Bright orange blood parrot fish

75G tank with 8 Orange parrot fish - 4-6 inches. Beautiful and peaceful community fish.

As a cichlid with aggressive parents, they would not be considered a community fish. However with their shy peaceful nature they can be kept in aquariums with other fair sized fish. If kept with other cichlids, make sure their tank mates are not overly aggressive. They can be kept with , peaceful such as , Corydoras and Glass Catfish, , livebearers like , and such as Tetras,and . This being said some of these fish develop a mean streak so keep a close eye on them if kept in a community tank.

As an ethically-minded pet owner, I do my very best to avoid species that have been mutilated, dyed or surgically altered. Please, please, please, if you see a blood parrot that is anything but a natural looking orange colour (or a dark striped colour if juvenile), avoid buying it. These artificially-tinted fish have been painfully stripped of their slime coating and dipped in coloured dye to give them their funky appearance. Even worse are the “tattooed” variety that display hearts and flowers and other such patterns on their sides. Chances are that these colours will eventually fade to the natural bright orange, so their purchase is not only unethical, but a waste of money over their unaltered counterparts, as their appearance is not permanent!

Singing Orange Parrot fish - super HD Image of a beautiful aquarium decorative orange parrot fish

Parrotfish are technically considered herbivores, however they eat a wide variety of organisms in the coral reef. Some species make coral polyps a regular part of their diet. They use their “beaks” to collect algae and polyps from the coral and rock surfaces. Parrotfish are very active during the day and stay in the shallower waters of the bay. At night they rest in crevices and some varieties excrete a thick coat of mucus to protect them. If you are snorkeling in the early morning hours or toward dusk you may see some of this mucus in the crevices of rocks and coral formation. When choosing Blood Red Parrot fish you will notice that the baby Parrots are very dark with stripes. As they start to grow they change color quickly from dark to a mottled black and orange to a true solid Orange. This happens very quickly within the first four months. Spectacled parrotfish have a blunt head and a broadly rounded body. Females (uhu ‘ahu ‘ula) are purplish brown with a red rail. The males (uhu uliuli) are blue with a purple overlay in the scale margins. There is also a yellow mark on the pectoral fin bases. Both genders have saddle-like bars just ahead of their eyes. Yellowbar parrotfish are primarily blue with a bright yellow or white stripe just behind each pectoral fin. The males show yellow stripes and the females show white stripes. They also have pinkish-red markings on their bottom jaw. Regal parrotfish (lauia) are seen less frequently. The females are pale to red with light stripes on the belly. The males are salmon pink to orange with turquoise markings.