Hoplarchus psittacus

[seanwelsh1]

Here are my Hoplarchus psittacus. These have always been one of my favourites but never had the water to keep them . Now i have a RO unit they are back. There are 5 with possible 2 males and 3 females

[notho2000]

Beautiful specimens! What is their age, how large are they and have they shown any sign of pairing as yet? Are they F0's. Where did you obtain them and what size tank are you keeping them in? Also, what is the proportion of RO to "regular" water? Sorry for all the questions but I presently have 40 of them from 4 to 6" which I will whittle down to 8. Thanks and good luck with them.
-Jim

[seanwelsh1]

Jim , lots of questions

They are Wild Colombian from a dealer in the UK called Oddball Express .

There are 5 2 males and 3 females . The males are around 8" and the females about 6" .

They are currently in a 6 x 20 x 20 (480lts). They have pure RO water but my PH never really drops to below 7.0 . PPM is 160 which is roughly 1-2 GH .

They have lots of greens and chucked in prawns etc . The males are aggressive towards the females but nothing to hurtful

[Philippe Burnel]

really wonderfull

[notho2000]

Thank you Sean I appreciate your response. I love that red 'flush' that they have in the chest area. All the best with your fish.
-Jim

[driftwood]

Those are stunning. I never knew you could do raise them in straight RO water unless I am misunderstanding your post. I have mine in 7.0 and they seem to be doing fine but I'm sure I won't see any breeding in my water. Are you mixing RO with Tap water? I would assume so. I do have an RO unit and have been thinking about using it for my Psittacus tank.

[baldtaxguy]

Those are very nice looking psittacus. I'm currently working with a breeding pair and found them very adaptable to our hard water conditions. Good luck with them.

[seanwelsh1]

no its straight RO water , but because my water is very hard to start with i only get around 40ppm out so its almost like a mix of ro and tap ! Seems to be working well thou as they are very happy in the tank. As for breeding i am not fussed , they have always been one of my favourites so now that i have them i am chuffed

[Piotr Koba]

Sean, if you use RO (without DI) unit 40ppm is quite normal result. Only with DI you can get almost 100% pure water, which is not very safe for fish.
Anyway, they are great and I must say "parrots" are one of my all time favourites. I'll get them sooner or later, too! Good Luck.

[dr01d]

can anybody tell me how to sex them..thx