digging problem with blood parrots!

Question
i have a pair of blood red parrots in my 67 gallon tank with other fish. they live in one corner of the thank where i have made a rock cave for them. however they keep on digging up the substrate all the time. in fact right now i can see the glass bottom in the cave. they have removed all the substrate! why do they do this? its really frustrating!! also the male has a few black spots on his fins and above his eyes. they were not there earlier. could the black spots be bruises? he keeps banging on the rocks.  the other parrot doesnt have them neither do any of the other fishes

Answer
Hi Kunal,
Your Red Parrots' behavior is completely normal. As frustrating as it is, its just something you have to tolerate. Red Parrots are just like any other cichlid, they love to dig in the substrate and re-arrange their tank. It may be a territorial behavior or your pair may be thinking about spawning. The black spots on the male could be little bruises from pushing down into the substrate. Your fish are fine though otherwise, they may settle down after some time but in general it is completely normal and nothing to be worried about. Its a very interesting behavior even though it can be frustrating when they ruin the look of the tank. Your pair may be thinking about spawning. If they do spawn that would be quite an accomplishment because Red Parrots in particular are considered sterile and hard to breed.

I really hope this helps and best of luck!
Karen~