Maintenance and care of parrot fish

Perhaps one of the brightest representatives of the cichlid family in aquarium hobby is the parrotfish. This unusual creature is distinguished not only by its unique appearance, but also by its ingenuity. In order for the fish to delight with its beauty as long as possible, it is important to follow all the rules of maintenance and care.

Having seen this interesting fish for the first time, many remember water cartoon characters. This creature does have a "face" with a very cute expression, reminiscent of a cartoon character. This gullible little face is in great harmony with the friendly and shy nature of the fish. The parrot fish also borrowed the level of intelligence from cichlids, but did not inherit an aggressive disposition.

Mostly there are individuals of orange or red color. Gradually, the color fades, but when carotene is added to the aquarium, the scales become colorful again. Occasionally, breeders manage to find albinos with a snow-white or yellowish body.

All other colors known in the aquarium hobby: purple, green, blue and others are the result of chemical staining of fish. Such individuals have a weak immune system, and therefore their life expectancy is markedly reduced. In addition, the artificial color is washed off over time.

There are also spotted varieties, the most famous colors are panda, marble, variegated pearl and diamond.

For two individuals, an aquarium with a volume of 50-70 liters is required. Parrotfish are modest creatures that prefer not to draw attention to themselves, so it is important to plant some plants and equip the container with a grotto, driftwood and other decorations that the fish will use as hiding places. In vegetation, cichlids have no preferences, but more often experts use Anubias, Cryptocorynes, Echinodorus. It is recommended to plant them along the edges and on the back wall, and leave the center for free swimming of the aquarium inhabitants.

Parrots are also unpretentious about decorations, they will be happy even with a ceramic pot, but most of all they will be attracted by the shell of a boiled coconut. As a substrate, aquarists advise buying pebbles without sharp edges so that the corners do not injure the fish. The recommended soil layer is 5 cm. Do not use high-power devices for lighting.

Parrots quickly get used to their territory. Having chosen the most suitable site, for example, a coconut with a hole, the fish will no longer trade their home for another shelter. The pet can even begin to equip itself a home, for example, carry there important, in his opinion, materials found in the aquarium. When keeping fish, one should take into account their "homeness" and try to prepare in advance a convenient place for housing with a hole.

For a comfortable life, these fish need water with a hardness of no more than 10 dGH and an acidity of 6.5 -7.0 pH. Place a heater in the aquarium and keep the temperature at 24-26 degrees. Equip the aquarium with an external or internal filter and remember to clean the unit regularly. The internal filter needs especially frequent cleaning. Also, stock up on aeration systems that will enrich the water in the aquarium with oxygen.

Particular attention should be paid to feeding the parrotfish. The fact is that they have a very unusual body structure, namely a mouth that opens at a low angle, and therefore they sometimes find it difficult to absorb food. These pets are able to eat only food that floats on the surface or begins to sink to the bottom, and it is impossible to pick up a piece of food from the bottom for a fish with such a non-standard jaw.

Due to this it is recommended to feed parrots in doses. Please note that stores offer special granulated feed, which floats on the surface for a long time, and therefore the fish have time to feast on them until the granules sink to the bottom.

In addition to ready-made feeds, live or frozen feeds can be included in the diet. For example, you can offer shrimp or worm meat to your aquarium pets. In order for the pale fish to become bright and colorful again, you can feed it with products with a large amount of carotene.

The parrot fish is a peaceful and benevolent creature that gets along well with many types of fish. These creatures will not fight for territory or take an interest in their neighbors' veil fins. Although among the parrots there are aggressive varieties.These include, for example, the green cone parrot. Also, the manifestation of anger is possible on the part of males during the spawning period.

The most conflict-free union will turn out when fish that love to dig in the ground are hooked up to parrots. Good neighbors can be black knives, catfish, haracin, South American cichlids, barbs, labeo, aravana, congo, white-fronted aperonotus.

Parrots with scalars, who like to spend time in the bushes, will not have the most successful relationships. A parrot fish, in the process of gnawing at thickets, can simply confuse its flat neighbor with a fragment of vegetation and take on its fins.

Like all cichlids, parrotfish form in pairs already in adolescence. Male and female individuals remain faithful to each other until the end. The established pair of fish together equips a place for caviar, cleans the surface of the site, and performs courtship rituals. As is customary with cichlids, the male and female protect the eggs from enemies, during this period the father becomes aggressive, which is generally unusual for parrotfish.

However, all the couple's actions are in vain, since eggs are gradually covered with mold. The problem of reproduction of parrots is that males, due to their hybrid origin, are incapable of fertilization, and the eggs remain empty, you should not expect fry from there.

The only breeding option is crossing a female parrot with a male of one of the alleged parental forms: these are fish such as severum, labiatum, citrinellum. In this case, full-fledged fry may be born, but outwardly they will little resemble parrots. In addition, when selecting parents, the owner will have to separate a couple or even two, and such a union does not always bring results.

Thus, breeding parrot fish at home is almost impossible. Individuals from Asian suppliers are brought to Russian pet shops and the secrets of their breeding have not yet been revealed.

For the peculiarities of breeding parrot fish, see below.