Sixline Wrasse Pair 1/6/17
Hope your having a good night Bob.
<Hi Jason... This is Gabe>
I have a few questions for you tonight involving a pair of Sixline
wrasse I have in my 40G breeder tank. When I bought
them they were in the same tank and I watched them for about 20 minutes
and saw zero chasing nor any aggression between them and decided to buy
them hoping they might be a bonded pair.
<Possibly a bonded pair. Did you talk to the people at the LFS? They may
be able to confirm this>
The larger one is about 2 1/2-3 inches and the smaller one about 1 1/2-2
inches and they have been in there together for about 3 weeks. There
still is no aggression nor any chasing and they often swim near each
other.
<Sounds good>
The both eat well and pick thru the live rock. In the tank with them is
a fat 3 inch Singapore Angel that will get moved in the next few
months,
<This angelfish will need to be moved as soon as you can. Singapore
Angels should be in tanks of 120 gallons or larger>
a tuxedo urchin,
<Be aware that Sixlines enjoy picking at Urchins. It is one of their
favorite live foods>
two large peppermint shrimp, some Xenia, some mushrooms, Tongue coral,
and some Duncan's. There is also zero aggression between the wrasses and
the Angel.
<This is good, but the angel will still need to be moved regardless of
how happy it is now.>
Do you think they may be a pair and stay relatively peaceful towards one
another or do you think they will eventually fight with one another?
<I can't honestly say for sure. I have personally kept pairs of Sixlines
in the past but only because I can confirm with the wholesaler that they
are a pair. Only time will tell. If you do notice any aggression at all,
you should move one of them.>
Do you think removing the Angel could change the dynamics between the
wrasses?
<It could, but I don't think it is likely>
After removing the Angel I would like to add something else but don't
want to chance changing the dynamics between the two Sixlines, any
thoughts?
<It is up to you. You can pick and choose specimens that you want, and
experiment with what works and what doesn't>
I have a juvenile red Coris wrasse around 2 1/2 inches
<Not reef safe or invert safe. They will eat your corals and the
peppermint shrimp>
and a 2 1/2 inch Ctenochaetus binotatus in separate quarantine tanks
right now.
<The tang could work with the wrasses>
Do you think the Singapore Angel, juvenile red Coris wrasse, and
Ctenochaetus binotatus would be ok together in a 55G until I set up the
6ft 135G I have in the garage or should I leave in quarantine until the
135G is setup which might take up to 6 months from now?
<I see now... You weren't planning on putting the Coris wrasse in the 40
gallon. My bad. If you think it is going to take you six months to set
up the tank, I would definitely leave the two in quarantine. It would be
better for them both>
Thanks in advance for any and all help and advice. I really appreciate
the hard work you and your team do to keep this website up and running
with the valuable information it contains. Have a great night! Jason
<Thanks for using WetWeb, Jason. Feel free to contact us again if you
have any further questions. Cheers, Gabe>
Re: Sixline Wrasse Pair 1/7/17
Thanks for the reply Gabe!
<My pleasure, Jason>
I really do enjoy reading the website and learning, just ask my wife.
<Haha! I believe you>
You are correct that is was never my intention to put the Red Coris in
the 40 due to their eventual size and the fact they would eat what I
have in the tank.
<Glad to hear it. The Coris would've demolished everything it could>
Based off of your comment about the tang do you think it would be ok in
the 40 at least till I make room in one of my 75g if not long term, I
know 40 is small when it comes to tangs.
<The tang should be in a 75 or larger as you already know. It really
depends on how long it will take to get the 75 gallon ready. How big is
the QT tank that it is currently in?>
I can't really move the Singapore right now as it was originally
intended for the 75g till the 135 could be setup but the Powder Blue
Tang that is in there didn't take too kindly to his presence which isn't
unexpected and I'm not sure the Singapore is big enough at 3 inches for
the 5-6 inch Rhinopias that is in my other 75G.
<You really need to find a tank for the angel. You might have to move
some other things around to find it a home.>
I know some of the animals I have are in too small of a tank but IME
they should be fine in the short term and took advantage of acquiring
healthy individuals.
<It pains me to admit it, but I have kept large fish in small tanks as
well. It really depends on the health of the fish, how happy it is and
how it behaves in the tank. Some species do better than others in
small(er) tanks.>
Thanks again! Jason
<The pleasure is all mine, Jason. Write us any time you need help, and
let me know if you have any further questions. Cheers, Gabe>
