Parrot Owners.....tips? Update...he's Here:)

[AmyH]

Hello All
I am about to inherit a parrot fish (sis-in-law says it's a blood parrot) from my brother and sil. My brother isn't taking good care of him and my sil is not fish savvy at all, so they are gonna give him and the 55 (i think) gallon tank he's in to me!! I'm very excited to have such an "exotic" fish....as all I have had up until now are my goldfish and guppies (not in the same tank, of course)!

What are the most important things to know about this cute lil guy?? Can I put one other type of fish in with him? If so, what kind? I have got to tell you that this lil guy has had a slew of tankmates over the years, including a freshwater bluegill, another parrot, an oscar and even a crayfish!!! He is the only one who managed to survive my brother's lack of fish-fathering skills. I think he is between 3 and 5 years old. He's about 4 inches long, not including tail fin.

Any advice would be appreciated! He's not the type of fish I'd buy.....but I'll love him just the same

Thanks!

******Updating to let you all know that "Orangeman" (my niece named him..lol) is now at home with me and my family He was only shy last night (his first night home), and tonight he was out being very social! He must be a night owl like me His tank was in very bad shape due to my brother not taking care of it. I'm surprised he had survived as long as he did But he's doing great now!! Oh, and he's not as big as I thought....more like 4 inches Including his tail. I'm gonna let him get accustomed to his new surroundings before adding a tank mate.
Thanks for everyone's advice!!!!

 

[madgap]

I'm not "up" on parrots, but I did keep four for a nmber of years. What I found was...They are great with anything big enough to stay out of it's mouth. So tetra's are a no-no. They seemed happy enough just bothering each other. With only the occational nudge towards other tank matesHeavy tank decor is a must and prtty much any plants I had were demolished in days. Glass thermometers will end up as shards of broken glass in no time at all.They are intelligent and need things to do . They watch you, and will readilly eat from your hand.Ths IS my experiance of them. This isn't a summary of their definate ways. I dare say other people have different experiances.

 

[freerunner416]

Hiya, I kept Jellybean parrots for a long while and they were in with a few angels, cories, tetras (not neons) and some plecs.
They ripped apart a few frogs my brother added to his tank and some shrimps. they will eat anything small.

I found that caves kept them pretty happy. Somewhere to hide out whilst sleeping and if it gets a fright. If you fancy getting a few more my parents still have Jelly beans for sale (they are pink/blonde in colour). PM me if interested.

Cheers

Craig

 

[poopsydrew]

Just so you know JB (jelly bean) parrots are usually dyed. Meaning, they inject them with a needle or a chemical dip to change their color. The natural color is an orange. Pink is not! Sounds like free runners was dyed, which unfortunatley happens to a lot of uknowing aquarists. It is a cruel practice that kills many fish in the process. Just make sure you are buying one that is not dyed. You can visit deathbydyeing.org for more info, or click on my avatar.
-As for care, madgap is pretty close IMO. Just keep them with tankmates they cant eat, the great thing about parrots is that even if you get an unusually aggressive one, their jaws are deformed so they cant do much damage to tankmates anyway. I ended up getting a pair out of two that I bought (of course, the eggs wont hatch, nevertheless its pretty interesting behavior to observe).

Good luck with your parrots and please make sure they arent the dyed type (jellybean),

Drew

 

[jasonskillz]

you dont really need to do much, just get another parrot for it so i can have some company. besides that, there isnt much, just feed it and keep up on water changes and it will be happy

parrots are very hardy fish. i had a sick one that almost didnt eat for 3 months but it eventually died, i loved that parrot.