Scientific Name: Pseudocheilinus hexataenia

Alt Scientific Name:

Common Name: Six Line Wrasse

Alt Common Name: 6 Line Wrasse, Watermelon Wrasse, Sixline Wrasse

Group: Labroids (Wrasses)

Family: Labridae

Distribution: Indo Pacific

Adult Size: 3 inches (7.6cm)

Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons

Temperament: Generally peaceful

Care Difficulty: 5/10

Reef Safety Score : 5/3

Temperature Range: 75°F - 82°F

pH Range: 8.1 - 8.4

Salinity Range (specific gravity): 1.02 - 1.026

Diet Information: Microcarnivore. Feed a varied diet that includes a frozen prepared food for carnivores, minced table shrimp, and a good flake food. Feed at least twice a day.

Additional Information : The Six Line Wrasse is one of those fish that most aquarists at one time or another have seen at the their pet store and thought, "that is a cool fish"! And cool they are. They are quite hardy, disease resistant, and long lived. Once acclimated they will even help control a few pests, like the pyramidellid snails and commensal flatworms that some coral keeping aquarists have to deal with at times. They have also been observed cleaning the fins and bodies of other fishes, picking off parasitic isopods and copepods. The Six Line Wrasses are excellent hiders and are very quick, to the point of being one of the harder fish to photograph. They are diurnal,which means they are active by day and sleep at night. As with all fish in this genus they sleep in a mucus cocoon, which fortunately does not seem degrade the water quality. It is thought that the cocoon protects them from predators as they sleep by masking their scent. Though they are shy secretive fish in the wild, once they become acclimated to the home aquarium they become quite boisterous. The Six Lined Wrasses are considered reef safe as they will not harm corals or coral anemones.They are also fine in a community tank but will become aggressive towards shy timid species in the same aquarium, and sometimes even larger fish. To prevent confrontations it is best to keep it with larger or more aggressive fish and to make a single lined wrasse the last addition to the aquarium. They do not co-habitat well with other lined wrasses.

Tank Mate Compatibility : Does well with a variety of reef safe fish and invertebrates. Small invertebrates should be avoided because the six line wrasse may eat them.

Breeding Information: No known way to breed in captivity.

Determining Sex: Males tend to show brighter coloration when courting.

Primary Area in Tank: All over