Six-Line Wrasse Starter Care Guide
A practical introduction to six-line wrasse care, including health risks, water quality, tank setup, food and behaviour.
Use this guide to notice and organize information. Contact a qualified veterinarian for medical concerns or urgent change.
About the Six-Line Wrasse
Six-line wrasses are small, fast marine fish that weave through rockwork looking for tiny prey. Their compact size can be misleading because adults may become very territorial.
Captive-bred six-line wrasses are available in some markets. Ask about origin and choose an alert fish that is already taking prepared food.
Health risks to know about
Important concerns include jumping injuries, ammonia or nitrite poisoning, marine parasites, bacterial disease, poor body condition and injuries caused by aggression.
Rapid breathing, repeated scratching, white spots, a hollow belly, damaged fins or another fish being relentlessly chased needs prompt action.
Tank, water and equipment
Use a mature, fully cycled marine aquarium with complex rockwork, narrow retreats, open feeding space, good flow and a tightly sealed lid.
Measure salinity with a calibrated refractometer. A specific gravity around 1.020 to 1.025 is a common starting range, with stable temperature and zero ammonia and nitrite.
Food and feeding
Offer a complete small marine carnivore food with suitable frozen marine foods for variety.
Do not rely on the wrasse to live on aquarium pests, and make sure shy fish still receive food.
Behaviour, tank mates and enrichment
Constant rockwork patrols and sleeping in a crevice can be normal. Aggression may increase with age or after the wrasse becomes established.
Six-line wrasses are generally coral safe, but they may eat very small ornamental crustaceans and can bully peaceful reef fish.
When to contact an aquatic veterinarian
Get help for gasping, collapse, severe wounds, major swelling, inability to stay upright, rapid unexplained deaths or a problem that continues after water parameters are corrected.
Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, temperature and salinity whenever behaviour changes. Water quality is part of the medical history, so record results before contacting an aquatic veterinarian.
Read the supporting material
These sources stay with their original publishers. WiseTails links to them and provides its own summary; it does not republish their text or images.
Supports the species-specific care summary for Six-Line Wrasse.
Original source ↗02professional org · Ornamental Aquatic Trade AssociationHow to Test for Water Quality in a Marine Tank / AquariumSupports the aquarium cycling and water-quality context used in this guide.
Original source ↗