The Six Line Wrasse is a beautiful, vibrant, and exciting marine fish to have in any saltwater aquarium.
Unfortunately, they have a dark side. Whilst they are fantastic for cleaning out your aquarium from dangerous bacteria and harmful hitchhikers, they can be very aggressive towards other fish, especially other Wrasses.
This is why finding compatible tank mates for your Six Line is of the utmost importance. The last thing you want is a community of beautiful, yet incredibly stressed-out saltwater fish.
Despite the bad rap, Six Line Wrasses can thrive within communities due to them being such active fish. They have a lot of energy and love exploring open spaces. Unfortunately, due to their aggressiveness, you shouldn't keep them with small fish as it could end up getting pretty messy.
You hear of mixed stories when it comes to these six line wrasses, some people have incredibly pleasant experiences with them living amongst almost any other type of fish, and then you get the horror stories of them completely terrorizing communities. To be honest, it may just be down to pot luck whether or not you have a nice or anti-social wrasse.
Top Six Line Wrasse Tank Mates
Let's take a look at our list of the top Six Line Wrasse tank mates. Before we do so, if you want to add fish that have not been mentioned on this list, the key thing to look out for is fish that are similar in size or bigger and also peaceful by nature, leaving your Wrasse alone.
As mentioned previously, Six Line Wrasses do not play well with other Wrasses. So, if you already have a tank with the following, or perhaps are considering adding the following Wrasses to your Six Line tank, think again:
- Yellow coris wrasse
- Fairy wrasse
- Melanurus wrasse
- Leopard wrasse
- Cleaner wrasse
1. Tomato Clownfish
Tomato Clownfish are a fantastic addition to the clownfish family, boasting a more dark-red complexion, with a singular thick white stripe running across their head. They are undoubtedly the most hardy fish out of the Clownfish family, and one of the biggest, meaning they can handle the sometimes pesty nature of Six Line Wrasses and won't give it much thought. As a general rule, Six Line Wrasse and Clownfish as species will typically get along well.
Tomato Clownfish Key Information
- Peaceful nature
- Will grow to 5.5 inches (14 cm) in length
- The water temperature must be between 72° to 82° F (22 - 27° C)
- 7.8 to 8.4. pH level is required
- 30 gallons (114 Litre) or larger tank size
2. Powder Brown Tang
The Powder Brown Tang is an awesome-looking fish species, they sport brown bodies with a white mark on their cheeks between the mouth and eyes. The pectoral, anal, and dorsal fins are dark brown with light blue, almost neon-looking highlights at the tip. They are hardy fish and also full of personality, making for good line wrasse tank mates.
Powder Brown Tang Key Information
- Peaceful nature
- Will grow to 6.7 inches (17 cm) in length
- The water temperature must be between 72° to 78° F (22 - 25° C)
- 8.1. to 8.4. pH level is required
- 100 gallons (378 Litre) or larger tank size
3. Maroon Clownfish
Another Clownfish to enter the list! This really does show that Clownfish are extremely compatible fish, making for great tank mates, but what are the best Clownfish tank mates? Maroon Clownfish are, you might have guessed, maroon in color with typical clownfish stripes covering their bodies. They are pretty large in size and are also extremely hardy, just like their tomato counterparts. Their peaceful and tolerant nature makes them the perfect Six Line tank mate.
Maroon Clownfish Key Information
- Peaceful nature
- Will grow to 6.3 inches (16 cm) in length
- The water temperature must be between 75° to 82° F (25 - 27° C)
- 7.8 to 8.4. pH level is required
- 55 gallons (208 Litre) or larger tank size
4. Copperband Butterfly
Copperband Butterflyfish is without a doubt the most unique-looking fish to enter the list. They have flat but big silver bodies that are covered in yellow, almost copper-looking stripes and they sport a long beak. These beauties will keep themselves to themselves, peacefully swimming around in the hunt for small invertebrates.
Copperband Butterfly Key Information
- Peaceful nature
- Will grow to 8 inches (20 cm) in length
- The water temperature must be between 75° to 84° F (25 - 29° C)
- 8.1 to 8.4. pH level is required
- 75 gallons (283 Litre) or larger tank size
5. Clown Triggerfish
These are one of my favorite saltwater fish species due to their intriguing nature and incredibly unique pattern and coloration. They spend a lot of time sifting through the sandy substrates, or cruising around their aquarium.
Being triggerfish, they can be aggressive toward other fish due to their predatory nature, but keeping one with a six line wrasse will keep both fish in line. The only real issue with clown triggerfish is that they are not compatible with reef aquariums, they tend to pick up rocks and coral and rearrange things pretty regularly, which can be incredibly stressful for the reef compatible fish.
Clown Triggerfish Key Information
- Semi aggressive/aggressive
- Will grow up to 19 inches (50 cm) in length
- The water temperature must be between 76°F - 82°F (24°C - 28°C)
- 8.1 to 8.4. pH level is required
- 120 gallons (545 Litre) or larger tank size
6. Yellow Tang
Another brilliant tank mate for your six line wrasse would be the yellow tang - a personal favorite of mine. They are gorgeous to look at, showcasing an unusual yet endearing body shape and mouth, and a stunning bright yellow coloration.
Yellow tangs are as peaceful as it gets, and also active swimmers, they are truly a model citizen and will not allow a six line wrasse to bully them. You should check out our yellow tang care guide if you are interested in keeping one regardless of whether that is with a six line wrasse or not.
Yellow Tang Key Information
- Peaceful nature
- Will grow up to 8 inches (20 cm) in length
- The water temperature must be between 72°F - 82°F (22°C - 28°C)
- 8.1 to 8.4. pH level is required
- 55 gallons (208 Litres) or larger tank size
Final Thoughts
Whilst it is still a gamble due to their unpredictable nature, these Six Line tank mates will be the perfect fit 97% of the time. Not only are they brilliant choices due to their size and peaceful nature, but they possess some of the most beautiful and bright colorations to complement your saltwater aquarium extremely well.
