Pseudocheilinus
From Microcosm Aquarium Explorer
Pseudocheilinus hexataenia, the Sixline Wrasse. Scott W. Michael
Family: Labridae
Species in Genus Pseudocheilinus:
- Eightline Wrasse
- Fourline Wrasse
- Sixline Wrasse
- Whitebarred Wrasse
LINED WRASSES
These relatively diminutive fishes are undeniably appealing and are, in fact, excellent reef fishes and a minimal threat to all but the smallest mollusks or crustaceans.
Because of their reclusive dispositions, they actually do best in a reef aquascape. In the wild and in the aquarium, they sneak among coral branches or between reef nooks and crannies. They will need to be provided with plenty of holes and crevices in which to hide. Larger species may thin out stocks of small shrimps and crabs. They will occasionally leap out of an open reef aquarium when the lights are extinguished or when they are harassed by other fishes.
One advantage to housing these fishes with tridacnid clams is that they can help control populations of parasitic pyramidellid snails and may also eat noxious flatworms. Some can be quite aggressive to tankmates once they have become established, so if you plan a more passive fish community, add the Pseudocheilinus species last, and only if the reef tank is large.
| Family | Labridae + |
| Image credit | SWM + |
| Reference | A PocketExpert Guide to Reef Aquarium Fishes + |
| Text credit | SWM + |