Six Line Wrasse

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. We enrich all our frozen food with garlic and vitamins. These are great for keeping fish healthy by providing them with the nutrition otherwise lost in frozen food. In doing so, these additives support their immune system and increase longevity. 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, before being offered for sale. Receiving Six Line Wrasse via specialist licensed livestock courier. When it comes to showing distress, some fish don’t let on, while others wear their heart on their sleeves. The Six Line Wrasse, is one of those more dramatic fish. Here at the Abyss, we pride ourselves on our reputation for providing healthy livestock, that are well accustomed to life in the home aquarium. We have a very rigorous process for preparing our livestock for sale and a thorough packing process to help ensure our customers receive fish to be proud of. When it comes to shipping out, no expense is spared to ensure the safety and comfort of our stock while they are on the way to you. Even so, It is important to remember that, being brought home the same day from your local fish store, is a very different experience from being sealed in complete and true darkness, then travelling overnight. For example, the simple action of lifting your new pet into a lit environment, from the pitch black can be a shock to them. Remember, they don’t have eye lids to shield themselves. As a result, it is entirely likely you may see some species demonstrate odd behaviour or strange patterns. These are all natural behaviours for this Wrasse. Either by being basic responses (ie, breathing faster due to increased heart rate), or an adaptation to help aid survival in the wild (ie, colour change to help camouflage or even staying completely motionless and limp, allowing the currents to sweep them away like debris. Hiding in plain sight strategy). There are some people that may find this alarming. Especially if new to receiving fish via a specialized licensed courier service, or are new to Wrasse, so below are somethings you may encounter on delivery. If you see your Six Line Wrasse: Heavy breathing, Irregular breathing Lying on its side, or bottom of the bag, motionless or limp, Keeling over as the bag is adjusted, (making no effort to self support in an attempt to go undetected) Lying on the side with tail or body curled, Displaying darker colours, Displaying a mottled, or striped pattern, Do not panic! Follow the instructions in the guarantee provided. Get in touch if you are concerned. Upon release, your Wrasse will most likely want to hide or at least stay inconspicuous by remaining motionless. Hiding is generally either by burying themselves or finding a nice cosy corner to hole up in. It is very normal for a newly introduced Six Line Wrasse to tuck itself away and not be seen for a few days. Allowing your new fish to settle in at their own pace is very important. If you give your Wrasse the space it needs to settle in and adjust, It will be back to its normal self soon.