Which Parrotfish Are Reef Safe

[AbnormalReefer]

Hello all,

I am aware that the Quoyi parrotfish is usually always reef safe. However, I was wondering if the bicolor parrotfish or the princess parrotfish are reef safe? I’ve heard mixed reviews on the princess parrotfish, and not much on the bicolor parrotfish since it gets so big. Any advice?

 

[4FordFamily]

No parrotfish is reef safe, but the Quoyi is most likely to be. Supposedly a juvenile bicolor is sometimes reef safe, particularly if grown from a juvenile in a reef.

Princess are “less reef safe” than Quoyi but both are more considered safe than others.

Stoplight parrotfish grow too large for home aquaria but some report success with them in reef tanks. IMO it’s always a risk. They WILL take bites out of the rock for their beaks, this can be problematic.

The other reality is that these are difficult fish to keep at all. For 99/100 aquarists a wrasse is much more advisable, depending on the species.

 

[ca1ore]

Buddy of mine has a princess; I have a quoyi .... both about the same level of reef safeness. Both listed as intermediate but this is not the case IME. Very tricky fish to acclimate, and even if you can they have this bad habit of dying for no apparent reason around the 6 month mark (as my first one did). Got my second one from DD and thought initially it was a goner, but it rebounded and is now 3 months under my care. It is an obsessive grazer, will eat some nori and ‘destroys’ pellets. Doesn’t eat any frozen to speak of. I’d avoid unless you have a huge system with a lot of grazable surfaces. Also, if you have an acrylic tank, as I do, keep the front clear so it is not tempted to scrape there ..... ask me how I know?

 

[AbnormalReefer]

So princess and quoyi are generally reef safe by the sounds of it. Any info on the bicolor parrotfish? Besides the fact that they get huge?