Hi I have a 29 gallon with 2 clownfish 1 yellow tail damsel and 1 yellow watchman goby so it's fairly aggressive tank. I was wondering if I could keep a six line in that size tank or if it would need a larger tank size.
Six line wrasse in a 29 gallon
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I have a six line wrasse in my 40g AIO, which has roughly 30g display. It does just fine and shows no aggression at all. I think it varies greatly depending on the wrasse because I know some people have horror stories about them. My rock is very established and he has plenty to pick at throughout the day.
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Just wait till it sexes!! That’s when the inner demon comes out! Haha…
I wouldn't recommend adding a sixline to a small tank. They're little ticking time bombs. They can be fine for a while, even a few years, but once they reach maturity their demeanor changes and they become very territorial. In smaller tanks sixlines can seriously injure and kill their tank mates, they're also a tough fish to catch if you need to remove it. Save yourself from future aggravation and skip the sixline until you get a much larger tank.
Theyre hit and miss. My current is 4+ years and was in a 45 cube, 135g, 660g and in my 400g and a model citizen. Ther are some reefers who deal with them as a nightmare. I sold many at My LFS and never had complaints
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I have my six line in a 32g for coming up on 20 months, model citizen. The other tank mates: 2 clowns, yellow tailed damsel, royal gramma and a diamond watchman goby. In my previous 16 years of reefing I almost always had one with the same experience.
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I love yellow coris wrasse but my clean up crew is 2 snail 2 hermet crabs and a conch. Also would it not get to big for a 29?
A good choice for a tank of your size is a pink streaked wrasse aka Pseudocheilinops ataenia. They look similar to a sixline but don't have the attitude. Pink streaks can eat tiny snails, but typically they leave your CUC alone. My pink streak is in a 20 long full of snails, crabs, urchins, brittle stars, and a couple of pistol shrimp and she pays zero attention to them.
The larger of yellow wrasse generally gets to 3-5 inches captivity. Now its look-a-like the banana wrasse is a whole different story
how long does it take for a six line to mature. Because if it's a good amount of time then I'll take the risk and if it becomes a demon then I'll get it a smaller tank just for it.
They dont grow fast
That is looking at it the wrong way. You have to capture it to rehome it and while a small size display may not be that easy. Today vs tomorrow as the tank matures (larger corals, more corals, etc). It may not go willingly.
Also when choosing and buying a fish look at the long term aspect.
I think what areefer is trying to say is not to put a fish in a tank that doesn’t make sense long term. 6 lines get mean when they reach maturity, usually a couple years in and they’re hard to catch. You may find yourself having to break down the whole tank (after corals have grown in) to get him out. I’ve been in that position for years with a royal gramma who picked off every fish in my 90 gallon and no matter what I tried, I couldn’t trap him. He had the tank to himself for about 2 years after his last tank mate passed until I finally had to move the tank to install new flooring so I took the opportunity to rehome the RG.
I have a fluval flex 32, it was the last fish I added. It doesn't show aggression with other fish, but I'm pretty sure it ate my sea lettuce nudibranch I added. Seems they might not like new additions, so be aware.
