Six Line Wrasse: Fish Species Profile

The Six Line Wrasse is a vivid addition to many larger saltwater aquariums. A fairly aggressive fish, especially towards some invertebrate species and other fishes, the Six Line Wrasse requires careful consideration before adding them to your aquarium. Once established, they are relatively easy to keep, although breeding them is exceedingly difficult.

Characteristics

Origin and Distribution

Many of the Six Line Wrasses in the aquarium hobby are live-caught from the coast of Fiji and other Indo-Pacific locations. They are found on coral reefs in shallow, clear, and warm water. They spend their days foraging in the cracks and crevices of reefs, looking for small prey animals to eat.

Colors and Markings

The Six Line Wrasse, as you can discern from its name, has six lines lengthwise along its body. Their bodies are blue to pink with bright red to orange bands. Their tails are green to yellow and they are distinguished by a false eye spot on their dorsal tail peduncle. This false eye spot is used to trick predators to attack the back end of the fish, allowing it to escape if attacked.

Tankmates

The Six Line Wrasse is typically reef safe and does not nip at corals. They are known to prey on crustaceans, snails, and clams. They are aggressive towards other fish, particularly other smaller, peaceful wrasses. As with all aggressive fish, it is best to add them to an aquarium last, after all the other fish have had time to settle in. Aggression may be apparent over food, space or other resources, so be sure to have enough space for all your intended species and spread food around the aquarium to reduce competition. It is recommended to only have one Six Line Wrasse per aquarium to limit aggression, unless you are planning on breeding them.

Some potential tankmates for the Six Line Wrasse include larger, semi-aggressive wrasse species, such as the banana wrasse and dragon wrasse. Please keep in mind that these species will need considerably more space, given their large size and personalities.

Six Line Wrasse Habitat and Care

Once established, the Six Line Wrasse is relatively easy to care for. They will be seen foraging between cracks and crevices in the substrate and live rock, mainly keeping to themselves. Be sure to provide a rich environment with many places to explore to keep your wrasse out of trouble with its tankmates.

They are known to eat snails, urchins, and flatworms, so may have some benefits for your overall system environment. Try to limit the number of "cleaner" fish in an aquarium with a Six Line Wrasse in order to prevent injury or death from these aggressive fish.

Six Line Wrasse Diet and Feeding

The Six Line Wrasse is primarily a carnivorous fish, eating mostly animal proteins. They are natural foragers and will nibble at small invertebrates in your aquarium.

They are best fed a carnivorous pelleted diet and supplement with meaty treats. Pelleted diets contain the best source of required vitamins. Meaty treats may include mysis, brine shrimp, and other carnivorous frozen diets.

Being tropical fish, they should be fed at least twice a day, or smaller meals three times a day.

Gender Differences

Male and female Six Line Wrasses have no externally distinguishable sex characteristics. Some owners have noted that their fish may become more vibrantly colored just prior to spawning, but this is not guaranteed. Males are noted to turn brighter colors than females.

Breeding the Six Line Wrasse

Unless you have a pair of Six Line Wrasses that have already mated, it is almost impossible to determine gender of the fish prior to purchase. Given their aggressive nature, most Six Line Wrasses are kept individually, therefore will not be given the option for reproduction.

Like many other fish species, the Six Line Wrasse is a broadcast spawner. This means that eggs and sperm are haphazardly sprayed throughout the water, rather than concentrating their eggs in a clutch or cave. Many spawnings happen without hobbyists even noticing, since most of the reproductive products will end up in your filtration system.

More Pet Fish Species and Further Research

If you’re interested in similar species, check out:

• Dragon Wrasse
• Bird Wrasse (Bird Fish)
• Yellowtail Coris Wrasse

Check out additional fish breed profiles for more information on other saltwater fish.