Any Issues with Sixlines w/others?

[Dierks]

Hey @evolved I have a Sixline that I love, he is fat and healthy that I have had for about 3 years now. I truly enjoy him very much...

With that being said I know I am out of luck with other Wrasses but what other fish do I have to be concerned about as he is the only fish right now in the new System so he is the King of the reef at this point. Am I somewhat in the clear in regards to adding different type of fish? (Again Avoiding wrasses or any fish with similar body types I believe?)

Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated as I respect your knowledge of these guys! Thank You in Advance if you have time to answer! Of course everyone one is more then welcome to chime in as well with your experiences.

 

[Dierks]

Bump...
Maybe #reefsquad can help me here

 

[Retro Reefer]

IMO a 6 line would be one of the last fish added, they can be extremely aggressive towards any fish.. my brother in law had one in a mixed predator tank, over the years it got huge and real mean eventually killing everything in the tank except his eel.

 

[evolved]

what other fish do I have to be concerned about

Any ones that he doesn't like... ;Woot
Yeah, not helpful, I know; but it's really a bit of a guessing game. Anything similarly shaped is on the first order susceptibility list, but they've been known to take after much larger fish before too.
The bigger the difference in size/shape the better, but that doesn't make anything really certain with them.

 

[mta_morrow]

It is highly likely it will have issues with most other fish, especially “peaceful” community fish. You may be better off to go “semi aggressive “. How big is your tank. Do you have a FTS so we can see the space and rock work?

 

[Dierks]

Yeah, not helpful, I know; but it's really a bit of a guessing game. Anything similarly shaped is on the first order susceptibility list, but they've been known to take after much larger fish before too.

Shoot, I was thinking that the Sixline had the biggest problems with other Wrasses. I guess I am kinda in a bad spot then, might have to take the Sixline out and add back in when the others are added. Might help?

It is highly likely it will have issues with most other fish, especially “peaceful” community fish. You may be better off to go “semi aggressive “. How big is your tank. Do you have a FTS so we can see the space and rock work?

Hey MTA, thank you so much for responding to my questions! You can click on my build link for a ton of details of my tank but here is a picture of when I was putting it together and you can see the rock work pretty well. It's a 75G DT... I was already planning on having a Semi-Aggressive tank so I had no issues there. Just will have to figure out what will work with King Sixline!

 

[evolved]

might have to take the Sixline out and add back in when the others are added. Might help?

Might, but usually doesn't work.

 

[Dierks]

So essentially what I am hearing is if you have a Sixline then you cant have any other fish! Or simply take a stab at something and hope for the best. Hahaha...Not sure how much I like that so I guess he will have a long lonely life! Thanks again for your knowledge and I appreciate your time!

 

[mta_morrow]

Shoot, I was thinking that the Sixline had the biggest problems with other Wrasses. I guess I am kinda in a bad spot then, might have to take the Sixline out and add back in when the others are added. Might help?



Hey MTA, thank you so much for responding to my questions! You can click on my build link for a ton of details of my tank but here is a picture of when I was putting it together and you can see the rock work pretty well. It's a 75G DT... I was already planning on having a Semi-Aggressive tank so I had no issues there. Just will have to figure out what will work with King Sixline!

Very nice setup! So, in order to see how you 6 line will behave with other fish, I would recommend adding a trio of azure or yellow tail damsels. They are very colorful and active and are as mild mannered of a damsel you can get. They stay near the rocks but are actively darting around and not hiding. They are also relatively inexpensive. If they work out, they won’t bother any other fish. Then you will see how the 6 line behaves and we can go from there.

 

[Dierks]

Thank You @mta_morrow I appreciate your kind words. I forgot to mention that this guy has had Tank Mates before in a Nano setup was when I first got him. Since then that tank crashed and My Sixline was the one of the Three that made it. He was in with a Diamond Golby that spent his time under the rocks and digging. He didnt put up with the Sixlines crap at all and a Falco Halkfish. I don't know if the Flaco Even noticed the Sixline back then as he just perched the whole time watching over the tank. Man I miss having fish in my tank now that I am talking about these guys... He was a model citizen back then but he was just a 1.5" Baby. Now that he has the run of the reef for the last 2 Years I am a bit concerned he may be a bit more "Sixline" like then he was before.

I like the idea of grabbing some jerk Damsels but I know I am staring down a slippery slope so i will have to make sure I want an Aggressive Tank. Again thank you so much for the thoughts as they are good ones.

 

[User1]

So essentially what I am hearing is if you have a Sixline then you cant have any other fish! Or simply take a stab at something and hope for the best. Hahaha...Not sure how much I like that so I guess he will have a long lonely life! Thanks again for your knowledge and I appreciate your time!

In this thread that is what you are hearing, yes. However, that isn't really the case. The truth of the matter in your situation is that you do not have enough rock work to make it work. Not only that the tank isn't mature with regards to corals and growth of corals. Six lines are constant foragers. They move. Never stop. You can see it in their eyes, their movement, they stop, pause, dart in, dart out, grab a bit to eat, and move on. Every inch of that tank will be used to included every nook and cranny in the rock, rubble, and empty shells.

Every fish is of course different so your mileage may vary. But with your current tank picture above I would work on a new home. I think anything you introduce will be considered a threat of its territory and food source.

 

[rkpetersen]

I like the idea of grabbing some jerk Damsels but I know I am staring down a slippery slope so i will have to make sure I want an Aggressive Tank. Again thank you so much for the thoughts as they are good ones.

You don't have to go with aggressive damsels. As mta_morrow mentions, damsels of the genus Chrysiptera are very peaceful with other fish and generally even with each other. I really like the Azure Damsel.

That said, sixlines really do have a well deserved reputation for being little terrors.

 

[Dierks]

But with your current tank picture above I would work on a new home. I think anything you introduce will be considered a threat of its territory and food source.

I will accept that this will be a one fish tank if that is the case as I dont plan to add any more rock then the 70LBS that ar in there. I dont like the look of the Rockwalls and am a long ways away from getting coverage from any corals any time soon. Agian thank you for the information!!

As mta_morrow mentions, damsels of the genus Chrysiptera are very peaceful with other fish and generally even with each other. I really like the Azure Damsel

So you are saying that some Damsels of the family Chrysipera could maybe hang with this guywithout tipping it into a full aggressive tank? As what I just read from the above it sounds like everyone is saying this has to be a one fish tank to keep my Sixline.

I just seem to see these guys with Tangs in Frag Tanks most the time smaller then my tank with less coverage obviously so I am a bit suprised there isnt any fish that will work with this guy. I will keep researching and see what kind of solution I can come up with but will take every bit of advise here. The last resort would be get my frag tank up and running and put him in there.... I really like his guy for all the reasons @saf1 mentioned... "Six lines are constant foragers. They move. Never stop. You can see it in their eyes, their movement, they stop, pause, dart in, dart out, grab a bit to eat, and move on. Every inch of that tank will be used to included every nook and cranny in the rock, rubble, and empty shells."

Thanks Guys!!

 

[codycolina707]

Hey @evolved I have a Sixline that I love, he is fat and healthy that I have had for about 3 years now. I truly enjoy him very much...

With that being said I know I am out of luck with other Wrasses but what other fish do I have to be concerned about as he is the only fish right now in the new System so he is the King of the reef at this point. Am I somewhat in the clear in regards to adding different type of fish? (Again Avoiding wrasses or any fish with similar body types I believe?)

Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated as I respect your knowledge of these guys! Thank You in Advance if you have time to answer! Of course everyone one is more then welcome to chime in as well with your experiences.

Never had a sixline by himself but have had one last 6 months and only other fish he messes with is a royal gramma and seems more playful than anything I've added cardinals a small clownfish clown goby all well after the sixline and he could careless about them

 

[mta_morrow]

You don't have to go with aggressive damsels. As mta_morrow mentions, damsels of the genus Chrysiptera are very peaceful with other fish and generally even with each other. I really like the Azure Damsel.

That said, sixlines really do have a well deserved reputation for being little terrors.

Exactly! If the six line tolerates these guys, great! More options for semi aggressive or community fish. If not, you head down the aggressive path.

 

[User1]

I will accept that this will be a one fish tank if that is the case as I dont plan to add any more rock then the 70LBS that ar in there. I dont like the look of the Rockwalls and am a long ways away from getting coverage from any corals any time soon. Agian thank you for the information!!

It doesn't have to be a "one" fish tank. I was only looking at it from a maturity level and what I believe Six Lines to need in order for them to be comfortable. To me comfortable means it may lower the aggression factor. I apologize if I came across as saying the tank wasn't large enough. Not my intent. I was only trying to convey that they are constant foragers looking for food.

Honestly this hast to work out for you. If it is possible to get it out now safely and return to the LFS or another hobbyist and it makes your experience smoother. I'm all for that. I think we all are. On the other hand if you want to continue to give it a shot then I think you have some good options that MTA suggested. Damsels can play nice. The Starcki is also a nice one to eyeball.

 

[Jesterrace]

So essentially what I am hearing is if you have a Sixline then you cant have any other fish! Or simply take a stab at something and hope for the best. Hahaha...Not sure how much I like that so I guess he will have a long lonely life! Thanks again for your knowledge and I appreciate your time!

That's why there are so many folks who don't recommend adding them since they are often ticking time bombs of aggression and generally poor community fish. They do have their uses though (ie dedicating one to a frag tank for pest removal).

 

[Dierks]

@saf1 Oh I didn't mean it to sound like it was a bad thing to have a one fish tank if it had to be. Frankly I feel like I took this little guys life in my hands when I bought him and I intend on letting him live his life out with me as its my responsibility. I was simply looking for these exact options and options as I knew there is a TON of knowledgeable people that have had the Sixline before and love hearing their experiences or what they have seen.

Thank you so much for taking the time to explain what you have as I am here for just that, to learn before I make a mistake! I love this little fish and am more then happy to do what I need to do to keep him fat and happy!

 

[Dierks]

That's why there are so many folks who don't recommend adding them since they are often ticking time bombs of aggression and generally poor community fish.

I was brand new to the hobby and I simply fell in love with this fish. It actually was the initial reason I got into the hobby believe it or not. The way it moves around the reef I can watch him for hours! I simply was hopeful I could get another Semi-Aggressive fish to join him in the reef. If not, I can be okay with that too!

 

[rkpetersen]

I was brand new to the hobby and I simply fell in love with this fish. It actually was the initial reason I got into the hobby believe it or not. The way it moves around the reef I can watch him for hours! I simply was hopeful I could get another Semi-Aggressive fish to join him in the reef. If not, I can be okay with that too!

That's very cool.
I had one waaaay back in 1989, with my first reef tank.
Honestly, that guy didn't bother anyone. Very sweet, active and inquisitive little fish.
Tried a second one later and it was a monster.
Then I was out of the hobby for years, during which their predisposition toward anti-social behavior became well known.