CATDOLL : CATDOLL: What to pay attention to when raising parrot fish

1. Parrot fish likes soft water with weak acidity and low hardness. Since blood parrots are born with lips that cannot close, they have poor control over water flow, and the water flow through their gills is small. Their ability to exchange oxygen between water flow and gills is much worse than that of their fathers, mothers and other fish. Therefore, the water for raising blood parrots must have sufficient oxygen.

2. Parrot fish are more adaptable to temperature.

Blood parrots are strong and can live freely in water temperatures of 20℃ to 30℃. However, blood parrots are very sensitive to temperature. They are prone to stress reactions in low water temperatures and large changes in water temperature, which can cause their body color to become dull and lose its bright luster, and even cause black stripes or spots. During the breeding process, it is best to keep the water temperature within the range of 25℃ to 28℃, and the temperature difference before and after each water change should not exceed 0.5℃.

3. Parrot fish have a miscellaneous diet, they eat almost everything, such as artificial bait, flakes, pellets, bloodworms, brine shrimp, water lice, etc., and they are quite greedy. Therefore, it is easy to keep blood parrots alive, but it is not easy to raise blood parrots with strong physique and bright body color. You should feed them with bait regularly and quantitatively every day, reasonably match the nutrition of the bait, and regularly feed them with fresh shrimps and small fish. It is best to choose artificial bait specially formulated for blood parrots. This kind of feed with added astaxanthin and D-carotene is not only convenient to feed directly, but also can make the blood parrot's body color more bright and beautiful.

4. Parrot fish are relatively hardy and easy to raise. Pay attention to the water temperature when raising them. If you raise a large number of them, it is recommended to use an oxygen pump.

Additional information:

The main value of parrot fish:

1. Ornamental value

Parrot fish is a colorful tropical fish that lives in the coral reefs of tropical oceans. It has beautiful mottled colors, just like the colorful coat of a parrot. It is a fish with high ornamental value. Its body is nearly spherical or oval, with a round back and a well-developed tail fin. Its body is almost blood red, and it has a cute triangular mouth that always seems to be smiling. Therefore, it is deeply loved by fish fans.

2. Ecological value

Parrotfish contribute greatly to the healthy growth of coral reefs, because parrotfish spend 90% of their day eating algae attached to coral reefs. In addition, parrotfish also excrete sand, so parrotfish play a very important role in the coral reef ecosystem, converting coral into sand.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia - Parrot Fish

Blood Parrot Fish Note:

(1) Water quality management

Inheriting the growth conditions required by general Central and South American cichlids, blood parrots also need weak and low hardness water. However, because blood parrots are born with a mouth that cannot heal (especially special A and A grade blood parrots), the ability to introduce water flow through the gills for breathing is reduced by half.

Therefore, the breathing function of the gills has become an obvious "fatal injury"! Once the gills are injured or the oxygen absorption process is not smooth, it will directly affect the physiological health of the blood parrot. Therefore, when raising blood parrots, it is necessary to maintain better water quality and provide sufficient oxygen than other fish.

In particular, it becomes quite important to reduce the dissolved nutrients in the water (to avoid eutrophication), prevent the massive growth of bacteria and gill diseases, and maintain the ability of gill cells to efficiently absorb oxygen. As for oxygenation and aeration, in addition to choosing a more efficient air pump motor, it is also necessary to prepare an uninterrupted air pump system for areas that are prone to power outages in the summer to cope with emergencies.

(2) Temperature control

Although the blood parrot fish is a hybrid, its parents are both tropical fish, so it is also a tropical fish. It is a species that is quite sensitive to temperature. The point is not that the fish has a very poor adaptability to temperature, but that it is easy to lose its bright body color due to physiological reactions under low water temperatures and drastic water temperature changes. Even worse, black stripes or spots will appear.

Using a heater to raise the water temperature to within the range of 25-28°C can make the fish appear brightly colored and full of vitality.

(3) Selection of feed and bait

Because the astaxanthin in shrimp can promote the blood parrot's body color, if it can fully ingest astaxanthin, the blood parrot's body color will be bright red in the near future. However, now it is not so troublesome. Many blood parrot feeds available in the market have astaxanthin and a type of carotenoid added to them. Just feeding them directly can keep the blood parrot's body color in bright red.

(4) Tips for mixed breeding

When choosing mixed fish species, it is strongly recommended to choose some cichlids from Central and South America! Especially some medium and large cichlids, which are more suitable than cichlids with weak bodies and slow swimming.

Because the blood parrot's body is approximately triangular and its mouth cannot be closed, its aggressiveness is reduced (it can only attack but not bite), you can choose fish such as Golden Pineapple, Black Cloud, Red Pearl Guandao, and Pearl Firemouth to match it. In addition to having a variety of body color combinations, you can also achieve a state of peaceful coexistence under a certain balance.

(5) Landscaping in water

For these fish with bright red and single color, in addition to color matching and avoiding the use of plants as landscaping materials, the landscaping in the water also needs to consider the force of the fish's impact, so the sturdiness of the landscaping is also a must!

There are many landscapes worth mentioning for fish lovers to refer to. One is the driftwood or the grown driftwood of the black silk, which is mostly placed in the center of the aquarium. It matches the bright red of the blood parrot and has a stronger contrast effect. The second is the underwater landscape made of petrified wood or rocks. It is often placed in the aquarium in the form of a single or multiple stone piles. Of course, the aquarium is large enough to have more choices and changes.

(6) Others

Although it does not require much care after the necessary growth conditions are in place, it takes some effort and time to patiently change the water regularly, check the equipment in the aquarium, and carefully observe the health of the blood parrot in the water. Using good quality nitrifying bacteria can reduce harmful substances in the water to fish, clear the water quality, and achieve the effect of reducing the frequency of water changes. Pay attention to the usage and dosage of nitrifying bacteria, and use it according to the instructions.

Generally, after the nitrifying bacteria are put in, the filter cannot be turned off (the filter should be turned on 24 hours a day) in order to cultivate a stable nitrifying bacteria community. After one to two days, the water will become clear.

Additional information:

Common diseases of blood parrot fish:

1. Bacterial diseases: The most common symptoms are gill ulceration and body surface damage. Symptoms include reduced activity, loss of appetite, rapid breathing, etc. The gills are actually in serious condition at this time, but it is still difficult to see from the outside. Only by opening the gill cover for inspection can the ulcerated tissue be seen. Antibiotics can be used for treatment and prevention. The general medicine for treating gill rot can be used for simple prevention and control.

2. Fungal diseases: This type of disease is mainly caused by fungi. Generally, fish are covered with fungi, most of which grow on the surface of the body. At this time, the fish will only rub the bottom sand or the wall of the tank. Generally, it can be easily prevented and treated with medicine for treating water mold. However, as long as a good environment and suitable temperature are provided, the problem of fungi can be reduced.

3. Parasitic diseases: Parasitic diseases may occur in aquariums with extremely poor water quality, mainly white spot worms and flagellates. Once there are too many parasites on the body, the blood parrot will gradually become thinner and its body color will fade. However, parasitic diseases are generally easy to treat. Just give it a medicated bath and use commercially available medicated water to treat white spot worm disease, and the white spot worm will naturally be cured.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia - Blood Parrot Fish

Many people don’t know the precautions for feeding parrots. Let’s take a look.

[Cultivation method] The water temperature is 21 degrees to 35 degrees, and 25 to 30 degrees is best. Parrot fish prefer new water, and 1/5 of the water should be changed every day as much as possible. If the water quality is slightly acidic and refreshing, do not change the water frequently. Due to genetic factors, the respiratory system of blood parrots is not perfect, and its effectiveness is only half of that of other fish, so parrots need much higher dissolved oxygen in the aquarium. Gentle temperament. It has a large appetite and is omnivorous. It can be fed with a lot of feeds such as bloodworms, brine shrimps, mealworms, small fish, water fleas, earthworms, and pellets. It can be fed two to three times a day. In order to ensure the bright color of the body, it should be fed with feeds such as "Bao Zenghong" frequently. New fish will change color when entering the tank due to the sudden change in water quality, and it will gradually get better after adapting to the environment and adjusting the water quality. It is best not to mix other species of fish in the blood parrot tank first. It is best to set up large water plants, pottery pots, and driftwood in the aquarium for parrots to hide. However, after artificial training, parrot fish can change their timid habits: knock on the aquarium frequently to make parrot fish form a habit; feed only half of the food to force them to come out to forage; mix with fish with more courage to encourage them to move. Parrot fish have a strong sense of territory, and they are often seen fighting among their own kind. Increasing the number of fish raised will reduce the phenomenon of fighting. Because of their lively and active temperament, parrot fish also like to move the bottom sand. They can be mixed with Mary, Pearl, Swordtail, Lili. Angelfish; they can be raised with gentle large fish. They can also be mixed with smaller arowana from an early age, because they have a strong sense of territory. Adding penicillin and methylene blue will also make the body color of parrot fish lighter. Increasing light, strengthening filtration, thickening filter materials, and heating to 28 degrees are all practical ways to maintain body color. Pay attention to maintaining consistent water quality when changing water for the first time. If you find that the parrot fish is fading, you can feed it color-enhancing feed or shrimp meat. However, parrot fish that have been artificially dyed will definitely fade after being raised for a period of time, and it is irreversible. # Changing to a red light tube can also make up for the visual defect. Common diseases: Skin mold disease, also known as water mold disease and white hair disease, is one of the most common diseases of ornamental fish. The pathogens are species such as water mold, cotton mold, heteromycetes, aphanom, and pythium. When catching and transporting ornamental fish, if you are not careful, the fish skin will be injured, or parasites will invade and damage the skin. The spores of the mold will invade the wound, absorb nutrients, and germinate rapidly. One end of the hyphae will go deep into the muscle, and the other end will grow outward to form cotton-like hyphae. When the mold first parasitizes, it is not easy to find with the naked eye; when the naked eye sees it, the hyphae have invaded from the wound of the fish body and grown from the outside to the inside. The hyphae are entangled and adhered to the cell tissue of the wound, causing tissue necrosis. As the number of cotton-like hyphae increases day by day, the fish body is overloaded, causing abnormal swimming, loss of appetite, gradual weight loss, and death. When ornamental fish are infected with mold, they are also affected by the length of light exposure. Long periods of continuous rain, or insufficient indoor lighting, sunlight, and other light sources can promote the growth of mold. The skin of fish infected with mold is usually covered with a layer of white film, especially black and red fish, which is most obvious, thus losing the luster that the fish body should have. Subsequently, the fish body becomes sluggish, often sluggish, and floats on the water surface. If not treated in time, the mold on the fish body spreads, the muscles of the affected area rot, the appetite decreases, and eventually death occurs. [Treatment Method] Skin mold disease can occur all year round, and is most common in early spring and late winter. In order to prevent the occurrence of water mold disease, care should be taken to avoid damaging the fish body and parasite bites during operation, and a small amount of salt can be added to the water to inhibit the occurrence of water mold disease. When the fish is found to be infected with Saprolegniasis, it can be washed with 3% salt water once a day for 5-10 minutes each time, or soaked in 2 parts per million (2ppm) potassium permanganate solution plus 1% salt for 20-30 minutes, or soaked in 1-2 parts per million (1-2ppm) malachite green solution for 20-30 minutes, or soaked in 1-2 parts per million (1-2ppm) methylene blue solution for 20-30 minutes, or soaked in 5 parts per million (5ppm) furazolidone solution, or directly splashed into the aquarium with 0.02 parts per million (0.02ppm) malachite green solution and 0.3 parts per million (0.3ppm) formaldehyde solution to inhibit the growth of mold. The growth of Saprolegniasis can also be inhibited by increasing the water temperature. Installing a 15-watt ultraviolet lamp on the top of the aquarium and irradiating it for several hours a day can effectively inhibit or eliminate the growth of Saprolegniasis.

Answers to your questions: 1 Red parrot fish can be fed once or twice a day. I personally feel that feeding once is OK. 2 There are several reasons why parrot fish turn black or have black spots: (1) Parrot fish may also have black spots when they are frightened, but they will disappear after a while. (2) The water quality is poor or the water quality is not suitable. When the water quality is poor, you should increase the water changes. If the water quality is not suitable, you should change the water immediately to adjust the water quality. (3) Red parrot fish may have black spots during their growth, but they will fade after a while. My previous one had the same problem, and it got better after a while. (Because parrot fish are hybrids of cichlid fish, it is not surprising that black spots appear when they are young.) During this period, you should pay more attention to the water quality and feed. If you want the red parrot fish to have more beautiful colors, feed it more shrimp or red-enhancing feed such as Bao Zenghong. 3 How much water should be changed each time and how often should it be changed? This depends on how dirty your water is. Most people change 1/3 of the water. Of course, 1/4 is also OK. There is no fixed standard. If the fish tank is well filtered, you only need to change part of the water (1/3) once a week, and change all the water once a month or two. 4 If you want to raise it with other fish, you can generally choose fish from the upper water layer such as silver dragon or eel, or fish from the lower water layer. It is generally better to raise parrots alone.