Parrot fish are a popular tropical fish that comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns. They add a lot to a tank and can be a nice addition to an existing aquarium. The majority of parrot fish can be included in a community aquarium. Even those few that are aggressive tend to only chase other fish and don't do much damage, due to the awkward shape of their mouths.

Feeding your fish is very simple. They enjoy just about any kind of food, but to keep them healthy, you will want to feed them a range of foods. Pellets and flakes are fine as a base food. This can be supplemented with brine shrimp and frozen worms for extra protein. They like similar water as cichlids, slightly on the acidic side.

Parrot fish can be difficult to sex, which makes breeding tricky. Often you will not be able to detect gender until one of them is pregnant. In this case, it is a good idea to move the breeding pair to another tank until the eggs are laid, since they are very territorial during breeding. The female will lay the eggs on the bottom of the tank and the parents will care for them. Any eggs which are not fertilized will turn white and the adult fish will eat them. The fry will eat fish flakes.

Thanks to their lovely colors, parrot fish are fascinating fish to include in your tropical tank. Much like goldfish, they will grow to fit their surroundings, so the bigger the tank, the larger the fish will become.