The Sixline Wrasse... Pseudocheilinus hexataenia

General Care- Sixline wrasses are pod grazers that will eat ALL your pods. They are very common in the hobby and are fairly easy to take care of. They will get up to 3" in length but that varies with the individual. They will eat almost everything meaty that you give them. They do not need constant pods like mandarins do, thus making them easier to take care of.

Diet- Pods, Flakes, Pellets, all frozen foods,(sometimes unfortunately ornamental shrimp), bristleworms, flatworms, and they eat pyramid snails. They need a meaty diet but some algae in the flakes or pellets will benefit them too.

Habits- Cruise around searching for pods/micro fauna all day long. At night, they make a mucous bubble around their body and wedge themselves between rocks and sand. This disguises their scent so they can be safe from other predators. When lights are turned back on, they go back to hunting!

Tank- Must be a FOWLR or reef with plenty of live rock to roam. Tank size is always disputed. They can be kept in 10 gallon tanks but some people disagree and think 20 gallon is more appropriate. There are several people here that have them in 10 gallon tanks. I have mine in a BC 14. They usually do good in all types of tanks with reef like parameters. Keep it covered cause they are good jumpers.

Tankmates- Peaceful tankmates might get harassed if the wrasse has already stabilized territory in the tank. Strongly depends on the individual fish though. They are usually good with clowns, tangs, angels and other bigger fish...in a bigger tank. To have a better chance on keeping these guys peaceful with other fish, you must add all your other fish first or else the wrasse might command the tank. Damsels and other wrasses are probably the only "nano-sized" fish that i wouldn't add with them at all. They will fight together. If you are going to add a shrimp, make sure it is larger than the wrasse and that you add him first or else the wrasse might think you are giving it food. Smaller shrimp like sexys may get eaten. Usually fire shrimp and cleaner shrimp fare well with the wrasses. They usually don't bother hermits. Mine goes at my nassarius snails sometimes when they are out. But nothing serious. Nothing to worry about corals though. They don't pick on corals at all. If you have clams and the clams are pestered by pyramid snails, a sixline will get rid of them.Only get 1 sixline per tank because they WILL fight

Common FAQ's-

-Why is my wrasse not eating?
Wrasses are shy and need time to get used to the new tank. Once they get used to it and have eaten all your pods they will eat everything. Give them time and they will eat. Usually this takes between 3 days to 2 weeks. really depends on the wrasse.

-My wrasse has white spots. What do i do?
Sixlines get white spots often especially when first introduced. Their skin seems to adhere to some things, like a mandarin. They are usually sand particles that stay stuck when they sleep. But if it has a lot and they dont go away, it might be ich.

-I can't see my wrasse at night. Where is he?
They usually go "sleep" under the sand or between rock caves. As soon as the lights turn on he will start swimming again.

-Just added my wrasse. I haven't seen it since.
Wait a couple of days. They will hid when first introduced. Check your water params to make sure they are all good. If he doesn't come out within a few days it could be several reasons:
•Died
•Jumped out
•Still really scared

And finally, pictures...







Not mine...



Thanks for looking...

Feel free to tell me about anything else to add.

what would be the best thype of six line wrasse to put in a 8g?

there is only one type of six line wrasse, and thats the six line wrasse. and 8g is probably too small.

Ya 8 gallon is tooooo small. And there are many other kinds of wrasses... but only 1 sixline wrasse.

Well I have a six line in my BC14, he was pretty tame when I fist got him. I've had him for about 5 or 6 months now and he's starting to get aggressive/territorial. He steals food from other fish, and really enjoys bossing my clowns and shrimp around. I think he's going to need a new home soon.....

My sixline wrasse is BETTER than yours!

i have to say i dont agree with your shrimp rule. i have a sixline who doesnt bother my harlequin shrimps ever. both my halrequin shrimps have been very happy in my tank for a while.

How long has "awhile" been abe?

6 months...

today i saw something pretty cool. six line was just floating there like a baracuda. then dove onto a asterina star. just wanted to share that. it was awesome.

Here is my sixline and a FTS. Hard to get a pic, he moves around a lot.

I have found my six line will pick at corals. Nothing detremental to the corals and not continuous. Pod eating machine for sure. Definitely fun to watch cruising in and out of all the rock work.

I have been thinking about adding one. I currently have a Percula Cloan and a Yellow Watchman Goby, Should I expect any issues with either of them and a six line if I get one?

I've had a sixline and a yellow watchman (who rooms with a pistol shrimp) for about 2 months...no problems...however he did mow down a sexy shrimp that hiked on a piece of live rock from my six gallon....

good to know, thanks

Here's a shot of mine. He's a complete goof.

He actually does stuff like this just to play with me. He knows I am trying to photograph the Acan's right behind him but he wants to get in the shot!

Great shot. I just picked one up today. Pics in my tank thread!

how's he doing with the goby?

Nice avitar CypressSlayer. Did you get that shot yourself?

Thanks everyone for sharing.
Any additions to the info on sixlines would be great! And feel free to post your own

I found it pretty helpful.

I have a 10G w/ a clown and a cleaner shrimp. I would love to get a sixline, what do y'all think?

if you have good maintainance and you don't overfeed...then the wrasse might me good. Like tayshar ( a member here) she has a sixline in a 10 gallon and is doing very well. It can be done but have good routines and stay up with wc.

I've got one in my 12NC. He is my favorite tank mate to watch besides the urchin.

His name is Linus

Here is a nice grainy pic of mine. He doesn't come up to the front too often for photo ops


Random Observations:

I've seen him steal food from the clown before, but usually he get's his own pieces and I think he only does it because the clown is usually out front when I am feeding. When he cruises out from behind the rocks, I think the first thing he sees is the clown eating and he goes for that food first. Once he sees the other food all over the tank, he then leaves the clown alone and goes after other food.

He ate all my tiny feather dusters.

He almost seems "Matrix" Like at times. Like he is digital or a robot. He moves very sharply and smoothly like a robot. I get a laugh out of it sometimes.

When he gets fed mysis shrimp, if the piece is too big for his mouth, he grabs it, then SHAKES IT like a dog and swims around the tank like a dog with it's tail on fire that won't let go of it's food. Its quite comical!!

And last but not least, Ive found his sleeping spots in both the old and new tanks. In the old tank, he curled up in a ball and slept in a crevice in the liverock. In the new tank, he sleeps under a cave on the sand. Just search for them early morning with a flashlight, they are usually the last ones up.

Six lines are one cool fish. I really like them. The problem is, they start out peaceful and interesting...then slowly over time they get to be one aggressive, mean SOB. Seems to happen every time. I had to get rid of mine. Remember, 90% of the ones we get for our nano's are babys (they get to be +3"), wait a year or so and then all hell breaks loose. Sad but true. My 2 cents

I've wanted one for a while now. This is a great thread I've learned a lot. I have a 29 AGA with an immature GSM. What do you think about adding a 6 line with another bossy fish? My GSM even gets mad at me cleaning the tank and she's still too young to have yellow stripes!

i wanted a pair of sixlines, i cant keep two even if they are a mated pair in a 55? like no way? kinda hard to get my head around that if 10-20 gallons is good for one... >.<

SW noob here, lurked forever finally registered.

Anyhow, my first SW tank finally cycled. Lots of reading and looking I finally got the courage to buy my first fish. Man coming from the land of FW, its almost scary. Is this bugger gonna die on me? a dead tetra aint no big thing, heck at $5 my koi angelfish is the most expensive. HUGE diff in cost from FW to SW

Anyhow, my first fish is the 6 line, no damsel for this noob Finished drip-acclimate a couple hrs ago. turned off the tank light for less stress. That bugger really found himself a tight hole to hide in

yeah, so how big was your tank?

in my sig

After you get used to adding the first few things to your tank ,you get used to it, and it's not any harder than your FW setup, just takes a little more time to acclimate than the FW fish is all.

I almost hate to say it, but I dont agree with sixlines in nano's. They're just insanely tireless swimmers and really need the extra room, eventhough they dont get very big.

I had one previously in a 10 gallon, then moved him to a 75 later on. Astounding difference in behavior, aggression and attitude.

Ive found sixlines are curious like cats.. they just explore everything. Smart and interesting fish for sure. Very cool to watch them hunt pods.

I have to agree with geekreef on this one. I originally had mine in a 20h, and he was fine and healthy, but since I've moved him to a 40 breeder he's become a completely different fish.

I would say a 20 long should be the smallest footprint one should be kept in.

Well, I had originally planned on an ocellaris in my 15g long, but after seeing a six-line at my lfs, I need to get one.
So, I know some people don't like them in nanos, but he'll be the only fish in there, and the tank is 24" long so he should have a bit of room to swim, and plenty of LR to hide in. It's not ideal I know, but it is good I think.

Anyway, to the questions.

This whole "pod" thing has confused me (noob, I know), I've heard that I need some pods in my tank before I get the wrasse, to entice him to eat. But what exactly are edible pods?

How many pods, and what kinds of pods should I have before I put the wrasse in?

Also, will these guys be ok on a diet of Hikari-S, and frozen mysis, including the pods that they will eat.

And, will it be safe with my astreas and hermits?
How big does a snail have to be before a wrasse won't touch it?

How much extra room? What would you consider the minimum tank size for one to be happy?

thanks,
hank

Hank, thats a hard question to answer & Im no expert, Im just giving advise based on what Ive seen/ my experience. Now I jumped from a 10 gal to a 75gal... and its a big difference. So its hard to determine an minimal size given that.

If i had to pick out a rule, Id probably go with something comparable to the 4' tang rule - because we are talking about swimming room here and not necessarily just gallonage. A couple posts up fewskillz suggested no smaller FOOTPRINT (very important) than a 20L. I kinda like that.

But if I had to pick a gallonage Id go with 40 gallons minimum. Best suited to LOTS of rockwork, lots of pods and a high flow environment.

yeah, gallon rules don't make sense, and are often abused. When a website says 55 gallon minimum, they're talking about a 4' long 55 gallon, not a 2' 60 gallon cube. When talking minimum swimming areas you need an area, not a volume.

I could see a sixline doing okay by itself in a 20 long, with some good rock work and an excellent refugium keeping up a pod population. 29 gallon would be preferred (same footprint) in that situation of no competition, good refugium.

So I'm going to say as a good rule a 30 gallon (36"x12" footprint) is a good minimum for a sixline. Mine seemed okay in a 46 bowfront (same footprint as a 30, just with a bow-front), but happier in his 40 breeder now (36"x18"). He's moving to a 125 this weekend. For the record, I put dwarf angels in the same swimming area category. Call me the Sixline/Cherub Police!

Our tank footprint is about 23" x 15" so that's right on the edge compared to a 20L - slightly smaller footprint and less overall length.

thanks,
hank

I don't think I would try a sixline in your tank, there just isn't much straightline space. That'd be a little better than your average 15 or 20h, but just not the swimming distance I think a sixline needs.

What I don't get is why people don't recommend them for tanks less than 10 gallons when they have one in an AIO tank (NC, BC, AP, ect.) less than 15 gallons. In reality these tanks only hold ~8 gallons maybe a little more or less when you consider water displacement of rock & sand, the fact that AIO companies constanstly overshoot their gallons in the tank, & the filtration part of the tank. I don't understand how you could deny the person with an 8 gallon it, but you have one in a tank around the same amount of gallons; maybe a little more or less.

BTW I don't think they belong in anything less than 24+ maybe a 20 long.

NOR

EDIT: spelling

I was rearranging my rocks at night and I saw my wrasse sleeping inside of a mucus bubble. Surprized me!!!!?

I have two 2 inch long clowns and this 6 line in my 20L.

Since I put the 6 line in, one clown has become very shy and the more dominant one and the 6-line took a couple shots at each other initially, but now THEY are BFF and the shy clown just hangs out in his own area.

Kinda funny, I feel a bit bad for the clown, but this is more entertaining anyways

Oh and my 6 line has two dots on the opposite side than the one that is pictured.

I have a pair of clowns about 1.5-2 inches long in a 24 gallon Nano Cube. I am planning to add a Six Line soon. Should I get a Six Line smaller, larger or the same size as my clowns?

Go a little smaller so that he is less likely to be mean. But not to small so that the clown dont pick on him.

Don't worry about the pods. A sixline would eat anything you throw in the tank. They don't need live food.

I got one today and he is doing great. AWESOME fish.

so i've had my 6 line wrasse for about a month and i havent been able to find him in the past 2 days...what gives? My livestock consist of 2 peppermints, 1 cleaner, emerald crab whose constantly chomping down on algae, 1 blue tang, true percula, and a stripped damsel (who is missing as well).


My tank is a 24g NC, I have a 4 line wrasse that hangs out in my 30 gallon with 2 BTA, a 5 inch coral banded whose super aggressive, a purple lobster, and like 5 really large blue hermits that occupy 1 1/2 inch opening shells.

I have had my six-line for about 3 months. He was fine in the begining but now he is a murder. He left my sexy shrimp alone for about a month then ate them. I wasnt really to upset. then the other day he killed my cardinal. He is the devil, im taking him back to the fish store tomorrow and getting something different cause i dont want him killing my goby.

Christie

Great info and nice pics of the six line wrasse.

Thanks AL...

Hey all, we need more pictures in this thread. Lets see your fishies.LOL

Now that I've had mine for 6 months... he doesn't bother anybody, but boy can he steal food!! He takes it from the clown, takes it from the shrimp, takes it from the firefish, takes it from the cardinal, i've even seen him brave it out and take it OUT OF THE ANEMONE!!! stupid fish.

But he doesnt bother anybody. Just steals food only. I just have to give him a big piece to run around with and tear up (think of a dog with a new toy or a bone) so I can then feed the others. it's quite comical to watch for such little creatures.

-------------

my Sixline is named "Linus"


Here is mine trying to "smack" the hermit crab I think. I can't figure out what he was doing.

He looked intensely at the area in front of the crab, then turned sideways and smacked the sand with his tail. He did this about a dozen times in a row before swimming away.



Old FTS.. but you can see him sized up with the others.



And one of the coolest pics of them all. I found mine sleeping one night in his mucus bubble.
You can barely make out the bubble, but take a good look, they are near impossible to find unless they just pick a spot in the front of the tank somewhere to sleep.

1st pic you can see the edge of the bubble.
2nd pic you can see him sleeping inside with little air bubbles trapped in it.

Awesome pics corvette. I wanna see mine "smack" the crab.LOL