Latin name | Cetoscarus ocellatus - (Valenciennes, 1840) |
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Local name | Spotted parrotfish |
Family | Scaridae - Cetoscarus |
Origin | East Indian Ocean, West Indian Ocean, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, East Pacific, New Zealand, Central/West Pacific |
Max length | 80 cm (31.5") |
Minimum volume | 5000 l (1319 gal) |
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Hardiness | Average |
Suitable for aquarium | Not suitable for home aquarium |
Reef safe | Not reef safe |
Aggressiveness | Unknown |
Recommended |
Macroalgea (Eg. seaweed / nori) Microalgea (Eg. spirulina) |
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Mostly |
Large polyp stone coral (LPS) Small polyp stone coral (SPS) |
This species needs a very large aquarium when fully grown.
Exactly how big the aquarium should be is hard to say, but the size of this species is such, that it cannot normally be kept in a home aquarium.
This species eats a great deal and demands an aquarium that can tolerate such a heavy load.
This species revels in swimming and requires an aquarium with ample space.
This species can change gender from female to male.
When a male is needed, a female changes sex and takes on the role.
This species can eat large amounts of algae (relative to their size) from rocks, like green hair algae and filamentous algae.
As it doesn’t eat every algae type, in case of a specific algae plague, find out more precise information.
Parrotfish (Scaridae) are effective algae eaters for the reef, but some species will also live off rock corals.
Many of these fish will grow too big for most domestic aquaria, although there are some exceptions.
Parrotfish will generally eat a lot and often, which must be taken into account.
It is an advantage to have lots of algae in the aquarium which they can graze on.
These fish will sleep in a mucus cocoon between stones.
The species most often seen in tanks is Scarus quoyi, which is suitable for coral aquaria. It does have a large appetite, so the aquarium must have good filtration.
Aquarium trade | No |
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Distribution | Indo- Pacific: East coast of Africa to the Society Islands, Tuamotus and islands of Micronesia. |
English common names |
Spotted parrotfish |
Bob Fenner. Parrotfishes, Family Scaridae - Wet Web Media - (English)
Scott W. Michael. 2009. Wrasses and Parrotfishes (Reef Fishes Series Book 5) - TFH Publications / Microcosm Ltd. - (English)
Joshua Wiegert. Parrotfish: Good or Bad for the Hobby? - Tropical Fish Hobbyist - (English)
Minimum volume
"Minimum volume" indicates the size of the tank needed to house this species under optimal conditions.
This is based on a medium size animal, which you want to keep for several years.
It might be possible to keep smaller specimens for a limited period in a smaller tank. A larger tank might be needed for fully-grown specimens.
Hardiness
"Hardiness" indicates how resistant this species is to disease and how well i tolerates bad conditions in general.
Some species doesn't handle transportation very well, but that doesn't mean that the species isn't hardy under the right conditions.
Suitable for aquarium
In this case, a "normal" aquarium is a reef aquarium with mixed corals or a fish only aquarium with an approximately salinity of 1.026 (sg) and a temperature close to 26°C.
Species requiring more than a 4000-liter tank are considered not suitable for home aquarium.
Special aquariums may cover tanks with low salinity, sub-tropical temperature, deep sand bed, sea grass etc.
Reef safe
Always reef safe: No sources indicate that this species will harm corals or other invertebrates.
Often reef safe: Only a few aquarists has reported problems keeping this species with corals and other invertebrates.
Reef safe with caution: This species may be a threat to some types of invertebrates.
Reef safe with luck: Most specimens will harm corals and/or other invertebrates, but you might be lucky.
Not reef safe: This species is a threat to most corals and/or other invertebrates.