Parrot fish belong to the family of cichlids, a group of perciforms, they come from West Africa, where they live in forest reservoirs. Such a strange name the fish got because of its colorful coloring and peculiarly curved head, which resembles the head of the parrot remotely. At us many prefer to keep in aquariums the hybrids received by artificial crossing of three kinds.
Aquarium fish parrots are very popular among aquarists all over the world, but no matter how they try to get offspring, it did not work, so breeders from Southeast Asia keep the terms of successful breeding in strictest confidence, supplying these beautiful fish to the pet stores. Their anatomical feature in the form of a non-standard head very often prevents sea inhabitants from eating normally. The mouth opens at a small angle and only vertically, so the fish can not normally absorb food.
Parrot fish need a spacious aquarium, because they are very playful and mobile. Their house must be a volume of at least 200 liters and a length of 0.7 m. To simulate the flow, you need to install a pump. Since the fish came from warm countries, the water temperature should be at the level of 24-28 ° С. As a primer, small and medium pebbles are used, the hardness of water should be between 6.5 and 7.5 pH. Qualitative 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, therefore it is necessary to replace about 30% weekly. This species has a habit of bouncing a little, so if the aquarium is too shallow, then it must be covered with a lid. At the bottom it is necessary to put snags and build caves, where the fish can hide during spawning. Due to its complaisant and peaceful nature, the parrot fish normally gets along with almost all predators and "quiet" representatives of similar sizes. Aquarium life assumes the presence of several species in one house, and in order to avoid unpleasant situations it is better not to add too small fishes, because parrots accidentally swallow them. This species behaves in a friendly manner, only during the spawning period, males are very irritable, so they should be better off with fish swimming in the upper layers of the water. Ideal compatibility is observed with catfish, barbs, tarakatums, arovan.
Fish parrot aquarium is unpretentious to the stern, so you can give both live and dry food. Over the years, the color of the scales can change and become dull so that this does not happen, it is necessary to give only a high-quality food suitable for this type of fish - it should contain carotene. Fish should not be overeaten, so watch their food! If any changes are noticed in the behavior of the parrot, it has become sluggish, floating close to the bottom, then it must be planted separately from other inhabitants of the aquarium. In the rinder it is necessary to add daily half a tablet of metronidazole and 0.5 g of kanamycin. Within a week the fish will recover. Good care and quality food will allow enjoying the sight of these funny fish for more than one year.