Are 6-line Wrasses really that mean?

NexDog · 01/19/2006, 06:45 AM

The 6-Line wrasse is a beautiful fish and I've wanted one for a while but have been put off by their terrorising reputation. But now I have a big tank (340g) I have alot more options. I also will be having alot of fish of all sizes which I think will help with aggression as one fish hopefully won't be singled out. Alot of the smaller fish will be paired too (clowns, cardinals, royal grammas, gobies) which should also help and the bigger fish (tangs, angels, hawks) will be able to look after themselves. The 6-Line my LFS got in is a baby too which also may help.

So 6-Line owners, please let me know your thoughts.

Rossini · 01/19/2006, 06:49 AM

I've ordered one at my LFS. I'm hoping he wont pick on my orchid dottybacks or my saffron gobys (the smallest fish in my tank).

I think its the usual thing,it depends on the individual fish.

ejmeier · 01/19/2006, 10:18 AM

Mine was never really that mean. He got along with most other fishes. Sometimes, he got too close to my royal gramma's 'territory' and the two got into sort of a staring contest. The gramma would open its mouth wide to scare off the 6line, but it never worked. The sixline would just stare him down.

IME, they don't really attack or pick on anything, they just like to mess with their heads a little. =) I have kept one in a 20g with no problems, and another in a 60g, also with no problems.

fittdog8848 · 01/19/2006, 10:21 AM

I have a couple friends that keep them and they keep the orchids freaked out. In fact in these two tanks the Six line harrases anything smaller than him.

fittdog8848 · 01/19/2006, 10:21 AM

might add that i love the sixline. and of course all IMO

jimdpiper · 01/19/2006, 10:22 AM

Six lines are one of the better choices for a wrasse
I had a lunar and it ate everything, live shrimp, corals, you name it.

NexDog · 01/19/2006, 10:31 AM

Schweet, I'm gonna get him. Lovely colours.

Reef'in Colorado · 01/19/2006, 10:36 AM

Every 6-line I have had were mean little bas#@$ds! They picked on all newcomers regardless of size. I would make it the last addition to your tank to help reduce its agression.

jnc914 · 01/19/2006, 10:42 AM

In a large system a six-line doe better interacting with tank mates. However I had one in a 90 gallon and it was a menace to a newly added clownfish, so much so that it harassed the newcomer until the fish jumped out of the tank. Upon further inspection of the dead clown, I noticed alot of small bruise marks from where the wrasse had been hitting it. I would buy another one, but would add it last.

Jason

fishgeeksrus · 01/19/2006, 10:47 AM

6 lines can be pretty aggressive. Might want to wait and put it in as a late addition to your tank

Old Yeller Tang · 01/19/2006, 10:54 AM

I dig wrasses but when I had a 6-line, it killed any I put in. The only wrasse that held it's own was a 4-line which eventually killed the 6-line and I was stuck with the same problem. I corrected it by removing the 4-line.

JaMan · 01/19/2006, 11:33 AM

my six line beats up on my lawnmower blenny and eats my peppermint shrimp & feather dusters.

m1a1fan · 01/19/2006, 01:18 PM

I think my six-line is a born again clownfish. He hangs out with my two true-percs all day.

Wiskey · 01/19/2006, 02:34 PM

I love my 6-line he gets along fine with my yellow tang and falce perc clown.

Whiskey

eleodes · 01/19/2006, 02:37 PM

i had a six-line for a while, but i had to trade him in. he chased and bit the two basslets that i kept him with.

xtrstangx · 01/19/2006, 03:42 PM

Mine isn't mean. My Flame Angel puts him in his place if he is mean to the Goby. Its funny though cause the Angel follows the Wrasse around the entire tank, bothering him.

BucNtears · 01/19/2006, 04:22 PM

I would add the sixline last. I just put 1 in and he /she is to busy looking around the tank.He is also the smallest one in the tank {75}.
midas,pair clowns,lmb,jawfish x3
so far so good

musty baby · 01/19/2006, 05:01 PM

Just got my 6line a month or so ago, and it actually buddied up with my male maroon. A perfect gentlemen.

trmiv · 01/19/2006, 05:04 PM

They can be mean. My last six-line didn't bother my percula or my bangaii, but he killed a purple firefish by terrorizing him whenever he came out of his hole. The firefish eventually starved to death I think, because I eventually just never saw him again.

I ended up making a trap out of a bottle, got the six-line out and traded it in.

pro99line · 01/19/2006, 05:39 PM

My six line is not aggresive at all.

geekreef_05 · 01/19/2006, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rossini
I've ordered one at my LFS. I'm hoping he wont pick on my orchid dottybacks or my saffron gobys (the smallest fish in my tank).

I think its the usual thing,it depends on the individual fish.

Quite the opposite in my tank. My orchid dottyback chases my sixline around every now and then; when they get 'too close for comfort'. Otherwise, they're both well behaved reef inhabitants.

Sixlines are great fish! Definaltey my personal fav!

happy reefin'

pedalpower · 01/19/2006, 06:06 PM

My sixline was very aggressive. It killed my shrimp. It would continually harass my ocellaris clownfish. And it would hold it own against a bicolor dottyback. It also consider almost of my tank it's territory.

jojabis · 01/19/2006, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by m1a1fan
I think my six-line is a born again clownfish. He hangs out with my two true-percs all day.

Yup! I have one too. Sixer is a great tank mate and part of the official welcome crew of our 90. Other tank mates include 2 percs, 1 coral beauty, 1 lawnmower blenny, and 1 powder blue tang. I got Sixer to defend my t. max clam.

NexDog · 01/19/2006, 10:07 PM

Great replies - thanks! Definitely looks like it depends on the individual fish.

zemuron114 · 01/19/2006, 10:43 PM

they will kill any wrasse that looks like them if added after the 6-line. My friend bought a mystery wrasse and put it in with a 6-line (180 gallon tank) the 6-line wrasse killed the mystery in less then a day (with the lights OFF)

i wouldn't buy a 6-line.. I like fairy wrasses better! lol

01/19/2006, 06:45 AM	#1
NexDog Snail Killer Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kyushu, Japan Posts: 4,804	Are 6-line Wrasses really that mean? The 6-Line wrasse is a beautiful fish and I've wanted one for a while but have been put off by their terrorising reputation. But now I have a big tank (340g) I have alot more options. I also will be having alot of fish of all sizes which I think will help with aggression as one fish hopefully won't be singled out. Alot of the smaller fish will be paired too (clowns, cardinals, royal grammas, gobies) which should also help and the bigger fish (tangs, angels, hawks) will be able to look after themselves. The 6-Line my LFS got in is a baby too which also may help. So 6-Line owners, please let me know your thoughts. __________________ Laurence Flynn 340g In-Wall Envision Tank and 150g Sump. Current Tank Info: Deltec 902, PFO hood with 3x400w Radium 20k and 4x96w PC's. Hammerhead closed loop - and 2 x Tunze 6105 (and Vortech still sucks).

01/19/2006, 10:18 AM	#3
ejmeier Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Eden Prairie, MN Posts: 1,433	Mine was never really that mean. He got along with most other fishes. Sometimes, he got too close to my royal gramma's 'territory' and the two got into sort of a staring contest. The gramma would open its mouth wide to scare off the 6line, but it never worked. The sixline would just stare him down. IME, they don't really attack or pick on anything, they just like to mess with their heads a little. =) I have kept one in a 20g with no problems, and another in a 60g, also with no problems. __________________ Eric Meier Current Tank Info: 30g plywood/starphire pentagon

01/19/2006, 10:21 AM	#4
fittdog8848 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Bozeman, MT Posts: 308	I have a couple friends that keep them and they keep the orchids freaked out. In fact in these two tanks the Six line harrases anything smaller than him. __________________ When Chuck Norris falls in water, Chuck Norris doesn't get wet. Water gets Chuck Norris. Current Tank Info: 100g Reef with 50g refugium/sump

01/19/2006, 10:21 AM	#5
fittdog8848 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Bozeman, MT Posts: 308	might add that i love the sixline. and of course all IMO __________________ When Chuck Norris falls in water, Chuck Norris doesn't get wet. Water gets Chuck Norris. Current Tank Info: 100g Reef with 50g refugium/sump

01/19/2006, 10:31 AM	#7
NexDog Snail Killer Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kyushu, Japan Posts: 4,804	Schweet, I'm gonna get him. Lovely colours. __________________ Laurence Flynn 340g In-Wall Envision Tank and 150g Sump. Current Tank Info: Deltec 902, PFO hood with 3x400w Radium 20k and 4x96w PC's. Hammerhead closed loop - and 2 x Tunze 6105 (and Vortech still sucks).

01/19/2006, 06:49 AM	#2
Rossini Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: UK Posts: 494	I've ordered one at my LFS. I'm hoping he wont pick on my orchid dottybacks or my saffron gobys (the smallest fish in my tank). I think its the usual thing,it depends on the individual fish.

01/19/2006, 10:22 AM	#6
jimdpiper Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: TN Posts: 14	Six lines are one of the better choices for a wrasse I had a lunar and it ate everything, live shrimp, corals, you name it.

01/19/2006, 10:36 AM	#8
Reef'in Colorado Reefer Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Frederick, Co. Posts: 934	Every 6-line I have had were mean little bas#@$ds! They picked on all newcomers regardless of size. I would make it the last addition to your tank to help reduce its agression.

01/19/2006, 10:42 AM	#9
jnc914 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,008	In a large system a six-line doe better interacting with tank mates. However I had one in a 90 gallon and it was a menace to a newly added clownfish, so much so that it harassed the newcomer until the fish jumped out of the tank. Upon further inspection of the dead clown, I noticed alot of small bruise marks from where the wrasse had been hitting it. I would buy another one, but would add it last. Jason __________________ "Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion." -Jack Kerouac 13 years strictly salty Current Tank Info: 180 gallon FOWLR Angel dedicated tank

01/19/2006, 10:47 AM	#10
fishgeeksrus Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Island Lake, IL Posts: 3,067	6 lines can be pretty aggressive. Might want to wait and put it in as a late addition to your tank __________________ Teach a man to fish, he'll eat for a lifetime..... Give a man a fish, he'll put it in an aquarium. Dennis+Andrea Current Tank Info: 180g Inwall SPS Dominated

01/19/2006, 10:54 AM	#11
Old Yeller Tang Premium Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: East Highlands Ranch, SoCal Posts: 3,731	I dig wrasses but when I had a 6-line, it killed any I put in. The only wrasse that held it's own was a 4-line which eventually killed the 6-line and I was stuck with the same problem. I corrected it by removing the 4-line. __________________ THE PAC 10 "The Conference of Champions" 359 NCAA titles and counting! 2nd Best, The Big 10 with a distant 212 titles PAC 10 FOOTBALL is 9-6 against the SEC since the turn of the century! Current Tank Info: 170g in-wall reef, In The Zone!(ozone that is), EuroReef CS8-2 Skimmer, 150lbs. lr & no sand, (2) 400w mh's, (1) 110 actinic vho's, 1hp Aqua Medic chiller

01/19/2006, 11:33 AM	#12
JaMan Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 147	my six line beats up on my lawnmower blenny and eats my peppermint shrimp & feather dusters.

01/19/2006, 01:18 PM	#13
m1a1fan Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 253	I think my six-line is a born again clownfish. He hangs out with my two true-percs all day.

01/19/2006, 02:34 PM	#14
Wiskey Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Fallbrook, CA Posts: 3,049	I love my 6-line he gets along fine with my yellow tang and falce perc clown. Whiskey __________________ This video shows 15 months of coral growth in my tank in a 30 second timelapse: https://youtu.be/bF6C57aTDEo

01/19/2006, 02:37 PM	#15
eleodes Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 361	i had a six-line for a while, but i had to trade him in. he chased and bit the two basslets that i kept him with.

01/19/2006, 03:42 PM	#16
xtrstangx Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Shawnee, Kansas Posts: 4,568	Mine isn't mean. My Flame Angel puts him in his place if he is mean to the Goby. Its funny though cause the Angel follows the Wrasse around the entire tank, bothering him.

01/19/2006, 04:22 PM	#17
BucNtears Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Crestview,FL. Posts: 1,019	I would add the sixline last. I just put 1 in and he /she is to busy looking around the tank.He is also the smallest one in the tank {75}. midas,pair clowns,lmb,jawfish x3 so far so good __________________ If I only had a bigger tank Current Tank Info: 120 with 75 sump/fuge

01/19/2006, 05:01 PM	#18
musty baby Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: over yonder Posts: 1,751	Just got my 6line a month or so ago, and it actually buddied up with my male maroon. A perfect gentlemen.

01/19/2006, 05:04 PM	#19
trmiv Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 3,082	They can be mean. My last six-line didn't bother my percula or my bangaii, but he killed a purple firefish by terrorizing him whenever he came out of his hole. The firefish eventually starved to death I think, because I eventually just never saw him again. I ended up making a trap out of a bottle, got the six-line out and traded it in. __________________ Current tank: Red Sea Reefer 350 Deluxe, Avast Marine Pegleg 180 skimmer, Gyre 150, Eheim 1262 return

01/19/2006, 05:39 PM	#20
pro99line Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Theodore, AL Posts: 280	My six line is not aggresive at all.

01/19/2006, 06:06 PM	#22
pedalpower Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Virginia Posts: 182	My sixline was very aggressive. It killed my shrimp. It would continually harass my ocellaris clownfish. And it would hold it own against a bicolor dottyback. It also consider almost of my tank it's territory.

01/19/2006, 10:07 PM	#24
NexDog Snail Killer Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kyushu, Japan Posts: 4,804	Great replies - thanks! Definitely looks like it depends on the individual fish. __________________ Laurence Flynn 340g In-Wall Envision Tank and 150g Sump. Current Tank Info: Deltec 902, PFO hood with 3x400w Radium 20k and 4x96w PC's. Hammerhead closed loop - and 2 x Tunze 6105 (and Vortech still sucks).

01/19/2006, 10:43 PM	#25
zemuron114 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Pilgrim State (Mass) Posts: 4,039	they will kill any wrasse that looks like them if added after the 6-line. My friend bought a mystery wrasse and put it in with a 6-line (180 gallon tank) the 6-line wrasse killed the mystery in less then a day (with the lights OFF) i wouldn't buy a 6-line.. I like fairy wrasses better! lol