The popularity of keeping six line wrasse is slowly increasing but due to being such a unique species of fish to keep with a strange personality, we often see people asking questions about the six line wrasse that they have in their tank.
One of the more common questions that we have seen people asking is about their six line wrasse hiding in their aquarium with many people thinking that their fish has just disappeared.
Six line wrasse are a shy fish that like to hide when they feel uncomfortable or threatened.
This is often what causes people to think that their six line wrasse has disappeared as they will usually only come out of hiding when they feel safe and comfortable in their environment or when its feeding time with this being very common.
Even if your tank conditions are perfect, it is still highly likely that your six line wrasse will end up hiding in its tank as they are so shy.
If you do notice that your pet six line wrasse is hiding, don’t take it personally and it is definitely not a sign that you are a bad fish keeper or that there is any serious issues with your fish.
Is It Normal For A Six Line Wrasse To Hide?
It is totally normal for six line wrasse to hide in their aquariums with wild six line wrasse commonly hiding for hours at a time and in some cases days.
When kept in captivity, this behavior tends to stick and your six line wrasse may hide for days only to show up when it gets hungry again.
Some people new to keeping six line wrasse can be surprised at just how good the species it at hiding due to adults usually being around the four inch mark.
Even with their length, they are easily able to find small spaces in your aquarium to hide away in until they feel comfortable to come out again.
While six line wrasse do like to hide, there may be some underlying reasons why your six line wrasse is hiding more than usual.
If this is the case, then it would be a good idea to investigate what could be causing this as it may be something that you can fix which will make your six line wrasse much happier.
Why Is My Six Line Wrasse Hiding?
Reasons six line wrasse hide can vary from fish to fish but there are some general reasons why they may be doing so.
These include having a new tank mate, your six line wrasse being new to its aquarium, and aggression from its tank mates but it is normal for six line wrasse to hide for hours at a time in most setups.
If the water quality in your aquarium is low, it can stress your six line wrasse out and cause it to hide. This is why six line wrasse should always be kept in an aquarium with excellent water quality as they are very sensitive to changes and will not do well in subpar conditions for long.
If the aquarium is overstocked or close to its maximum stocking capacity then your six line wrasse may be hiding to avoid aggression from its tank mates.
This is one of the more common reasons why six line wrasse hide and is something that can be easily fixed by removing some fish from the aquarium or increasing the size of the aquarium.
How Long Will My Six Line Wrasse Hide For?
The amount of time six line wrasse hide can again vary from fish to fish but in most cases, they will only hide for a few hours at a time.
If your six line wrasse is hiding for longer than this then it may be a sign that there is something wrong with its environment or tank mates and you should investigate what could be.
If there is a serious issue in your aquarium then your six line wrasse may end up hiding for days at a time but this is rare and usually only happens if the six line wrasse is very stressed or there is something seriously wrong with its environment.
If your six line wrasse is used to being kept in an understocked tank and then suddenly gets a large number of tank mates then it may hide for days at a time until it gets used to its new tank mates.
Although this may seem like a long time, it is normal and usually nothing to worry about and your six line wrasse will usually come out of hiding when it is ready and go back to its normal behavior.
How To Stop Your Six Line Wrasse From Hiding!
There are a few things that you can do to stop your six line wrasse from hiding but it is important to remember that this is a normal behavior for the species and they will usually only hide for short periods of time.
One of the best things that you can do is to make sure that the water quality in your aquarium is excellent as six line wrasse are very sensitive to changes in water quality and will often hide if the conditions are not ideal.
You should also make sure that your six line wrasse has plenty of hiding spots in its aquarium as this will give it somewhere to go if it feels stressed or wants to feel safe.
Six line wrasse usually like to hide in small spaces so try to provide plenty of rockwork or live plants for it to hide in but decorations and driftwood can work well too.
If your aquarium has no hiding spots in it for your six line wrasse to go then it may become stressed and acting strange.
We would always recommend that you do your best to make sure that your six line wrasse is in an aquarium tank that has at least four decent hiding spots but a heavily planted tank can be a great option as it offers a bunch of places to hide.
Do Six Line Wrasse Hide In The Sand Or Substrate?
It is not uncommon for six line wrasse to bury themselves in the sand or substrate when they are feeling stressed but this is usually only a temporary measure and they will come out of hiding when they feel better.
If your six line wrasse is hiding in the substrate on a regular basis then it can be a good idea to add alternative suitable hiding spots to the tank.
As we mentioned above, six line wrasse usually like to hide in small spaces so anything that provides this such as caves, rockwork or driftwood can be a good option.
You should also make sure that the substrate in your aquarium is not too deep as six line wrasse are not very good swimmers and they may struggle if it is
