Parrotfish

A large group of marine fish from the family Scaridae. Parrotfish are characterised by strong fused teeth (beaks) with which they break up corals to feed on the softer polyps. The hard coral is excreted, forming coral sand. In freshwater the name Parrotfish has been applied to a man-made artificial hybrid (pictured) of which the exact origins are not clear. Many aquarists are heavily against the sale of the freshwater parrotfish due to its obvious deformities, variable nature, and difficulties in feeding caused by a malformed mouth.