Litter your tank with logs, caves, and decorative dens while also ensuring that the tank doesn’t become too cluttered.

As such, you should be able to provide your parrot cichlids plenty of hiding spaces. Pass On Parrotfish (1:19) Parrotfish are currently overfished in the Caribbean, posing a threat to reefs and. This almost-constant eating performs the essential task of cleaning the reefs which helps the corals stay healthy and thriving. 14 parrotfish species can be spotted in the Caribbean, including the stoplight parrotfish, more common in lagoons, or the much rarer midnight parrotfish with its dark blue scales. These fish need plenty of space to move around, and they can be quite shy before they get to know each other. Microgeophagus ramireze Tank size: 55+ Gallons Max Size: 5 inches Lifespan: 5 to 10 years Temperament: Sometimes Aggressive Schooling: No Region: South. Parrotfish are colorful, tropical creatures that spend about 90 of their day eating algae off coral reefs. The Indo-Pacific area hosts the best diversity of species, some of them having very large distribution areas.įor example, the bluebarred parrotfish abounds in shallow waters from Eastern Africa to the Galápagos Islands. Here, encountered in Rawa Island, Malaysia. The green humphead parrotifsh is the largest known parrotfish species. Most species also proceed through different phases (with different coloration) during their life, generally starting as juveniles, then as females or secondary males (known as the initial phase) and then some individuals changing to primary males (the terminal phase). Parrotfish are sometimes hard to distinguish between them since dozens of species show very similar colors. Those creatures are easy to observe with basic snorkel gear as they abound in numerous spots, even in shallow water. Some parrotfish are amongst the brightest tropical fish with their turquoise coat. Male parrotfish are generally much bigger and more colored than the females. The smallest adult parrotfish are about 30 cm long when the biggest (the impressive green humphead parrotfish) can be more than 1m long. Photographed in Rabida Island, Galápagos. Example of the difference of coloration between the initial phase (in the foreground) and terminal phase (in the background) of the bluebarred parrotfish. They’re about the size of a small dog, but they can grow to be as big as a large dog. First of all, we need to understand what a reef shark looks like. Grouper numbers go up when sharks are not present. Parrotfish play a crucial part in the reef ecosystem: they are herbivorous and ceaselessly graze algae and polyps on the seabed, hence cleaning the reef up and helping it regenerate. The sharks eat grouper, which eat herbivorous fish like gobies and parrotfish, which in turn eat the algae. They are characterized by a long body and a mouth that is more a “beak” strong enough to break coral.

About 90 species populate tropical and subtropical areas on the Planet. Scaridae (parrotfish) are emblematic to coral reefs.

Blue parrot fish