blood parrot questions

[switchcats]

Hi there,

I am working on stocking my 65G. Last week we were in the fish store, and my husband got looking at the blood parrots, and saying that he would like one. The clerk didn't really know too much about them, but mentioned that I should keep them in odd numbers.

Would they work with 4 giant danios, 4 dojo's and a redtail? I was also planning a school of gold barbs, a dwarf gourami, and a couple other gouramis. Maybe some mollies or platies for a dash of color.

Do they need any special water parameters? And how big do they really get...I've read anywhere between 4 and 10 inches.

At another pet store, they have smaller parrot cichlids (about 1.5") that are grey-brown in color, but the same shape. Are these just young ones that will grow into the blood colors? Because they are about a quarter of the price of the 3 inch ones.

Could someone please advise me? Thanks!

[sumthin fishy]

http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db.cgi?db=fresh&uid=default&ID=0550&view_records=1 parrot cichlid....a regular old fish

http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db.cgi?db=fresh&uid=default&ID=0541&view_records=1 blood parrot, a hybred of parrot cichlid and severum.(that has been debated, and I guss some folks think its a different cross{red devil/sev as AC has it} or there are multiple crosses, whatever, this is the info I could find :P )

Theres also jellybeans that are Bp crossed with convicts. You need to decide if you want to keep hybred fish, there are morral issues there. I personally would not get a fish knowing its hybred, and some folks will flame you if you do so, but to each his/her own.

Seeing all the fish you have or are going to have, I wouldnt want a large cichlid in there, Id think youd be overstocked as well as dealing with compatibility issues, but again, to each his/her yadaa yadda....

[YuccaPatrol]

The ethical/moral issue with these fish is mainly the fact that many of them end up artificially colored using dyes/injections/etc.

I personally have no problems with a hybrid, but some people don't like them. Whether or not it is immoral or unethical to create a hybrid animal is up to you. A mule is a hybrid but I've never heard anyone complain that it is wrong to breed a horse with a donkey to create one.

Your best bet is to buy those grey/brown juveniles because then you can be guaranteed not to be buying an artificially colored fish. I bought 2 juveniles like that and they have become incredibly beautiful fish, perfectly healthy. Mine lay eggs from time to time, but since the male is infertile, no babies.

I have a male and a female and they swim together and hide in the same cave together, so odd numbers doesn't make much sense in my aquarium

I was in a LFS today and bit my tongue as I watched a guy buy a bright blue colored blood parrot. I know the fish won't stay blue if it survives to adulthood, and I think it is wrong to do that to a fish, but it was not my place to tell him or the shop owner my opinion. Whether or not I buy fish from that store again is under debate right now though.

[sumthin fishy]

The ethical/moral issue with these fish is mainly the fact that many of them end up artificially colored using dyes/injections/etc.

.
Another factor is the ammount of fry that are culled due to deformities(e.g. oh look half these fish are so badly deformed we have to kill them)

Im no expert on this subject, but if they have parot cichlids, and they are indeed pure bred parots and not BPs, and you like them, I would chose those over the hybreds.

[switchcats]

Yucca, how long did it take for them to grow up? And did they change colors? And what kind of fish do you have them with?

And no, I have no intention of buying one of the jelly-bean variety! Dying is cruel.

[Flowerhorn916]

I dont think Blood Parrots are a good choice for a community tank since they do get 10" long and they will eat molly and probably kill dwarf gourami's

[YuccaPatrol]

Yucca, how long did it take for them to grow up? And did they change colors? And what kind of fish do you have them with?

And no, I have no intention of buying one of the jelly-bean variety! Dying is cruel.

They started out around 2.5 inches (not including tail) and are now about 4.5 inches. It took about a year for them to completely lose all of their dark colors, but half of that time they just had black areas on their fins and such.

Let me post a few photos to show how they changed over a total of about a year and a half. These pictures in order will show you how they naturally change to their bright orange color.

Today I was at a LFS and was shocked not only to see the dyed and colored ones, but I also saw the ones that have their tails chopped off when young to make "heart shaped" fish. Disfiguring them for cosmetics made me want to puke!

[ronjeremy1]

hello,

This mornign my bloody parot was pretty active. I figured out that she layed hundreds of eggs on a rock..I know that they aren't suposed to breed and the fact that I have only one of them is also very strange! Can someone help, me?? My other fishes are: 1 oscar, 1 pacu, 1 crayfish, 2 pleco, 1 severum. I'm 100% sure that the eggs are from the bloody parot fish because if i look under it, I can see that her "vagina" is still open..I can't send a picture the file is too big...How can I?

thank,

Ron

[sumthin fishy]

Well if the eggs are fertalized Id bet on the severum being the dad since they share some genetics. But, dont count on them being fertalized. chances are they will be eaten or just go bad.

Im very illeterate when it comes to computers, but I think you can just resize the picture to get the file size down :huh:

[fish_breeder_05]

sounds good. what red tail? shark? catfish? eather way, get them out

[switchcats]

Sorry, it's a red tailed shark. He's about 3 inches right now. My theory for getting the blood parrot while he is so young is that he will grow up with his tankmates and not be aggressive to them later on. And if he's alone then he won't have someone to join forces with and terrorize others. Am I wrong with my theory?

So if I decide not to get him, what should I put in this tank, that would be a centerpiece dash of color?

I appreciate all suggestions given, it's just that there's so many opposing opinions about this fish! :confused:

[YuccaPatrol]

My pair of blood parrots lays eggs every couple months. Of course, they are never fertile, but they like pretending that they are making babies.

Other fish end up eating the eggs, so I just leave them in there. My clown loaches especially love the eggs.

[switchcats]

Ok, so I got the guys last Friday, and they are adorable! They don't pick on anyone else in the tank, and they are already watching and recognizing me! Once in a while the red-tail decides to chase one around the tank, and then gives up.

So what do you feed them? Since it's such a varied tank, what would happen if say, the danios ate cichlid food, and the parrots general flakes and sinking pellets designed for tropicals? What else should I introduce to the diet to keep them all happy? I know that I need to get algae tabs for the loaches, since the parrots have taken to stealing the shrimp pellets off the bottom!

And what else do you suggest for additional tank mates? Or am I close to capacity now?

Thanks for all the suggestions.

[fish_breeder_05]

Sorry, it's a red tailed shark. He's about 3 inches right now. My theory for getting the blood parrot while he is so young is that he will grow up with his tankmates and not be aggressive to them later on. And if he's alone then he won't have someone to join forces with and terrorize others. Am I wrong with my theory?

So if I decide not to get him, what should I put in this tank, that would be a centerpiece dash of color?

I appreciate all suggestions given, it's just that there's so many opposing opinions about this fish! :confused:
bloods are very confusing. Being a hybrid and only around for a few years, no one can say their maximum size. aggresion reports vary from being compatible with neons, to being capible of filling a simalairly sized oscar, yes you are right on your thery, it depends on what they are raised on

[YuccaPatrol]

My parrots are incredibly good community fish. They lived with neons for quite some time without incident. Others I have heard are not like mine.

I think you just don't know what you get until you get it. . .