Some questions about Parrot fish

[kaceyo]

In one of the lfs that carries mostly discus and large cichlids I saw a couple of strains of Parrots. I'm guessing they're called Parrots cuz of the bright colors? One type had a purple heart shaped design on it's side and another had a squiggley line along it's side. One of the strains had some with split tails. It almost looked like it was done to them rather than natural. It gave them a very odd look, with two tails, one above the other. Others of the same srain had normal tails. When I asked about it I was told the split tail was a rare and desirable trait. Can anyone tellme if this is true? They were very interesting looking fish.

Kacey

[anne]

Honestly, I'd strongly suggest that the parrot fish you're looking at have had their tails cut, and are dyed / "tattooed" with the pattern.
This involves injecting dye under the skin of the fish, or for solid-coloured ones, dipping them into a chemical bath to remove the protective slime, dipping them into a chemical dye bath to colour them, then dipping them into a third chemical solution to "seal" the dye. There is a very high mortality rate during and after the process, and the fish which do survive are generally prone to disease and have a shortened life-span.
Nice thought...
I'd be pretty convinced that neither the colour nor the tail shape are natural. I don't know the law in the US, but in the UK it's legal to sell these fish, but not to actually dye them (which counts as mutilation under UK law) so it's generally done in the far east and they're shipped here. I think the law in the US is pretty similar on that.

[kaceyo]

WOW!!! I'm surprised to hear this. My first thought was that the tails had been cut while they were small and I asked the store owner particularly about that. He assured me it was natural. And the dyeing process sounds awful. I'll have to do a search on these FW Parrot fish and see what I come up with. If you're correct I'll have a few words for the store owner.
Thanks,

Kacey

[anne]

I might be doing the LFS a disservice, but it does happen and certainly I've seen dyed fish for sale at LFS aound me.
One UK site with information is for a magazine, Practical Fishkeeping, try www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk. It'll give more detail on how it's done and has some pics of dyed fish etc.

[kaceyo]

Thanks Anne,
I understand that you weren't sure, and it was my first thought on seeing them too. I wouldn't say anything to the owner without knowing what I'm speeking of. I already do too much of that when I only THINK I know what I'm talking about, lol.

Kacey

[chotie]

the parrots with the dual tails are called heart/cupid/passion parrots. they are "natural" and not cut. they have been bred that way. anything other than a dull red color is color dyed parrots. even the bright red ones.

if you were planning to put them in a community tank with discus, dont. they are very very agressive fish, and can easily compete with african cichlids.

[kaceyo]

Chotie,
Thanks for the info. These Parrots were all very bright red and pink wth blue or purple "designs"
on their sides. As I said, the split tails had a red heart shape with a line on each side and the other type had a blue squiggle on it's sides that did look drawn on. I think he said one was a Blue Parrot and the other a Purple Parrot. The only dull red one was an adult. I never considered putting them with my discus, lol. You can easily tell they are an aggresive cichlid. But they had a unique look that caught my eye.

Kacey

[Tony_S]

the parrots with the dual tails are called heart/cupid/passion parrots. they are "natural" and not cut.

Thats interesting....Ive spoken in depth with a LARGE LFS owner who's extremely knowledgable (read knowledgeable...not nesseccarily 'ethical') when it comes to the fish he brings in. Every year, for a month before and a month after Valentines day, he would bring in what was refered to as 'Cupid Parrots' or 'Heart Parrots' (no tail)He assured me that YES...the tails are actually clipped off....resulting in a 'heart' shaped Parrot.
Cant say Ive ever seen the split tailed Parrots...But....Knowing how the tropical fish industry works in the 'ethics' department(or lack thereof)....Id have an EXTREMELY hard time believing that the 'SPLIT' is natural.
There's nothing else 'natural' about the FRANKENSTIENS of the fish world aka 'Parrot Cichlid'...why would the split tail be?

Tony

[chotie]

Id have an EXTREMELY hard time believing that the 'SPLIT' is natural.
There's nothing else 'natural' about the FRANKENSTIENS of the fish world aka 'Parrot Cichlid'...why would the split tail be?

Tony
i could be mistaken, but i have seen 1/2 inch cupid parrots. unless they were clipping at such a young age, i assumed it was "naturally" bred. either way, i would not suggest buying a parrot that doesnt fully have its tail ;)

[kaceyo]

I found out a few facts about Parrots. First and formost, there are no facts about Parrot Fish beyond that they are a man made fish, like the flowerhorn, and some, at least, are dyed. The rest is up for debate. The ones I saw with the heart design and squiggle design had those designs dyed onto there bodies. Definitly a fish to stay far away from.

Kacey