Pregnant Six Line Wrasse

[King Nine]

It appears that my new (week and a half) six line wrasse is pregnant. That, or she is really happy in my tank! Her belly is getting huge. My question is what do I do if she has little six line wrasses? I have three overflows that they could get sucked down and that goes to a filter they would get caught in. In the tank is a Yellow Eye Kole tang, Green Mandarin, 2 convict blennies, cleaner shrimp, coral banded shrimp, umbrella mushrooms, ricordia, frogspawn, xenia, crocea clam.

I've posted this in the newbie catagory as well for help. Thanks!

 

[zoanthid2009]

well you need to get the babies out ASAP so try try try catching the sixline and putting it in a small 10 gal. then when they hatch take the mom out so she doesnt eat the babies. start feeding with cyclopeeze or rotifers then shrimps good luck

 

[FateX8]

not sure how sixline wrasses release eggs but fairy wrasses show a little mating "dance" and they go all over each other and when theyre ready they swim to the surface and both male and female release their stuff
maybe your wrasse is constipated?

 

[King Nine]

bump

 

[aomont]

Hi King Nine,
First, do you have more than one six-line ? Assuming you have and she is not expressing some kind of disease (which indeed she can be !) spawning may happen as for other pelagic spawners. This means they will release eggs and sperm in the water colum and the eggs would float for some hours (more than 13 hours, don´t know the exact time).
They hatch as pro-larvae and are very very small when they start eating. Although they have not ben raised before, their food would be tiny, certainly smaller than rots...

So you would have to shut your pumps off when they do their dance (guess it will be just after ligths are off), collect the eggs and put them in an hatching container. Feeds may be copepod nauplii (just guessing again...) Look at the stick on this forum for articles on how to culture copepods and other live feed.

But be sure she is not diseased first !!!

Anderson.

 

[King Nine]

No, I don't have more than one but it was new to the store I got it from and I've only had it for a week and a half. If they don't have young then it might just be a case of a great day of eating. I did feed them yesterday. What disease would make the belly look "puffy"?

 

[danfrith]

Bloat would cause the stomach to bulge. I don't think that your six line is pregant, and even if it was you do not have a male. Sixline's are known for there huge appetite and even larger stomachs. It sounds like you have a very healthy sixline, just not a pregnant one. Good luck.

 

[King Nine]

Thanks for all the advice! It's stomach looks more like normal tonight so I'm guessing it just had the equivalent of a 24oz T-Bone for dinner.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

I agree, the stomach extension is probably food. It is rare to have a six line breed in captivity, but it is plausible that it could have been gravid. But, the eggs would then be absorbed back into the fish. Six Lines are broadcast spawners, so if it were to release eggs they would be infertile.

 

[stevemc]

Yep, only live bearers carry embryos, such as sharks and seahorses. Most marine fish fertilize the eggs once the eggs are outside the body, either when they are glued on a rock or spread in the water. Most wrasses spread the eggs in the water. Six lines are great eaters and usually will get a big belly from eating all the good food when you first put them in a new tank. And from feeding.

 

[King Nine]

Thanks for all the great info guys. I would have to say it was only hungry now as it looks normal again.

 

[FateX8]

arg BROADCAST SPAWNERS lol i couldnt think of the word for what i was trying to say