TankBud

Six-line wrasse

Pseudocheilinus hexataenia

Also known as Sixline wrasse, Six-stripe wrasse, Sixstripe wrasse, Pyjama wrasse

SaltwaterFish

Six-line wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia)
Brian Gratwicke · CC BY 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
3.1 in
8 cm
Minimum tank
29 gal
110 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Own kind
One per tank
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Very common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Labridae
Origin
Indo-Pacific reefs from the Red Sea and East Africa to the central Pacific

Overview

The six-line wrasse is a small, restless wrasse for a mature reef tank. It is easy to keep, but choose its tank mates with caution.

Did you know

The six-line wrasse hunts and eats pyramidellid snails, a pest that attacks clams. That makes it a favorite with reef keepers for pest control.

Caring for the six-line wrasse

Give the six-line wrasse a mature tank of at least 29 gal (110 L) with plenty of live rock full of pods and hiding places. It works through the rockwork in the middle of the tank rather than schooling. Keep a tight lid on, since like most wrasses it can jump.

Hold stable marine water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. Feed meaty foods such as mysis and enriched brine shrimp. An established tank supplies much of its natural diet of pods and worms.

The six-line wrasse is reef safe and will not touch corals. It hunts commensal flatworms and small bristleworms in the rock, which is a real plus for a reef. It is only mostly peaceful, though, and it often turns into a scrappy bully as it settles in. It chases other wrasses, fairy wrasses and shy or slow tank mates.

Add it last so it cannot claim the whole tank as territory, and keep just one per tank. In a smaller reef, make it the only wrasse. A new fish can vanish into the rock for a day or two after being added. Like many wrasses it is a protogynous hermaphrodite, but it is only very rarely bred in captivity, so trade fish are wild-caught.

Good to know

The six-line wrasse, Pseudocheilinus hexataenia, is a small wrasse in the family Labridae. Six horizontal blue lines run over its orange to purple body, and a small false eyespot sits near the tail. Unlike sand-diving wrasses, it does not bury itself but sleeps wedged in the rock. It is also sold as the sixstripe wrasse or the pyjama wrasse.

In the wild

Six-line wrasses live on Indo-Pacific reefs from the Red Sea and East Africa across to the central Pacific. They thread through branching corals and live rock all day in search of tiny crustaceans.

Common questions

What size tank does a six-line wrasse need?

A six-line wrasse needs at least 29 gal (110 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a six-line wrasse need?

A six-line wrasse is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a six-line wrasse eat?

A six-line wrasse eats meaty foods such as mysis and enriched brine shrimp. In an established tank it also finds much of its natural diet of pods and worms, plus flatworms and small bristleworms.

How big does a six-line wrasse get?

An adult six-line wrasse reaches about 3.1 in (8 cm).

Related species