proudmomoftwins

My one parrot fish just came out of hiding and I notice it's turning black?? Both parrot fish are a beautiful yellow, but now one is turning black. The black is down around the belly/bottom of the fish and even it's tail is starting to turn black. It has black splotches all over. What could be causing it? The other parrot fish looks fine. Thanks!

Shawnie

very normal for them...and parrots true colors are bright orange so the yellow will fade with time also...they are brownish/black/yellow as juvies..some have been dyed as well and even those will go bright orange after time..but the dark brown/black colors come and go depending on their moods, their entire life

proudmomoftwins

I know when I first got my two parrot fish, they were a dull yellow with black specks all over them but within a week or two they turned into a beautiful bright yellow. But like I said, now one has splotches or specks all over it's body... almost makes it sick looking. But I hope you're right and thats all it is. Just seems like it happened over night. Thanks Shawnie for the info/reply.

Shawnie

they wont stay yellow long either ...as they grow that disapates...and the spots will come and go overnight, within hours, etc depending on their moods....good luck!

Amanda

You can always tell the mood of my Parrot by whether she has black spots or not. When I stress him out or get her super excited - she gets her spots back. They usually go away within the day.

proudmomoftwins

How likely is it that the one that is changing color could be pregnant? The fish is coming out more and more so I'm able to look at it better, and the underbelly of the fish is huge!
The fish is pudgie down around the belly area compared to the other parrot fish. The fish has deffinitly changed in shape. Is there some thing I should be looking for?

Thanks for the help!!

dee34

sometimes when bps are pregnant they will start digging or they will start cleaning a certain area in which she wants to lay her eggs , are they getting a bit feisty with any other fish?

proudmomoftwins

Oh yeah... the fish is inside it's cave doing flips! Looks like it's cleaning the inside of the cave, and it's starting to chase the other smaller fish away which is new. The parrot fish also has a big white tag like hanging under neath it... it doesn't really look like poop hanging down, not sure what it is.

Thanks for the help!

dee34

yea she is getting ready to lay eggs for deffo, that little thing hanging down under her is what the eggs come out of .. the eggs will be a dark colour

proudmomoftwins

Okay, so what do I need to do?

dee34

you dont need to do anything really is she in a community tank ? if so she wiil eat the eggs herself within a couple of hours ..

proudmomoftwins

I'm not even certain if the other parrot fish is a male... and I know that usualy the male is infertile and the eggs will probably die off... but what if there is a chance that the eggs will survive? Do I need to seperate the eggs from the tank? Should I place the parrot fish in a breeder box?

Once again, thank you for all the help and info!!

proudmomoftwins

The parrot fish is in a community tank, 55 gallon with 13 other fish. It would be nice if she didn't eat the eggs...LOL

aquarist48

Hello ProudMom. Sounds like your Bloody Parrots (BP)are doing perfectly fine. As mentioned the black spots are normal and will come and go while they are younger. Once they get some age on them it will be rare that you see it at all.

Here is a link concerning BP breeding: Parrot Cichlid Breeding
Chances are any males that you have are probably sterile. However, if you have a "pair" they will still go through the ritual of spawning just like any other fish. She will lay the eggs and guard them and fan them and the male will be very protective of the area as well. They would make great parents for certain should you ever have any to hatch. Mine usually eat the eggs after 4 or 5 days and once they've turned white.
Best of luck and please keep us posted.
Ken

proudmomoftwins

Thank you for all the info. Every one here has been great!!

aquarist48

Glad to help! You know I love my Bloody Parrots. I've also read an article that states back in 2000 they started trying to make the males fertile. So as far as I can tell it's still a 50/50 chance for a fertile male.
Ken
Blood Parrot, Bloody Parrot, Blood Parrotfish, Jellybean Parrot, Hybrid
Just another link for you to view.

The long white "tag" mentioned is the Papilla or breeding tube.
Ken

proudmomoftwins

Well as far as I can tell, the other parrot fish is a male. I did some research and it said the male will turn pink/rosey red around the gills during spawning. He has rosey red cheeks! He is also following the female fish around, where ever she goes he's right behind her rubbing himself inside the cave. I turned the lights off in the aquarium... thought maybe it might help keep things calm. I haven't noticed any eggs yet, but she's deffinitly doing some very weird swimming in the cave! Even if we don't get any fry out of this, it's really exciting to watch!!

About how many eggs will she release? Will it be all at once or a few here and a few there? How big are the eggs? Her tummy looks like it just keeps bulging even more. I hope she won't have any problems releasing her eggs.

Oh... another thing... I was supposed to do a WC/cleaning tonight. I guess I should wait now to do that?

I've merged your threads to save some space. Thanks!
Ken

aquarist48

Hello PMOT. The female papilla will be white, thick and rounded and the male will be thin and pointed. They do tend to turn a pinkish color around the gills and leading down to the stomach, underneath the fish. I agree, it is so exciting to watch!

She will release a good many eggs and usually all in one day. The eggs are very small.

I would go ahead and do a water change but not any cleaning as far as the gravel/substrate is concerned. I did that once while my juvenile's were spawning and they didn't like it very much at all. So, after that I just did a simple water change and everything was fine. You don't want your water quality to slip at this point for certain.
Best wishes!
Ken

proudmomoftwins

Well my parrot fish hasn't released any eggs yet that I know of, and now she looks like she's back to normal. All the black spots are gone again, and her belly doesn't look like it's pudgie like it did the other day. Also the tube (where the eggs are released) must have went back up inside her because it's no longer sticking out. So maybe it was a false alarm? I'll keep watch, but as of right now I don't see any eggs.

aquarist48

Hello PM. Sorry for the late response. If her papilla was exposed then chances are she did lay eggs and they were eaten. My juvie pair have spawned all summer long inside of the terracotta urn. I had to get a flash light to see them I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for next time! By all means please keep us posted!
Ken