Six Line Wrasse

Description

Six Line Wrasse, Pseudocheilinus hexataenia, also go by the name Sixstripe or Pyjama Wrasse. Like all members of the Pseudocheilinus genus, males and females look alike. However, other wrasse species display sexual dimorphism.

These fish are active and charismatic. As the names suggests, Six Line Wrasse display vibrant orange stripes along their blue body. These beauties have purple bellies and peach coloured heads. Their bright red eye sports two thin white stripes through it. Six line wrasse have transparent fins, featuring hues of green, orange and blue. As the fish gets older, their colours get more pronounced.

Pseudocheilinus live in the tropics. This genus is relatively small when compared to other wrasse species.

Six Line Wrasse, Pseudocheilinus hexataenia, Ecology:

These fish live in the Indo Pacific. They range from the Red sea and south Africa, to Tuamoto, Ryukyu, Austral and Lord Howe islands.

Six Line Wrasse live on rich coral reefs, from the coast to the outer slopes. They swim around in loose aggregations, darting amongst the coral branches they use for protection.

The complex structures of the coral branches help the wrasse avoid predation. Unlike some species, Six Line Wrasse do not bury themselves to sleep or hide. Instead they have an incredibly nifty trick. In order to sleep safely, Six Line Wrasse find a nook and envelope themselves in a protective mucus coat. Supposedly, this hides the wrasses scent from predators. These sticky invisibility cloaks do not degrade your water quality, like some coral wax jackets’ might.

Six Line Wrasse feed on small crustaceans. They have been known to eat pest species in captivity, such as flat worms and nudibranch. We recommend consulting a member of staff if pest control is what you are after.

They are also protogynous hermaphrodites. Which means that, when they get old enough, breeding females transition into a male. As a result, all juveniles are immature females.

Sixstripe or Pyjama Wrasse: In The Aquarium:

It is important to imitate the natural environment by providing plenty of nooks and crannies for the wrasse to hide in. Hobbyists should invest in a jump guard to prevent any unfortunate mishaps.

Six Line Wrasse do best when fed a varied diet. They will accept enriched frozen mysis shrimp and enriched frozen brine shrimp. They will also devour live foods, such as copepods and amphipods, that can be cultivated in attached refugium. Over time they will accept high-quality pellet or flake. We adapt all our wrasse to aquarium life before they leave us. We focus on their health, and most are eating a good quality flake food and/or pellet, such as JBL Maris, before being offered for sale.

The Fish pictured here are representative only and the livestock you receive may vary in pattern, coloration, and shape.