Parrotfish: Crazy LFS

[i<3reefs]

So I went in one of the LFS in my community, and saw a Parrotfish in their Reef display tank. I told one of the staff that Parrotfish were not reef safe, that they actually eat the rock, and would slowly destroy the reef. The staff there thought I was crazy, I mean common fish don't eat rocks. I was told the tank was the owner's tank, and he would have done his homework before placing that fish in their display aquarium. I said it is possible your owner did his homework, and just didn't care, but regardless that fish is not reef safe. I went on to explain to them how many pounds of sand a large parrotfish creates a year, and that the sand on the beaches largely is parrotfish poop. That flew over like a lead balloon, I must be an idiot, because who would ever believe sand is fish poop.
Hand to share this event, so feel free to share some of your strange LFS situations.

 

[aquaknight]

Originally Posted by I<3Reefs
http:///forum/post/3270378
I went on to explain to them how many pounds of sand a large parrotfish creates a year, and that the sand on the beaches largely is parrotfish poop.
That bit is true, though the hard numbers, percentages of sand from parrotfish vs. sand from corals/rocks being ground together in rough seas, etc, could sway either way. And like depending on what "sand" you're talking about, how much of snails and other things parrotfish don't eat, are in that 'sand'.
Regarding what parrotfish eat, Parrotfish eat algae. That is their sole diet. It's how they 'get' that algae that has lead to their development. It doesn't matter if the algae is growing on live coral, dead coral, or rock, Parrotfish can scrap the algae from it. In the cases of corals, they just take whole chunks of coral, and chew it up with their powerful beaks.
Parrotfish in aquariums are rather unusual. The main problem is size, most of them are monsters that can reach 3 to 4 feet. Some species do stay smaller, Scarus quoyi doesn't get too much over a foot, and the common "Princess parrotfish" gets just slightly larger. The secondary problem is their shyness. Most parrotfish are extremely shy and hide most of the time in a home aquarium.
In a tank, parrotfish can "adapt" like other specialized feeders, corallivore Butterflyfish, Lionfish/Anglers, etc. They learn that you are the source of food.