My experience with six line wrasse aggression

[SamsReef]

I have a 340 gallon display tank and made a mistake of adding a six line wrasse as one of the first fishes 10 years ago in the current display tank. I am writing this so that it might help anyone else who is trying to decide what wrasse to add in their display tank.

Liveaquaria and other sites quote six line as semi aggressive. That is true if you average out their aggression with other families of fishes but they are SUPER aggressive with any other wrasses. They are also super hardy and very difficult to catch in a full blown reef tank.

If you are looking for wrasses to control any pests in your tank(I am reef guy, fishes are added for their function), options that have worked for me in the past - Melanarus wrasses(one caution - they will eat any shrimps when they are big), yellow cross wrasse, leopard wrasse (once the tank is mature) and radiant wrasse. I am sure there are others but I have hand on experience with these.

There is a place for six line in reef tanks. They are a good choice for small tanks and tanks without sand bed or shallow tanks that have open top. Six line do not need sand bed and they are not jumpers.

Summary - six line is a poor choice for a large display tank no matter how big they are. They will be aggressive towards any new additions and they never get used to new wrasse additions. Will be beating them till they are dead from harassment.

Would love to hear from others what other reef safe wrasses have you kept.

Sam

 

[ryanjohn1]

2nd six lines are aggressive

 

[Coinzmans Reef]

My six line jumped, someone should have told him jumping could be fatal.

 

[SamsReef]

My six line jumped, someone should have told him jumping could be fatal.

I wish mine jumped

 

[Texas_Aquaman]

I wish I would have seen this thread a few days ago. I just added a filamented wrasse to my 100 gallon tank. My normally very calm six line wrasse immediately turned into the fish from hell. Now one has to go….which is not going to be an easy task. Bummer.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

LOL, I put a six line in and couldn't be happier. My blue green chromis put it in his place from day one. My six line keeps completely keeps to himself and just does his job. Of course my tank is unusual. My copperband runs the tank and is fearless. He is the only fish I've ever had that will hang around the algae magnet when in use, continue as nothing is going on when I'm cleaning the reef, doing a big water charge ect. I mean he acts as if nothing is going on. Maybe I have been extremely lucky

 

[Outlaw Corals]

I’ve had so many 6 line wrasses over the past 30 plus year’s of reefing, 6 line has alway’s been one of the wrasses I’ve really liked, I’ve never had a tank larger then 90 gallons keep in mind, over the year’s I’ve heard so much talk of how aggressive 6 lines are but in my experience, I’ve never had one that displayed any kind of aggression toward any other fish, any of the ones that I have had were always a model Citizen

 

[Cichlid Dad]

I’ve had so many 6 line wrasses over the past 30 plus year’s of reefing, 6 line has alway’s been one of the wrasses I’ve really liked, I’ve never had a tank larger then 90 gallons keep in mind, over the year’s I’ve heard so much talk of how aggressive 6 lines are but in my experience, I’ve never had one that displayed any kind of aggression toward any other fish, any of the ones that I have had were always a model Citizen

I hear this many times. Someone suggested it was a male vs female thing and females were passive and males were the aggressive ones. Don't know if it is true, but worth a thought

 

[Texas_Aquaman]

My 6 line was a model citizen until I added the second (filamented) wrasse and that’s when he/she became the fish from hell. In any event I was able to catch the filamented wrasse and I put it in an acclimation box. Now here are my options: 1) return it to the LFS now, 2) keep in the acclimation box for a week or two and try it again in the display tank, or 3) do option 2 but add another couple wrasses at the same time to moderate the 6 line aggression. Thoughts?? I’m a little reluctant to try again because I might not be as lucky with catching the filamented a second time.

 

[Coinzmans Reef]

My 6 line was a model citizen until I added the second (filamented) wrasse and that’s when he/she became the fish from hell. In any event I was able to catch the filamented wrasse and I put it in an acclimation box. Now here are my options: 1) return it to the LFS now, 2) keep in the acclimation box for a week or two and try it again in the display tank, or 3) do option 2 but add another couple wrasses at the same time to moderate the 6 line aggression. Thoughts?? I’m a little reluctant to try again because I might not be as lucky with catching the filamented a second time.

Return and leave well enough alone no more wrasses, six line only. I had one in each tank they hunt all day long,
they eat the good the bad and the ugly !

 

[SamsReef]

I just wanted to report back that my six line finally died of old age. Never been happy to see a grumpy senior citizen pass away before.

Time to shop wrasses

Sam

 

[secret_reefer337]

Where are you getting your six line wrasse? I have never got any aggressive six line, be it in a 20 gal or 210 gal. Six line is always the first wrasse I put in my tank followed by other wrasses and never had an incident that it harassed other wrasse or other fish.

 

[SamsReef]

Where are you getting your six line wrasse? I have never got any aggressive six line, be it in a 20 gal or 210 gal. Six line is always the first wrasse I put in my tank followed by other wrasses and never had an incident that it harassed other wrasse or other fish.

I don’t remember where it came from 10 yrs back. Was a model citizen for first few years and then several yrs later added 4 wrasses and he picked them out one at a time

 

[MarcusH]

6 line wrasses are total jerks. So are 4-lines, 8-lines, mystery wrasses, and scarlet pinstripes. Everything from the Pseudocheilinus family.

They're ok with totally different fish like gobies, blennies, tangs, etc, but with other fish with similar morphology/feeding habits like other wrasses, dottybacks, hogfish, etc. they are relentlessly aggressive. Can't be kept together.

 

[SamsReef]

6 line wrasses are total jerks. So are 4-lines, 8-lines, mystery wrasses, and scarlet pinstripes. Everything from the Pseudocheilinus family.

They're ok with totally different fish like gobies, blennies, tangs, etc, but with other fish with similar morphology/feeding habits like other wrasses, dottybacks, hogfish, etc. they are relentlessly aggressive. Can't be kept together.

And they don’t get tired or bored till they get rid of the new resident

Sam

 

[Big E]

I've only had two six lines over the years. First one was in a 75g with a dottyback and they were fine together.

Fast forward to today and have a Six line in an 80g and I put in an orange back & bipartis leopard. He ignored the bipartis and did some minor flashing/attempts to bully the orange back but the orange back put it in it's place in about 2 days.

I think it's more about tank mates. For example, I wouldn't try one with a possum wrasse. Wimpy fish like dartfish I can see getting harassed or some of the more timid smaller wrasses like carpenters, liner, ect.

Size matters............a juvenile wrasse species might get killed but I doubt a six line is going to take on larger more mature wrasses.

 

[HNR]

I’ve had so many 6 line wrasses over the past 30 plus year’s of reefing, 6 line has alway’s been one of the wrasses I’ve really liked, I’ve never had a tank larger then 90 gallons keep in mind, over the year’s I’ve heard so much talk of how aggressive 6 lines are but in my experience, I’ve never had one that displayed any kind of aggression toward any other fish, any of the ones that I have had were always a model Citizen

Same here. I’m on my 3rd one and they’ve all been model citizens. Ironically my current one gets bullied by my flasher who came in after.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I have a 340 gallon display tank and made a mistake of adding a six line wrasse as one of the first fishes 10 years ago in the current display tank. I am writing this so that it might help anyone else who is trying to decide what wrasse to add in their display tank.

Liveaquaria and other sites quote six line as semi aggressive. That is true if you average out their aggression with other families of fishes but they are SUPER aggressive with any other wrasses. They are also super hardy and very difficult to catch in a full blown reef tank.

If you are looking for wrasses to control any pests in your tank(I am reef guy, fishes are added for their function), options that have worked for me in the past - Melanarus wrasses(one caution - they will eat any shrimps when they are big), yellow cross wrasse, leopard wrasse (once the tank is mature) and radiant wrasse. I am sure there are others but I have hand on experience with these.

There is a place for six line in reef tanks. They are a good choice for small tanks and tanks without sand bed or shallow tanks that have open top. Six line do not need sand bed and they are not jumpers.

Summary - six line is a poor choice for a large display tank no matter how big they are. They will be aggressive towards any new additions and they never get used to new wrasse additions. Will be beating them till they are dead from harassment.

Would love to hear from others what other reef safe wrasses have you kept.

Sam

I have a six line who is a model citizen, BUT, he was the last fish added, and he is the only wrasse I have. You DEFINITELY need to do your research before getting one. The have their place, and can be a great addition, but you must research first.