Common name: Eightline Wrasse
Scientific name: Pseudocheilinus octotaenia
Max size: 5.5 in / 14 cm
pH: 8.1-8.4
Salinity: 1.020-1.025
Temperature: 72-78ºF (22-26°C)

The Eightline wrasse is a stunning fish that due to its size can be a great centrepiece in the aquarium. The coloration can vary from fish to fish. The body is purple but the anterior can range from yellowish to reddish and pinkish. It has eight horizontal lines on the body, hence the common name Eightline wrasse.

The Eightline wrasse is readily available in the trade and if your local store doesn´t have one you can order one online. Unlike many other line wrasses, this one ships well and is normally covered by shipping guarantees.

The Eightline wrasse is a hardy fish that is easy to care for and it can be recommended to beginners who want to start keeping marine fish.

The Eightline wrasse is best kept as a solitary fish without any other members of its own species in the tank. If you have a large aquarium it might be possible to keep a pair or a group provided that all fish are added to the tank at the same time. This is probably one of the most aggressive wrasse species in the market today. It is best kept with larger semi-aggressive fishes such as angels and puffers. Do not keep other wrasses in the same tank.

The Eightline wrasse is suitable for a reef setup but is not completely reef safe. They will eat invertebrates that are small enough to be considered food, such as small ornamental shrimps and snails. They will also eat possibly problematic organisms like pyramidellid snails, commensal flatworms, and bristleworms, and can therefore help the reef keeper a lot.

You should allow your Eightline wrasse 4 hours to acclimatize to their new tank before releasing them. The fish will be very shy the first few days and you might not even see it. After that it will become more and more active as it feels more and more at home in the tank.

The Eightline wrasse originates from the Indo Pacific Ocean and can be found from the east coast of Africa to the Hawaiian and Ducie islands. It can be encountered as far north as Japan and as far south as Australia.

Eightline Wrasse care and aquarium setup:

The Eightline wrasse is a bit larger than the other common line wrasses and will therefore need a somewhat larger aquarium than the other species. This species should not be kept in aquarium smaller than 30 gallon / 120 L.

It is important to decorate the aquarium so that an environment where the Eightline wrasse feels at home is created. If the environment doesn't feel safe, the wrasse will become shy and spend most of its time hiding or buried in the sand. The bottom of the aquarium should be covered with 3-4 in / 7.5 -10 cm sand.  The thick layer of sand is required as the Eightline wrasse likes to bury itself in the sand bed to escape predators and to sleep. The aquarium should be decorated with live rock in such a way that a lot of caves and other hiding places are created. It is good if the live rocks are placed so that a few shaded places are created in the aquarium.

The Eightline wrasse is (like most other wrasses) an excellent jumper and it is important to cover the tank well so that it doesn't jump out.

This species is best kept in a reef aquarium but can also be kept in a "FOWLR" aquarium. The Eightline wrasse prefers and aquarium that is well lit. Keep the aquarium well filtrated and well circulated to ensure high and stable water quality.

Ideal conditions for the Eightline wrasse is pH 8.1-8.4, salinity 1.020-1.025, and temperature 72-78ºF (22-26°C).

Feeding Eightline Wrasse

In the wild, the Eightline wrasse mainly feeds on micro invertebrates that it finds among the corals where it lives. In an aquarium, it accepts most foods it is given which makes feeding it a simple task. Make sure it gets enough food. Feed your Eightline wrasses a varied diet; it can for instance be based around flake food but should contain other things like frozen food and chopped up sea food as well. Feed them 2-4 times a day.

Breeding Eightline Wrasse

We have no information on how to breed the Eightline wrasse in aquariums. Sexing the Eightline wrasse is possible as adult males are more colorful than females and juveniles. Males are also usually larger than females.

Wrasse Articles:

Bird Wrasse – Gomphosus varius
Dragon Wrasse  - Novaculichthys taeniourus
Harliquin Tuskfish – Coerodon fasciatus
Hogfish - Information about Hogfish
Neon Wrasse – Halichoeres melanurus
Ornate Wrasse – Halichoeres ornatissimus
Queen Coris – Coris frerei
Radient Wrasse – Halichoeres iridis
Spanish Hogfish – Bodianus rufus
Striated Wrasse – Pseudocheilinus evanidus
Yellow Coris – Halichoeres chrysus

Line Wrasses:
Fourline Wrasse – Pseudocheilinus tetrataenia
Sixline Wrasse – Pseudocheilinus hexataenia

Fairy Wrasses:
Exquisite Fairy Wrasse – Cirrhilabrus exquisitus
Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse – Cirrhilabrus lubbocki
Scott's Fairy Wrasse – Cirrhilabrus scottorum
Solar Fairy Wrasse – Cirrhilabrus solorensis

Flasher Wrasses:
Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse – Paracheilinus carpenteri
Dot-and-Dash Flasher Wrasse – Paracheilinus lineopunctatus
Filamented Flasher Wrasse – Paracheilinus filamentosus
McCosker's Flasher Wrasse – Paracheilinus mccoskeri