Advice Needed

[nx2ured]

I currently have a 55g tank with 4-3" blood parrots, 5 tiger barbs, and a small cory cat. I have been searching for a (1) cichlid that can go into this tank as a nice color contrast. I really love the blue jack dempsey. Does anyone have any experience with this combination? I also need him to eat a slew of guppies that I introduced into the tank for the parrots to eat and they didn't. Thanks in advance!

Lisa

[Lupin]

:welcome: to AC!

I wouldn't advise adding more cichlids. Blood parrots have a tendency to reach 8-10 inches as they mature and as each behaves differently, your other fish may or may not survive for long. I wouldn't advise feeding them guppies. Stick with beefheart, bloodworms, shrimps, commercial foods, veggies, mosquito larva, etc. Feeders tend to introduce parasites which can seriously undermine the fish's health.

[nx2ured]

Sorry, I didn't really clarify. I put about five small guppies (from another tank of mine) in the parrot tank a few months ago to add a bit of variety to their diet. Either the guppies hid too well or the parrots were just too slow. Needless to say, the guppies have just kept multiplying and for the life of me I can't catch them all! I would like to get something to eat the guppies, be pretty, and get along with my parrots.

[rwspear76]

Lol, get a new tank, set up, cycle, transfer the fish you want to keep, then use a large net and capture guppies, take to lfs and give them away....I cant stand guppies because of the way the breed, a cousin of mine has a 25g, started with just a few guppies in there and now it is way way way overstocked. This weekend we are going to rid him of the guppies, and get him some barbs and other small not so insanely breeding fish.

[jm1212]

i wouldnt add a fish just to eat the guppies...

especially considering there are an unknown number of guppies in the tank, you shoudlnt add anything. in fact, the blood parrots themselves are fully stocking, if not overstocking, the tank.

[MightyWarMonger]

Well as stated above adding another Cichlid with the curent stock would be difficult or unadvisble in the 55 but a cichlid that would do what you wanted would be this (http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1062), garenteed to eat the fry and when it's big enugh it would eat the guppys. But it gets up to 11" and I have no idea how it would act with a blood parrots.