sixline wrasse parasite eater?

[longrider]

i heard that sixline wrasses eats parasites from corals, is that true?

[Aqua-holic]

yes, They are great forgetting rid of flat worms and other coral parasites.

[reefmaximus]

YES I AGREE, AND I BELIEVE THAT A SIXLINE WRASSE IS A VARY USEFUL FISH IN THE REEF AQUARIUM. I HAVE ONE IN MY REEF SYSTEMS, AND NANO REEF TANK.

[naldopr]

Scientific Name: Pseudocheilinus hexataenia
Family: Labridae
Common Names: Sixline Wrasse, 6-Line Wrasse
Description:
The Sixline wrasse is a small, attractive member of the wrasse family. Main part of body is blue with 6 horizontal gold stripes. The head and belly may have a purple hue to it and the base of the tail is green. The eyes have two white horizontal strips through them. The body is robust looking in a healthy specimen

Natural Environment:
Comes from the Indio-Pacific region.

Care:
Reef Suitability: Sixline wrasses are excellent additions to a reef tank. Their small size makes them especially suitable for smaller tanks. They spend the day foraging the life rock looking for food, but never bother corals. They are a shy species and are normally seen constantly darting in and out of the rockwork. They need plenty of hiding places to feel comfortable. They have been reported to eat the parasitic snails (family Pyramidellidae) that sometimes infest clams as well as some nuisance flatworms. Large specimens have been reported to eat ornamental shrimps. I have never witnessed any such behavior in my own tanks.

Disposition: Very non-aggressive to larger fish. May occasionally bully and chase smaller fish, especially other wrasses, but usually results in nothing serious. Several may be kept in a tank if adequate space is provided.

Feeding: Will constantly feed off the live rock during the day. Also takes most small meaty foods such as brine shrimp, mysid shrimp, bloodworms and meaty frozen food preparations.

Hardiness: Very hardy once acclimated.

Temperature: Does well within a normal reef tank temperature ranges of at least 76-84°F.

Size: Can get up to about 3" in length.

Breeding: Not currently breed in captivity.

[DJChesnutRabbit]

Try a Melanurus Wrasse. Way better looking and a little less common IMO.

Here's mine when I first got it,

[hotwriter]

Thanks for sharing this information, nice picture too!