line ! No peace ! Six line would try to defend itself . Could never get dottyback out of the 100 lbs of live rock .

 

[choss]

I have had one for about 6 years with no issues. He was in a 40 gallon cube, with 3 clowns, a file fish, and a watchman goby. He never caused any issues and I added the clowns and the file after the six line. I now am running a much larger tank, and am debating on when or if to add him. He's currently in a 20 gallon holding system, and may end up in my frag tank for some time. But I figure he's had 6 years to show aggression and hasn't so if he goes in the show tank it will be as the las fish in.

He is an amazing fish. I enjoy how he swims constantly, on the hunt for fod, and pops in and out of small openins in the rock. Great colors as well.