Pseudocheilinus hexataenia
| Difficulty | Low |
| Minimum Tank Size | 30 Gallons |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Water Parameters | 72-78 F, pH 8-8.4, Salinity 1.020-1.025 |
| Aggression | Semi-Agressive |
| Size | 4" |
The Six Line Wrasse is one of the most active and colorful fish that is still easy to own. They swim to all areas of the tank, making for a great show fish. They love having large areas to swim while also having rockwork to hide in. They raise fins and get red eyes when acting aggressive. They will help keep the tank clear of any pests such as flat worms or pyramidellid snails.
They can be fairly aggressive and will bully more timid fish, even those much larger than themselves. Add the wrasse last to help curve their aggression. The Six Line Wrasse sleeps in a mucus cocoon and sometimes under the sand. These are defensive measures that keep them safe from nocturnal predators.
Tank Specific Need
The Six Line Wrasse has no special requirements when it comes to their tank. They do like to have rocks to swim around and hide in as well as long tanks to swim across. They should not be kept in small tanks or tall tanks, as they need space to swim around.
Tank Mates to Avoid
Due to the somewhat aggressive nature of the Six Line Wrasse only semi-aggressive fish should be housed with the wrasse. They will bully blennies, mandarins, pipefish, sea horses, feather duster worms, crustaceans and other wrasse. Most wrasse will but much more peaceful when they are young, however once they reach maturity you can expect a lot more aggression. Wrasse will also be less aggressive in larger tanks.
Wrasse will eat most crustaceans, including cleaner shrimp, if they are smaller than the wrasse. Wrasse will also target some snails and crabs, but not frequently.
The wrasse can be kept more easily if it is added last to the tank, allowing the more timid fish to become well established before the wrasse sets up any territories. If however you are not adding the wrasse last, you can rearrange the tank when adding a new fish. This will put the Six Line Wrasse on even footing with the new fish.
While aggressive to even larger fish, the Six Line Wrasse is not invincible and should not be kept with large predatory fish.
Diet & Feeding
The Six Line Wrasse will eat most flake or pellet foods. They also should enjoy occasional mysis shrimp feedings or vitamin enriched brine shrimp.
The Six Line Wrasse can be an avid pod hunter, making him an unsuitable tank mate for any fish who depends upon pods. Refugiums or large masses or rocks are required to keep any sizable pod population alive.
The Six Line Wrasse should be fed once or twice a day, with twice being better option. They should be fed no more than they can eat in 5 minutes. By feeding them twice a day you can actually put less food into the tank, keeping the water cleaner and the wrasse more well fed.
The Six Line Wrasse is a fantastic hunter, often out competing the rest of the tank when it comes to feeding time. During their mature years they will even take food directly from other fish. Keep this in mind when deciding your tank mates and whether or not you can house a wrasse.
Breeding & Sexing
While the Six Line Wrasse has been known to spawn in the aquarium, they have not been successfully raised in the home aquarium. The parent fish do not look after their eggs.
Additionally it is difficult to mate the Six Line Wrasse, as they are quick to turn hostile on one another before learning the others gender.
Males have been noticed to be much more colorful during the mating dance and generally larger than females. With these being the only ways to sex a six line, it is extremely difficult to form a mated pair without relying on luck.
