Swapping a 6line for a pygmy wrasse?

[clown and friends]

I have a 25g lagoon that was an upgrade from a biocube and has been up about a year. I recently had a fish death from a likely powerhead incident (nero 5 + blue reef chromis) and am looking to replace it and every fish I look at I get worried the 6 line will bully since he has been in the tank so long (10 mos or so). I have no evidence of this actually being the case and so far he has been a model citizen but it is a concern. I really like the 6line because he is active and I have NEVER had a pest problem which I attribute mostly to his eating skillz. I was wondering if I could trade him back in and get a pygmy/pink streaked wrasse in his place to lower the aggression and still have the wrasse pest benefit? What do people think? Also any suggestions for the replacement fish for my deceased blue reef chromis would be awesome!

 

[Flippers4pups]

The pygmy would be a better fit for a tank that size, though they are known to be on the shy side. What pest issues are you referring to?

 

[clown and friends]

The pygmy would be a better fit for a tank that size, though they are known to be on the shy side. What pest issues are you referring to?

I have seen a few flatworms (red so bad) here and there for a long time but never an explosion in population I have heard about from others. I am operating under the assumption he is chomping on them but I obviously could be wrong. I didn't realize the pygmy was shy...

 

[Flippers4pups]

The 6 may be eating them. What kind of flatworms are they? Any pics?

Here's a good reference if you need it. Not all flatworms are bad guys.

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[Pbh-reef]

My pink streaked wrasse isn’t very shy - I think they get bolder with time (I’ve noticed that in the last month). Not quite as fast and active as a six line but a lively fish that is often hunting for pods and worms on the rocks and sand

 

[clown and friends]

The 6 may be eating them. What kind of flatworms are they? Any pics?

Here's a good reference if you need it. Not all flatworms are bad guys.

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They are acoel or convolutriloba sp. It says to watch them so I assume not great. (but did want to say thanks for the link what a helpful website!!)

 

[Flippers4pups]

They are acoel or convolutriloba sp. It says to watch them so I assume not great.

They can grow to large proportions/populations if not controlled.

 

[clown and friends]

They can grow to large proportions/populations if not controlled.

Hence my concern in removing Mr. 6line. Maybe I should just leave him and see if he tries to kill whatever I end up adding...

 

[Flippers4pups]

Hence my concern in removing Mr. 6line. Maybe I should just leave him and see if he tries to kill whatever I end up adding...

I wouldn't necessarily do that if the 6 is aggressive. They can in time become little monsters. I still think the pygmy would be a better fit, even if it doesn't eat the flatworms. There are methods to remove the worms. Here's what Marc did:

How to eliminate Flatworms (Red Planaria) | Melev's Reef

Small reddish-rust colored creatures may already be in your tank. Or you may buy a coral and they'll appear as hitchhikers later. They may appear on the glass/acrylic, on the substrate, or on live rock. Due to their extremely thin bodies, they are called flatworms correctly. They appear almost...

www.melevsreef.com

Would work for any flatworms.

 

[Jesterrace]

I agree the pink streaked would be a much better long term choice. It's usually once the 6 lines mature that they become a problem and they can be a joy to try and trap and remove.

 

[clown and friends]

I agree the pink streaked would be a much better long term choice. It's usually once the 6 lines mature that they become a problem and they can be a joy to try and trap and remove.

Yeah, I am not excited about the idea of trapping him...looks like I may go the pink streaked route and maybe get a royal gramma as the new addition as well!

 

[Pbh-reef]

I was just watching my pink streaked eat hair algae yesterday off my wave maker’s cord. Was pretty surprised but in general it’s a hungry little fish. I would think it would be at least decent at pest control