MISTAH MICHAEL
New member
if anyone has any info on how to maintain a healthy parrot fish could u give me any tips on how to keep it healthy. . . new to the fish world
princess parrot fish
- Thread starter MISTAH MICHAEL
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jwhitlow1031
Member
Hey MISTAH MICHAEL, what u up 2 man...lol, hows that fish doing...figured i'd give u a bit of a bump... let me know if u have any q's bout this site...
[welcome]
Scott Michael rates the parrot fishes as difficult to keep and feed. Is this the animal you're considering:
http://www.csulb.edu/depts/biology/...ss_Parrotfish.html_f/Princess_Parrotfish.html
In nature, they feed on microalgae encrusting the reef and on corals. I guess you could try a mixture of a herbivore and a carnivore food, as well as keep it in a tank with a lot of live rock. It will chew on the the rock.
Scott Michael rates the parrot fishes as difficult to keep and feed. Is this the animal you're considering:
http://www.csulb.edu/depts/biology/...ss_Parrotfish.html_f/Princess_Parrotfish.html
In nature, they feed on microalgae encrusting the reef and on corals. I guess you could try a mixture of a herbivore and a carnivore food, as well as keep it in a tank with a lot of live rock. It will chew on the the rock.
kraze3
New member
There is a recipe for a princess parrot food mixture. Its in a book, I have the book but I cant find it at the moment. Im going to be gone this weekend. If you already have the fish and are interestd in the recipe, PM me and Ill find it when I return. I know its a plaster of paris mixture. It helps with their beaks and its texture is similar to what it eats in nature.
Sorry I couldnt be of more help right now
Sorry I couldnt be of more help right now
I have had some success keeping both a princess (2 years) and currently a Quoys parrotfish.
First of all.......a princess parrotfish will NOT destroy your reef. Mine never touched any corals, and extensive research shows they eat algae, and not corals.
Some parrotfish will eat corals, but the princess is not one of them.
Second, I do not believe these smaller parrotfish die because of incorrect diet in most cases.
I believe they starve over time because they can harbor intestinal parasites which eventually kill them in captivity.
My princess would eat anything I fed him, and had a 1000 gallon tank to roam with tons of natural food.
After 2 years he died, although he had looked thin for several months prior.
So when I got my Quoys parrotfish, I tried something different.
I always QT in hyposalinity for 3 weeks before adding any fish to my reef. This time, I gave him a couple of baths using prazequantel as a de-wormer.
If you are interested I can find out the exact dosing, I used Nogas book.
So far after 1 & 1/2 years the parrotfish is very fat and healthy looking.
His condition is much better than the princess after the same time frame. He also does not touch any coral in the tank, and eats everything as well.
I realize 2 years is the mark to beat for me, but by the looks of the fish he will make it there just fine.
2 Years is kinda the magic mark for a fish IME. If they can make it that long, they can live for 10+ years. On the other Hand, many fish can live will disease or poor diet for a few months, but not usually for 2 years.
Anyone attempting to keep on of these two parrotfish sould have a large tank (200+ gallons) with some open space to swim. These fish needs lots of room to move about.
They do not get very big if purchased at a reasonable size.
My Quoys parrotfish is about 6", up from about 4.5" when I bought him.
John
First of all.......a princess parrotfish will NOT destroy your reef. Mine never touched any corals, and extensive research shows they eat algae, and not corals.
Some parrotfish will eat corals, but the princess is not one of them.
Second, I do not believe these smaller parrotfish die because of incorrect diet in most cases.
I believe they starve over time because they can harbor intestinal parasites which eventually kill them in captivity.
My princess would eat anything I fed him, and had a 1000 gallon tank to roam with tons of natural food.
After 2 years he died, although he had looked thin for several months prior.
So when I got my Quoys parrotfish, I tried something different.
I always QT in hyposalinity for 3 weeks before adding any fish to my reef. This time, I gave him a couple of baths using prazequantel as a de-wormer.
If you are interested I can find out the exact dosing, I used Nogas book.
So far after 1 & 1/2 years the parrotfish is very fat and healthy looking.
His condition is much better than the princess after the same time frame. He also does not touch any coral in the tank, and eats everything as well.
I realize 2 years is the mark to beat for me, but by the looks of the fish he will make it there just fine.
2 Years is kinda the magic mark for a fish IME. If they can make it that long, they can live for 10+ years. On the other Hand, many fish can live will disease or poor diet for a few months, but not usually for 2 years.
Anyone attempting to keep on of these two parrotfish sould have a large tank (200+ gallons) with some open space to swim. These fish needs lots of room to move about.
They do not get very big if purchased at a reasonable size.
My Quoys parrotfish is about 6", up from about 4.5" when I bought him.
John
vamaro
New member
I realize this thread is really old, but I was trying to find some info on a Princess Parrot and came across this thread.
I picked up a Princess Parrot over the weekend. It ate Spectrum pellets within 1 hour of bringing it home which was a relief. I will try some nori this week as well.
Its an amazing swimmer and seems really peaceful. My other fish ignored it.
I picked up a Princess Parrot over the weekend. It ate Spectrum pellets within 1 hour of bringing it home which was a relief. I will try some nori this week as well.
Its an amazing swimmer and seems really peaceful. My other fish ignored it.
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