QUICK STATS

Care Level: Easy to Moderate
Diet: Carnivore
Temperament: Semi-Aggressive
Reef-Safe: Yes, With Caution
Venomous/Toxic: No
Approximate Purchase Size: 1-2"
Approximate Max Size: Around 3-4"
Recommended Tank Size: 40-55 Gallons or Larger

SIX LINE WRASSE

The Six Line Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia), also called the Sixstripe Wrasse, is a small, colorful reef fish known for its bright blue and orange horizontal striping, greenish body tones, and active hunting behavior. It is one of the most recognizable wrasses in the hobby and often becomes a highly visible, constantly moving fish once established.

Six Line Wrasses are popular because they are hardy, reef-safe, colorful, and useful for picking at small pests in reef aquariums. They may eat flatworms, pyramidellid snails, small bristleworms, and other tiny organisms found in rockwork. That said, they should not be treated as a guaranteed pest-control machine. They are fish, not a tiny striped exterminator with a service contract.

This species is considered reef-safe with caution. It usually ignores corals, but it may harass very small shrimp, tiny ornamental crustaceans, feather dusters, or delicate tank mates. Six Line Wrasses can also become territorial, especially in smaller tanks or when added before more peaceful fish. Small fish, large ego. The ocean remains committed to comedy.

Note: Image is a representation of what to expect. The fish you receive may vary slightly in size, color, striping, markings, and overall appearance.

AQUARIUM REQUIREMENTS

AQUARIUM SIZE

A minimum tank size of 40 gallons or larger is recommended for a Six Line Wrasse, with 55 gallons or larger preferred for community reef aquariums. While some sources list smaller minimums, additional space helps reduce aggression and gives this active fish more room to patrol and hunt.

Six Line Wrasses stay small, but they are active, curious, and territorial. A larger aquarium with plenty of rockwork is usually better than trying to cram one into a tiny tank and acting surprised when it becomes a striped little menace.

HABITAT RECOMMENDATIONS

Six Line Wrasses do best in established aquariums with live rock, caves, crevices, and plenty of hiding places.

Aquascaping: Provide live rock, caves, overhangs, and tight crevices. Six Line Wrasses weave through rockwork constantly while hunting and exploring.

Substrate: Sand, fine aragonite, crushed coral, or bare-bottom systems can all work. Unlike some wrasses, Six Line Wrasses do not require sand for sleeping.

Rockwork: Live rock is strongly recommended. It provides shelter, territory, biological filtration, and natural hunting surfaces for pods, worms, and other tiny foods.

Tank Maturity: A mature aquarium is preferred. Established rockwork supports natural microfauna and gives this fish more foraging opportunities.

Tank Cover: A tight-fitting lid is mandatory. Six Line Wrasses are excellent jumpers, because apparently being fast, tiny, and suspicious was not enough of a survival strategy.

WATER PARAMETERS

Six Line Wrasses are generally hardy once established, but they still need clean, stable marine conditions. “Hardy wrasse” does not mean “compatible with water-quality crimes,” despite what the hobby keeps trying to prove.

Temperature: 72-78°F
pH Level: 8.1-8.4
Salinity: 1.020-1.026 specific gravity
Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate: Ammonia and nitrite should remain undetectable. Nitrate should be kept as low as reasonably possible, ideally below 20 ppm.
Water Flow: Moderate water movement is ideal. Provide enough flow to keep the aquarium oxygenated, move food through the water column, and keep waste moving toward filtration, while still allowing calmer areas within the rockwork for resting.

DIET

Six Line Wrasses are carnivores that naturally feed on small crustaceans, worms, pods, and other tiny meaty foods found around coral and rockwork. In aquariums, they usually adapt well to frozen and prepared foods once settled.

PRIMARY DIET

Frozen Food: Offer mysis shrimp, enriched brine shrimp, cyclops, calanus, marine blends, finely chopped seafood, and other small frozen foods. We at Summit City Coral prefer frozen foods such as LRS Reef Frenzy and PE Mysis.

Prepared Foods: High-quality marine pellets, flakes, and carnivore or omnivore blends can help provide balanced nutrition. Smaller food sizes are best.

Live Foods: Copepods, amphipods, live brine shrimp, blackworms, and other small live foods can help encourage feeding, especially in newly introduced individuals.

Natural Hunting: Established live rock can provide pods, small worms, and other tiny foods for natural foraging. This should be viewed as supplemental, not the entire feeding plan. A Six Line Wrasse is not a pest-control subscription, even if it occasionally does useful work.

FEEDING FREQUENCY

Feed small amounts 1-2 times per day. Six Line Wrasses are usually quick, aggressive feeders, so make sure slower tank mates are still getting food and not just witnessing a tiny striped food robbery.

COMPATIBILITY

Six Line Wrasses can work well in reef aquariums, but tank mate selection matters. They are often peaceful when small or newly introduced, but may become territorial and pushy as they mature.

COMMON TANK MATES

Fish: Clownfish, cardinalfish, larger gobies, blennies, tangs, rabbitfish, dwarf angelfish, chromis, and other peaceful to semi-aggressive community fish.

Avoid: Very timid fish, delicate firefish, small passive wrasses, tiny gobies, peaceful dartfish, and newly introduced shy fish that may be bullied. Avoid keeping with fish small enough to be viewed as food.

Other Wrasses: Use caution when mixing with other wrasses. Six Line Wrasses may harass fairy wrasses, flasher wrasses, possum wrasses, and other similar or peaceful wrasses, especially in smaller aquariums.

Similar Species: Avoid other lined wrasses or similar-shaped wrasses in smaller tanks unless the aquarium is large enough and carefully planned.

Invertebrates: Usually safe with larger cleaner shrimp, hermit crabs, snails, and urchins, but may eat very small ornamental shrimp, tiny crustaceans, feather dusters, flatworms, pyramidellid snails, or small worms.

Coral: Six Line Wrasses are considered reef-safe with coral and should not bother soft corals, LPS, SPS, zoanthids, mushrooms, clams, or anemones. The caution is mainly with aggression and tiny invertebrates, not coral.

BEHAVIORAL NOTES

Temperament: Semi-aggressive. Some individuals behave well in community tanks, while others become territorial bullies with excellent cardio.

Pest Hunting: May eat flatworms, pyramidellid snails, small bristleworms, and other tiny pests. Helpful, but not guaranteed pest control.

Activity Level: Very active swimmer that constantly moves through rockwork and open areas.

Rockwork Use: Frequently darts in and out of caves, coral branches, and crevices while hunting and patrolling.

Sleeping Behavior: Does not require sand to sleep. Like many wrasses, it may rest in rockwork and produce a mucus cocoon at night.

Reef Compatibility: Good for reef aquariums, but best listed as reef-safe with caution due to aggression and possible predation on tiny invertebrates.

Aggression Management: Best added later in the stocking order, especially in peaceful community tanks. Adding peaceful fish after a settled Six Line can be a deeply educational mistake.

Feeding Behavior: Usually a strong feeder and may aggressively grab food from the water column.

Coloration: Typically shows six bright blue to purple horizontal stripes over an orange, pink, or greenish body, often with an eyespot near the tail. Color intensity may vary depending on stress, diet, maturity, and lighting.

Jumping: A tight-fitting lid is mandatory. Six Line Wrasses are known jumpers and can escape through small gaps with the determination of a tiny aquatic fugitive.

ACCLIMATION PROCESS

This acclimation method helps reduce stress by gradually introducing the fish to your aquarium’s temperature and water chemistry.

1. TURN OFF THE LIGHTS & ATO

Turn off aquarium lights to reduce stress. If you have an Auto Top Off system, switch it off before starting acclimation.

2. FLOAT THE BAG

Float the sealed bag in the aquarium for 15-20 minutes to allow the temperature in the bag to equalize with the tank.

3. OPEN BAG, ADD FISH TO CONTAINER

Carefully open the bag and transfer the fish and shipping water into a clean bucket or container.

4. ACCLIMATE USING TANK WATER

Add 1/4 cup of tank water to the container every 5 minutes for 40 minutes.

5. TRANSFER FISH TO AQUARIUM

Once acclimation is complete, gently transfer the fish into the aquarium using a net or specimen container. Discard the shipping water. Do not pour shipping water into your aquarium.

6. REFILL THE AQUARIUM WITH SALTWATER

You may need to replace the saltwater removed during acclimation with fresh mixed saltwater.