The red parrot is an aquarium fish with a striking appearance and funny habits. It is a hybrid of several representatives of cichlase. An animal that is quickly loved by aquarists differs from its exotic relatives not only in acceptable cost, but also in a number of other advantages that you will learn about by reading this article.
Appearance story
In 1991, after many years of unsuccessful experiments, Taiwanese breeders managed to breed the offspring of the species Cichlasoma erythraeum, Cichlasoma citrinellum, Cichlasoma severum or Cichlasoma synspilum. It is not surprising that the creators carefully hide the exact information, calling it a trade secret.
Hybrid origin affected some vital aspects of the animal. For example, fish have a violation of the regulation of the formation of internal organs. A mouth that opens vertically and at a slight angle, and a too curved lower lip impede the process of eating, which from time to time leads to starvation of pets. Many representatives of hybrid parrots have a clear separation of the body from the head in the form of a hump on the dorsal side.
Appearance
An artificially bred fish has all the colors of the rainbow. Most often, juicy orange and red items are sold in pet stores. They also come in a cream shade. South Asian breeders claim that the fry have a gray-black color, which for five months is replaced by bright colors. The body length, as a rule, does not exceed 25 cm and depends on the size of the aquarium. There are also individuals dyed in several colors at once like natural cichlids.
The older the aquarium parrot fish becomes, the photos of which are presented in the review, the duller its scales become. In order to slow down the process of fading, breeders recommend feeding your pet a special food with a lot of carotene. Also the culprit of dull colors may be bright lighting in a room with an aquarium. It is advisable to purchase a light bulb with a power of 0.3-0.5 watts. There are about a dozen subspecies of parrot fish, which differ from each other in the shape of the fins and the color of the scales.
Sexual dimorphism in artificially obtained organisms is weakly expressed. You can identify an aquarium parrot fish as a female only after waiting for the spawning period and the appearance of an external organ called an ovipositor (short and wide tube). The males, in turn, are endowed with a narrow and sharp vas deferens.
Lifestyle
Despite the above anatomical deviations, in the hands of a sensitive and attentive owner, an aquarium parrot fish will become a unique treasure. Caring gives her immeasurable energy and lasting health. In decent conditions, a unique creature lives about 10 years or longer.
Aquarium parrots have a playful and cheerful disposition. Fish happily react to the hand stuck in the water, which wants to stroke them. They are able to recognize the one who gives them food, and at the sight of their master begin to spin in the aquarium closer to the person.
Breeding
Aquarium parrot fish in most cases are sterile, like other interspecific hybrids. However, there is evidence of successful fertilization of eggs by a male Akara and crossing of a female with Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum. Fish spawn only if they are in good conditions.
The behavior of females and males is characterized by a sense of affection, due to which they form permanent pairs. Craving for mating games and breeding is manifested at increased water temperatures (slightly above 25 ° C). The process begins with the fact that red parrots intensively build nests by digging deep holes.
Aquarium preparation
A moving fish needs a wide space, where it could easily swim. The tank must hold a minimum of 200 liters of fluid. In the tank, the presence of a stream is desirable (it is created using a special pump), because cichlids live in running water.
Keeping an aquarium parrot fish is impossible without a compressor or other device that can fully provide oxygen to the animal. Maintained water temperature should be 22-25 ° C with a pH hardness of 6.5-7.5. The fish owner is required to change approximately 50% of the fluid once a week. Water must be fresh. Floating parrots can easily jump out of aquariums of any size, so it’s advisable to cover the container with a glass lid.
The presence or absence of fish plants can be said to be indifferent. Representatives of this species love to build nests. As a building material, they will primarily use decorative flora. The aquarium should be equipped with a sufficient amount of soil in which the pet can dig holes of various depths, thereby significantly changing the terrain. The soil should be chosen in a dark shade, since such a background will once again emphasize the unique look of the animal. The fish dwelling can be equipped using stones, non-sharp driftwood and various shelters. Nevertheless, many aquarists share their successful experience in maintaining representatives of cichlids with some plants, including echinodorus, anubias and cryptocoryne.
Care and maintenance
Aquarium parrot fish cannot be called gourmets, because a colorful pet can eat both live and dry species of food. Nevertheless, the main delicacies are floating granules and bloodworms. The specialized healthy food Red Parrot (manufactured by Tetra) was created taking into account the anatomical personality of the aquarium parrot fish (primarily for the oral cavity). This food also contains carotenoids that can preserve the color of the animal.
A balanced and varied diet is the key to a long and happy existence of fish. Some individuals have gastronomic preferences. For example, one red parrot needs plant food, and the other needs protein.
It is not necessary to purchase weighted feed. Before buying, you need to make sure its freshness and shelf life. Caring aquarists prepare home-made feeds (mixes, minced meat, etc.) for their pets. Specialized sources contain many useful and varied recipes.
The most common diseases of cichlids
Aquarium parrot fish have a stable immunity, however, if an infection has occurred, it is quite difficult to diagnose and treat. The reason for the appearance of dark spots in most cases is due to the low quality of the water (exceeding the norm of nitrate content) or the stress state that occurs due to the lack of shelters. Replacing the fluid with the above points will gradually fix the problem.
The appearance of white grains that visually resemble semolina is a sign of ichthyophthyroidism. In the fight against this disease, Sera costapur has established itself as the most effective medicine. To start therapy, you need to change 1/3 of the water, siphon the soil and clean the filter. Since Sera costapur tends to decompose in the light, it is necessary to pour it into aquarium water at night. The amount of medicine depends on the capacity displacement. The agent must be infused daily, after changing 30% of the water, until the traces of ichthyophthyroidism completely disappear. On average, treatment lasts no more than a week. At this time, the amount of food consumed is slightly cut.
If the aquarium parrot fish has neighbors, treatment is carried out in half doses. This is especially true for parsing, platydoras, cardinals, tetras and others. In this case, the duration of treatment increases to two weeks.
Diseases affecting the digestive organs are effectively eliminated by metronidazole. When the swimming bladder is disturbed, the fish turns upside down. The cause of the disease is most often malnutrition. Usually the problem is eliminated if for some time the red parrots are given peeled peas. Other less common parasites include skin flukes, worms, and bacterial and fungal infections.
Aquarium neighbors
This species is gifted with peace, so it can get along with the same non-conflict brothers. However, it is not recommended for parrots to plant individuals less than 5 cm (for example, gracilis, neon), which they can simply swallow, taking it for food. The excellent compatibility of aquarium parrot fish is observed with:
- large barbs;
- Labeau
- arovans;
- black knives;
- medium and large catfish (Siamese algae eater, Antsistrus, thoracicum);
- South American cichlids;
- representatives of the haracin family.
Ocean parrot fish
Bright representatives of this family live in areas with coral reefs and almost never leave their borders. The length of some individuals exceeds one meter. The body of large parrot fish is able to surprise with its bright and extremely colorful scales.
Their name justifies not only the color, but also the structure of the so-called beak. A large number of teeth are densely located on the outside of the jaw. Since parrot fish feed not only on mollusks, but also on coral polyps, this structure of the oral cavity allows them to scrape off algae even from the surface of the stone. In the tropical zone of the Indian and Pacific Oceans are one of the most common animal species.