Parrot Cichlid fascination!!!!!!!

[Hammy & Waf]

Hello, my name is Waf and I am obsessed. I have this huge fascination with Parrot Cichlids. I know nothing about them. I just can't help but to want a 125 gallon tank with about 12 of them in it. There are a couple of issues with that , Hammy already has us a 75 gallon amongst 3 other fish tanks and a tank with turtles , we live on the third floor apartment and are running out of room, and want to move from ohio to california at the end of summer sooooooo, I need help.... How can I have a beautiful tank of these gorgeous creatures with all these obstacles?????

[jm1212]

are they blood parrots or acctual parrot cichlids?

12 is to many for a 125.

[Penfan66]

I don't want to start anything so I'll just tell you what I know about them.
I assume you are talking about Blood Parrots, Blood Parrotfish, etc. Not the original Parrot Cichlid (Hoplarchus psittacus ) which are extremely rare.

These are man made fish basically...hybrids. They tend to have swim bladder and mouth problems. Males also tend to be sterile. They also were injected with dyes to make them more colorfull, but also made them weaker. I don't know if they still do that. Everytime I see them, I feel quite sorry for them.

I personally won't keep them, but I certainly wouldn't tell somebody specifically not to.

[Hammy & Waf]

i dunno. i just know i go to the pet store and see these really fat bubbly bright red orange fishies and i think they are the coolest thing there is. remember i dont know anything about them yet... what would the smallest temporary tank for say three of them. i think i can wait until august when we make our move to cali, but if i absolutely, i mean absolutely cant wait until then so i CAN buy a big tank for them what would a happy comprimise be for baby parrots?

[Hammy & Waf]

according to the picture on live aquaria they are the blood parrot and i have seen them painted with pictures and i hate that it makes me sad too but the orange ones are beautiful

[jm1212]

red orange is most likley the "natural" color.

a 55 will work for three that are fully grown. blood parrots grow fast and shouldnt be overcrowded. you are going to need a pretty big tank for 12 BP's

[Hammy & Waf]

is there any other fish that i can put with them including bottom feeders. i think i want a minimum of a 75 gallon for these guys so i am going to wait until i get to california cause i want it to be a very happy tank so i still vote for a 125 tho. soooo can i do maybe 5 in a 125gal. with maybe a bottom feeder or two????????

[jm1212]

5 in a 125 can work, but there will probably be some aggression. look for tough, fast fish, like gaint danios. the blood parrots will patrol their territories around the bottom of the tank, so adding peacful bottom dwellers like corydoras is not a very good idea.

[x0x0x0]

If you like blood parrots you might like.. macaw cichlids. they're not readily available in most pet stores but they're abundant among cichlid enthusiasts. Scientific name Hypsophrys Nicaraguensis. here's a pic. They're very interesting cichlids.. They're cute too. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=68

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/image.php?id=68&pic=1

[Hammy & Waf]

the macaw looks pretty as well. i also love blue rams. i am not sure what i will end up with knowing me and hammy we will end up with some of everything

[x0x0x0]

Just make sure that if you do end up with "some of everything" that they come from the same type of water background (pH, hardness, etc) and that they are compatible.. ie don't mix cichlids from south america with cichlids from africa (in general).