Pink Parrot Fish

[robert9]

You cant leave the parents in with the fry? is the tank too small or something?

Hi, I thought that once the fry got over a few weeks old the parents would stop looking after them and eat them or push them into the open and they would be eaten by the other fish. point is - I have only got 1 tank - it is 110 ltre (39") long - plenty of roomas only got about 20 fish - problem I have is that I am sure that some of the other fish in the tank ate the first batch of fry - I have angels, platys, plec - I have now managed to catch about 20 fry and put them in a small nursery in the tank but if I get another smaller tank do you think the parrot fish will carry on breeding and also what would happen once the fry in the nursery get bigger - I could do with a few pointers and ideas on how to keep them breeding and what I should do with each batch of fry - my local shop said they would buy them off me when they are bigger but I would like to get them bigger if you see what I mean.

 

[aardvarkfromspace]

If you can get another good sized tank then cycle it and put them in it... do water changes every few days and with luck you'll get eggs again... it often takes cichlids a few spawns before they stop eating their fry.... as for raising them up, I'd leave the parents in until they learn to care for them rather then eat them... then when they hit about half an inch to an inch, you might be able to sell em.

 

[robert9]

Thanks, gonna work on my wife now for another tank!!

 

[valleyrich]

Hi
I have 3 pink parrot fish just like the one in Gabrielles picture.
2 have paired up and a month ago had babies but they all died.
they have since had more babies and I could do with knowing how to keep them alive!!!
they are in a community tank with angel fish, platies, red tailed rasborras, a plec and a red tailed shark.
My local shop has told me that pink parrots are infertile! but I have definately had babies.
How can i get them out and into a nursery area - Help!!

Don't panic! As soon as you see eggs the eggs and both parents need to be moved to another tank until the babies are moving freely. Feed livebearer fry food as soon as they hatch. If you only move one parent the other becomes EXTREMLY depressed and will kill all other fish in the tank. The babies may die as well. I don't know I didn't have the heart to keep the parents separated after I saw his reaction. Hope this helps. I went through the same thing.

Sorry missed a post before I replied. Go get you a little 10 and a cave rock. They will breed in the 10 but it is better for the health of the parents to live in a larger tank and move to a smaller for a nursery. These are extremely hardy fish and will not eat the eggs just because they are moved. A cave with a flat bottom makes moving easier. The breeding habits of these fish are very odd. I documented the first 2 weeks of the life of my first batch so if you have anymore questions let me know.

 

[aardvarkfromspace]

Don't put breeding jellybean parrots in a 10g tank....... also taking out 1 parent often works for raising fry when they've eaten them before... I don't know about this depression thing.. I've never seen it

 

[fishfishfish]

i did the same thing evn with my angels.

So,parrots are a chiclid hybrid,angels are a cichlid,thats why they get along.i put my parrot in my african cichlid tank and he was one of the most dominant fish inb there.even though he and my male red zebra fought he survived very well until he started hiding when he started growing his horn and wedged himslef in betwwen dead coral.i found his dead body while looking for him

 

[valleyrich]

Don't put breeding jellybean parrots in a 10g tank....... also taking out 1 parent often works for raising fry when they've eaten them before... I don't know about this depression thing.. I've never seen it

Sorry was tired when I wrote this. I should have specified that a 10 will only work when they are small 2". That was when mine started breeding(we tried they just wouldn't stop breeding). And only if you have a true pair. I've only had trouble with the parents eating fry if there are other fish in the tank or when the babies get big enough to take care of themselves they start killing them. They don't need much room to breed (compared to daily living) but they do need privacy. My parent parrots were only left with the babies for a few weeks then they were returned to the community and the babies split up and sold off as size allowed. If these parrots are any larger they will need a larger tank. I stand corrected. Thanks to aarvarkfromspace for pointing out my error. As for the depression it may only happen with true pairs. I'm about to find out so I'll let you know.

 

[aardvarkfromspace]

My favorite parrot got killed when I tried to spawn 2 of them in a 20g tank.. Blood parrot female killed Jellybean male, and they were both about only 2''..... just tryin to keep people from making the same mistakes I did!