I am new to my 48 gallon fish tank, I spend most of my time (for the past month in a half) going from pet store to pet store about my Parrot fish. I purchased 3 parrots and after 4 days I brought them back but the sales associate told me to keep one. I brought the one fish back home and really enjoyed petting and feeding him. I have never had fish so at first I was scared, it turns out that I did not have to bring the others back I was told by another store to remove the Castle that they where fighting over. Any way after 3 weeks my fish made his home behind a crystal rock and removed all the pebbles around it. He pups up when I put my hand in the tank and follows my fingers, (WELL USE TO)...I purchased 2 jelly bean parrots last week they where smaller then the one I have and the sales man was aware of that because I buy them in the same store. The day I put them in the tank (one Yellow and one Blue) all the yellow one wanted do is go behind the rock with my orange parrot that has been by himself for weeks. That night he pushed the yellow parrot and kept slamming into him real bad to the point I actually picked up the yellow one and placed it under a stone for safety. I hand feed it under there till I noticed he kept going back to the stone to keep getting pushed around by my orange parrot. The blue parrot was real tiny and stayed in a palm tree and I feed it there.
As of today NOW the orange one took over the Whole tank and does not give the yellow parrot any break, the worst of it is that the Blue parrot is now also going after the yellow one with the orange parrot. My heart is breaking to watch this, I don't no what to do and ever time I go to the store I come home with ALL kinds of water treatments for stress. Please help I cant see this any more and I can't and really do not want to get rid of my new fish tank and fish... Are they hurting the yellow fish, ? there mouths are not open they just play hockey with the yellow one. Is there a way I can get them to get along? Some sales people say move the ornaments around and take away the Orange ones home, other say DO not touch any thing. I've also been told add more Parrots and then DON'T add more parrot. Please help me I actually have been staying up late nights to make sure the yellow one does not get hurt. I have been late for work, my cocker spaniel does not get attention any more I just want to enjoy them and will do anything to see them get along if you advise me on how to do that. Oh and by the way my orange fish that used to let me pet him and follow my finger in the water, I think he tried to attack me the other night....
Comments
you also need to have places
you also need to have places for them to hide. dont take them away give them more. if they all have a good place to hide they wont all fight over the same place. by a good place i mean something they can get into not just a plant or rock to hide behind. if you have a place the small one can hide in that the big one cant fit in then he will have a place to feel safe if he gets picked on too much.
Blood parrots are territorial
Blood parrots are territorial so they will fight when you first get them. Trust me its hard to watch but its normal. One thing you can do is move them into a bucket for an hour and while they are in there rearrange the tank completely so they think they are in a new tank and any existing territories are gone. They really can't do much damage to each other, all they mostly do is lock lips or butt each other. Do not add anymore parrots. Here was a situtation I had at one point http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42XR3dbHzOw
What you could do also is add a school of tetras NOT NEONS, add like 5 bleeding heart tetras or other flat bodied tetras like those. They might keep the aggression off the parrot.
Like I said I know its hard to watch but its normal. They will calm down.