Adding fish

[Uhohhotdog]

So I have a 32g biocube. I got a diamond goby and a firefish about 2 weeks ago. They’re doing well but the firefish is still really shy and spends the majority of his time hiding in caves dug by the goby. I knew they were shy fish but I didn’t expect that shy.

I have a 13g with 2 clowns and a sixline I want to transfer to the 32.

How long should I wait? Should I add the clowns (they’re easier to catch) and then later the wrasse?

 

[nereefpat]

The sixline will eventually be a terror. I would not add it to the other tank.

The clowns should coexist fine with the firefish and goby. You can add them whenever. If you want to give the firefish some time to get settled in, that would be fine too.

 

[Uhohhotdog]

Terror how? He doesn’t seem to bother with the clowns at all. He’s always busy swimming looking for something to eat.

 

[dodgerblew]

You’re getting reliable information. Sixlines can be terrors, especially in a nano environment. They have a reputation for being aggressive with non aggressive fish. I had one and it was. Very cool looking fish I give you that.

 

[mattzang]

Can't say from experience as my sixline seems okish so far, but if you look around this site enough, the hate of sixlines is real. The story that got me to decide to get rid of him is someone posted they had a mandarin pair with a sixline pair and he personally saw the sixlines go for the mandarins eyes, plucked them both out and left the mandarin blind.

Suffice to say, check my other thread asking how to take out all of my rock to catch the sixline :mad:. I like how he looks, but have you seen other wrasses? There are so many that are so much cooler looking without the spawn of satan reputation.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

this is what my sixline looked like when he was young..

this is what he looked like 14 months later when he was an adult

 

[GoPitt88]

I've had my sixline for almost 3 years, with a mated pair of snowflake clowns, a Midas Blenny, a diamond goby, a Coral Beauty, and 2 chromis, and mine looks like this.....

 

[nereefpat]

Terror how? He doesn’t seem to bother with the clowns at all. He’s always busy swimming looking for something to eat.

The clowns may be able to hang, and the diamond goby might not get noticed. The firefish would get the most trouble from the wrasse. They can be nasty fish. Sixlines always make the list of things people wish they wouldn't have added. In general, I wouldn't recommend one in a smaller tank, unless it's a frag tank as the only fish. They are great pest eaters.

 

[Geebs19]

Agreed with the six line talk above. Give your fire fish some time, I have a flame angel that has been in my tank for about a month and he is just now starting to show himself here and there.

 

[norfolkgarden]

Agreed with the six line talk above. Give your fire fish some time, I have a flame angel that has been in my tank for about a month and he is just now starting to show himself here and there.

Lol, The 6 line is worse but you can add most small angelfish to the list once they have settled in.
New additions are not welcome afterwards.

Honestly I have to admit our 6 line was about 3/4 of an inch long when we added it and it was always well behaved.
I removed it after a year because I wanted to try some fairy wrasses.

The pin tail and Lubbock's are much prettier and well behaved even though they are 3x the size.

 

[norfolkgarden]

I've had my sixline for almost 3 years, with a mated pair of snowflake clowns, a Midas Blenny, a diamond goby, a Coral Beauty, and 2 chromis, and mine looks like this.....

All of those are slightly tougher than the 6 line.
Especially if they are bigger and the 6 line is smaller.
Or they are not a direct competitor.

6 lines can be an excellent pest eradicator and a good addition to an aggressive community tank.
They match up well with dottybacks and damsels.

 

[Jesterrace]

So I have a 32g biocube. I got a diamond goby and a firefish about 2 weeks ago. They’re doing well but the firefish is still really shy and spends the majority of his time hiding in caves dug by the goby. I knew they were shy fish but I didn’t expect that shy.

I have a 13g with 2 clowns and a sixline I want to transfer to the 32.

How long should I wait? Should I add the clowns (they’re easier to catch) and then later the wrasse?

Firefish and Dartfish in general tend to be very timid fish. After having similar experiences with a Purple Firefish and a Scissortail Dartfish, I will never have them again.
As for the 6 line, keep the spawn of satan (aka 6 line wrasse) out of your new tank tank, it will bully the heck out of those peaceful fish and you will be lucky to see your firefish ever again. I would transfer the clowns and let the 6 line have the 13 to itself. As for the dislike for the 6 line? It's not just this site. Go to just about any forum on the internet and inquire about the 6 line and you will find very similar experiences. Funny thing, I went down to my LFS to pick up a couple of things and they had a 6 line in the holding tank and the moment another fish got near it, it ran it off. I commented on this to the owner who just sighed in frustration and explained his feelings on the 6 line, which echo the sentiments of this forum and others.

 

[mattzang]

I just want to get rid of him because it sounds like he'll be a massive issue if I add: an orchid dottyback and other wrasses. If I knew what a christmas wrasse or fairy wrasses or flasher wrasses were when I first started I would've opted for those.

Plus, I want to redo my scape and this gives me a great excuse!

If I was just going to stick with what I have (mostly open water swimmer types) then I'd leave him in there.

 

[Jesterrace]

I just want to get rid of him because it sounds like he'll be a massive issue if I add: an orchid dottyback and other wrasses. If I knew what a christmas wrasse or fairy wrasses or flasher wrasses were when I first started I would've opted for those.

Plus, I want to redo my scape and this gives me a great excuse!

If I was just going to stick with what I have (mostly open water swimmer types) then I'd leave him in there.

I definitely agree on getting rid of the 6 lines, many people have no problems with them and then a year or two later they simply snap and start killing their tankmates (even non-similar shaped fish).

The problem is that your current tank is too small for the wrasses you mentioned as they really need a four foot long space for running room. Goodness knows my Melanurus (Another Halichoeres variety similar to the Christmas) makes use of the length of my 90 gallon on a regular basis. Flashers might be a bit better, but I wouldn't stick them in a 32 cube. I would go for a pink streaked wrasse for a tank of that size. Very cool personality and it would do well in a 32 cube.

 

[mattzang]

I definitely agree on getting rid of the 6 lines, many people have no problems with them and then a year or two later they simply snap and start killing their tankmates (even non-similar shaped fish).

The problem is that your current tank is too small for the wrasses you mentioned as they really need a four foot long space for running room. Goodness knows my Melanurus (Another Halichoeres variety similar to the Christmas) makes use of the length of my 90 gallon on a regular basis. Flashers might be a bit better, but I wouldn't stick them in a 32 cube. I would go for a pink streaked wrasse for a tank of that size. Very cool personality and it would do well in a 32 cube.

I think you're confusing me with the OP who has the 32 cube.

That said, I have a 50 gallon cube, is that too small for the halichoeres wrasses?

 

[mta_morrow]

100% agree on rehoming the 6 line.

As for the firefish, if they are in a peaceful, low stress tank, they are awesome fish.

Mine have always cruised the whole tank as if it were there own.

It does take them a bit of time though to become comfortable with their new surroundings

 

[nereefpat]

I think you're confusing me with the OP who has the 32 cube.

That said, I have a 50 gallon cube, is that too small for the halichoeres wrasses?

It's a catch-all genus. Some of them, like the checkerboard and dusky, get way too big.

Some of the smaller ones, like H. claudia, chrysus, leucoxanthus, biocellatus, would be fine...in my opinion.

 

[Jesterrace]

I think you're confusing me with the OP who has the 32 cube.

That said, I have a 50 gallon cube, is that too small for the halichoeres wrasses?

Sorry, I should've clarified that the first part was for you and the second part was for the OP. As for a Halichoeres in a 50 cube, that's really tough as cubes don't offer the horizontal space that wrasses like for swimming room. Ideally a Halichoeres wrasse should have a 4 foot long tank to be happy long term. If you do attempt one, I would go with a Red Lined (aka Biocellatus) as they tend to stay a bit smaller than the others and are generally well behaved.