Are they compatible?

vera · Mar 14, 2021

So i have a 65 gallon long reef tank with only a pair of clowns and a cherub pygmy angel. I wanted to know if it would be a bad idea to add a 6 line wrasse? I would appreciate to see your opinions on this matter. Thanks

Fish Think Pink · Mar 14, 2021

my six line wrasse has lived his most of his life with clowns and angels. You don't mention substrate in your tank, but if you go bare bottom then don't go six line wrasse. Its always fun to guess where the wrasse will swan dive down to sleep in the sand. My wrasse also spits more sand than my old jawfish from years ago. TONS of personality in my wrasse but I do have to use turkey baster to clean sand from corals and rocks. I *LOVE* my 6 line wrasse!

Anytime introducing new fish, sizes & perceived territories matter. Your angel may have established 'territory' in your tank, so have mirror ready to hold on side of tank to distract angel from wrasse. Wrasse should be faster swimmer than angel, but wrasse will need time to find where to swim (not likely to hide) just to get away.

vera · Mar 14, 2021

Fish Think Pink said:
my six line wrasse has lived his most of his life with clowns and angels. You don't mention substrate in your tank, but if you go bare bottom then don't go six line wrasse. Its always fun to guess where the wrasse will swan dive down to sleep in the sand. My wrasse also spits more sand than my old jawfish from years ago. TONS of personality in my wrasse but I do have to use turkey baster to clean sand from corals and rocks. I *LOVE* my 6 line wrasse!

Anytime introducing new fish, sizes & perceived territories matter. Your angel may have established 'territory' in your tank, so have mirror ready to hold on side of tank to distract angel from wrasse. Wrasse should be faster swimmer than angel, but wrasse will need time to find where to swim (not likely to hide) just to get away.

Oh okay, thank you so much. I do have a sand bed cause I actually don’t like how tanks look bare bottom. My angel is quite shy so he has stablish his territory on the left side of the tank inside of a small cave system, he only goes out to feed or when i come close to the tank; soo i think then the territory issue might not be a problem. Again thank you so much for answering my question

Woodchip · Mar 14, 2021

Six lines can be aggressive but it really depends on the fish. You can get lucky and have an amazing fish like the person above or you could get one that wild just terrorize your other fish. If you want nano wrasses you should look at the pink streaked and Tanakas Pygmy wrasse. I’m not saying don’t get a six line just be cautious.

Theulli · Mar 14, 2021

Fish Think Pink said:
my six line wrasse has lived his most of his life with clowns and angels. You don't mention substrate in your tank, but if you go bare bottom then don't go six line wrasse. Its always fun to guess where the wrasse will swan dive down to sleep in the sand. My wrasse also spits more sand than my old jawfish from years ago. TONS of personality in my wrasse but I do have to use turkey baster to clean sand from corals and rocks. I *LOVE* my 6 line wrasse!

Anytime introducing new fish, sizes & perceived territories matter. Your angel may have established 'territory' in your tank, so have mirror ready to hold on side of tank to distract angel from wrasse. Wrasse should be faster swimmer than angel, but wrasse will need time to find where to swim (not likely to hide) just to get away.

Hah - I did not know when I got my wrasse what his sleeping habits were, and I went through several nights of “well, poor guy’s dead somewhere I can’t find him” only to see him zipping around in the morning. The pink streaked wrasse is even worse because it’s the same behavior in a tiny package.

I loved my six line but I have a nano tank and he just got too territorial. Had to rehome him, which of course meant I had to remove every rock on the aquarium to catch him.

so that’s my big advice - if you want one be sure you are going to keep him, because catching those suckers stinks!

jaganshi066 · Mar 14, 2021

My cherub angel is best friends with a skunk clownfish, an ocellaris and a sixline wrasse

lpsouth1978 · Mar 14, 2021

After a number of bad experiences with Six lines, I will NEVER again put a six line in any of my tanks. Six line wrasses are the spawn of the devil! A very active fish and good looking fish, but they can get very aggressive and WILL kill (or at least try) ANY fish you add to the system after them, regardless of their size.

jaganshi066 · Mar 14, 2021

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lpsouth1978 said:
After a number of bad experiences with Six lines, I will NEVER again put a six line in any of my tanks. Six line wrasses are the spawn of the devil! A very active fish and good looking fish, but they can get very aggressive and WILL kill (or at least try) ANY fish you add to the system after them, regardless of their size.

thats what I heard but so far so good

JosephM · Mar 14, 2021

lpsouth1978 said:
After a number of bad experiences with Six lines, I will NEVER again put a six line in any of my tanks. Six line wrasses are the spawn of the devil! A very active fish and good looking fish, but they can get very aggressive and WILL kill (or at least try) ANY fish you add to the system after them, regardless of their size.

+1. Terrorized a pair of good sized clowns the second I put them in. Given he had the whole tank (29gal DT) to himself for a couple weeks to hunt down any remaining pests I had

xxkenny90xx · Mar 14, 2021

You should be fine adding the wrasse. I know this isn't super common but back when I had a sixline it was a model citizen

Acros · Mar 15, 2021

My six line is a model citizen as well. I never seen them sleep in sand. I thought only the halichoeres and leapord warsses slept in sand.

vera · Mar 15, 2021

Woodchip said:
Six lines can be aggressive but it really depends on the fish. You can get lucky and have an amazing fish like the person above or you could get one that wild just terrorize your other fish. If you want nano wrasses you should look at the pink streaked and Tanakas Pygmy wrasse. I’m not saying don’t get a six line just be cautious.

I didn’t really know that. I have other aquarists friends and a couple of them have 6 line wrasses, all of them are really good fishes, it may have been because they were the last fish added haha. Thanks for the advice, i will look up those 2 wrasses and make some research to see if they’re compatible with my tank. And btw that comment was so sweet of yours. Again thanks for the advise, i will take it very much into consideration.

vera · Mar 15, 2021

Theulli said:
Hah - I did not know when I got my wrasse what his sleeping habits were, and I went through several nights of “well, poor guy’s dead somewhere I can’t find him” only to see him zipping around in the morning. The pink streaked wrasse is even worse because it’s the same behavior in a tiny package.

I loved my six line but I have a nano tank and he just got too territorial. Had to rehome him, which of course meant I had to remove every rock on the aquarium to catch him.

so that’s my big advice - if you want one be sure you are going to keep him, because catching those suckers stinks!

Okay okay. Soooo same bad behavior but smaller citizen, gotcha. Umm yeah i think i might stay away of this 6 lined fella, most of you guys have had bad experiences (excepting some of you) and I don’t want to end tearing up my entire tank just to get this bad behaving fish out of there. Thank you so much, you telling me if he bad behaved i would have to tear my tank REALLY changed my mind on getting him

nereefpat · Mar 15, 2021

Six line wrasses don't need sand.

Clowns, dwarf angel, and wrasse should be fine. You won't be able to add any other wrasses, most likely.

vera · Mar 15, 2021

lpsouth1978 said:
After a number of bad experiences with Six lines, I will NEVER again put a six line in any of my tanks. Six line wrasses are the spawn of the devil! A very active fish and good looking fish, but they can get very aggressive and WILL kill (or at least try) ANY fish you add to the system after them, regardless of their size.

Oh dear haha, kinda an aggressive fella. I think i do am gonna pass on the beatings he might do. Thanks so much for the advice

jaganshi066 · Mar 15, 2021

Woodchip said:
Six lines can be aggressive but it really depends on the fish. You can get lucky and have an amazing fish like the person above or you could get one that wild just terrorize your other fish. If you want nano wrasses you should look at the pink streaked and Tanakas Pygmy wrasse. I’m not saying don’t get a six line just be cautious.

Are the Tanaka Pygmy wrasses pretty peaceful?

Theulli · Mar 15, 2021

vera said:
Okay okay. Soooo same bad behavior but smaller citizen, gotcha. Umm yeah i think i might stay away of this 6 lined fella, most of you guys have had bad experiences (excepting some of you) and I don’t want to end tearing up my entire tank just to get this bad behaving fish out of there. Thank you so much, you telling me if he bad behaved i would have to tear my tank REALLY changed my mind on getting him

Oh, the pink streaked wrasse is a sweetheart, totally non aggressive. It just has the same nightly sleeping behavior.

Woodchip · Mar 15, 2021

jaganshi066 said:
Are the Tanaka Pygmy wrasses pretty peaceful?

I do not have one but I have heard they are peaceful and very shy at first then they will warm up to you. Don’t quote me on this because I have only had a pink streaked but I really doubt they would be the ones being mean I think other fish might be mean to it because it is a very shy fish.