Parrot fish belong to the family of cichlids, a group of perch-like, they come from West Africa, where they live in forest ponds. The fish got such a strange name because of its colorful coloring and peculiarly curved head, which vaguely resembles the head of a parrot. Many people in our country prefer to keep hybrids obtained by artificial crossing of three species in aquariums.
Aquarium parrot fish are very popular with aquarists from all over the world, but no matter how hard they try to get offspring, breeders from Southeast Asia keep the conditions for successful breeding in the strictest confidence, putting these beautiful fish in pet stores. Their anatomical feature in the form of a non-standard head very often prevents marine inhabitants from eating normally. The mouth opens at a small angle and only vertically, so the fish cannot normally absorb food.
Parrot fish need a spacious aquarium because they are very playful and mobile. Their house should be at least 200 liters and 0.7 m long. To simulate the flow, a pump should be installed. Since the fish came from warm countries, the water temperature should be at the level of 24 - 28 ° . Fine and medium pebbles are used as soil;
water hardness should be in the range of 6.5 - 7.5 pH. High-quality aeration affects the health and life expectancy of aquarium fish, so you need to worry about the constant saturation of water with oxygen.
Parrot fish are very sensitive to water quality, so you need to replace about 30% weekly. This species has the habit of bouncing a little, so if the aquarium is too small, then it must be covered with a lid. At the bottom, you should definitely put driftwood and build caves where the fish can hide during spawning. Due to its complaisant and peaceful nature, the parrot fish gets along well with almost all predators and "calm" representatives of similar sizes. Aquarium life implies the presence of several species in one house, and in order to avoid unpleasant situations, it is better not to hook too small fish, because parrots can accidentally swallow them. This species behaves in a friendly manner, only during spawning males are very irritable, therefore it is better for them to live side by side with fish swimming in the upper layers of water. Ideal compatibility is observed with catfish, barbs, cockroaches, arovans.
Aquarium parrot fish is unpretentious to feed, so you can give both live and dry food. Over the years, the color of the scales can change and fade, so that this does not happen, it is necessary to give only high-quality food suitable specifically for this type of fish - it should contain carotene. Fish should never be overeating, so watch out for their meals! If some changes are noticed in the behavior of the parrot, it becomes lethargic, swims close to the bottom, then it must be deposited separately from other aquarium inhabitants. In the sedimentator, you need to add daily half a tablet of metronidazole and 0.5 g of kanamycin. In a week, the fish will recover. Good care and quality food will allow you to enjoy the look of these funny fish for more than one year.