Parrot myth

[dwarfgourami7]

So then, parrot fish, hybrid or not? Well for all of you who don't think it is. Good for you. Those who do are wrong. You see when it comes to hybrids they lack the required amount of chromosomes to breed. Seeing as they have been bread before they have to be real fish and not a hybrid. JUst to let you know.

[tai95]

It is a hybrid fish. If you have any proof to dispute this i would love to see it.


Where They Come From
Parrot fish are man-made cross-bred fish, and a controversial one at that. Although they've been on the market for well over a decade, they were not seen widely in pet shops before the year 2000. Usually sold under the name of Blood or Bloody Parrots, they should not be confused with freshwater Parrot Cichlids (Hoplarchus Psittacus), or the saltwater Parrot Fish (Callyodon fasciatus). Many fish enthusiasts feel they should not be allowed on the market. Some go so far as to boycott shops that sell them. Controversy even exists over their parentage. The most likely pairings are the Midas Cichlid (Cichlasoma citrinellum) and the Redhead Cichlid (Cichlasoma synspilum), or a green or gold Severum (Heros severus or Cichlasoma severum) with the Red Devil (Cichlasoma erythraeum). I personally believe many of the "calico" Bloody Parrots seen on the market are from the latter pairing. It is also possible that Amphilophus labiatus, or even Archocentrus species are used in creating Bloody Parrots. Regardless of their heritage, one thing is certain - they do not exist in nature

Here are a few links for you to read.

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/cichlids1/a/bloodparrot.htm?terms=how+to+care+for+gold+fish

http://cichlidresearch.com/parrot.html

http://experts.about.com/q/Fish-1472/Parrot-Fish-1.htm

[GuZZiZZiT]

These are blood parrots your talking about correct? not parrot chiclids or sw parrot fish?

wow, i must give you credit, for a 15 year old to have understand that is impressive.

Unfortunatly you are wrong. To declare them a single (pure) species they have to produce Fertile Offspring. While blood parrots have been know to pair off and lay eggs, ussually the eggs are infertile and are eaten by the parents. Also i've found no reports of anyone raising there third generation of parrot fish.

The cases where a blood parrot has been able to produce live young, there line was generaly breed back into one of the species they desceded from.

[liv2padl]

Those who do are wrong. You see when it comes to hybrids they lack the required amount of chromosomes to breed. Seeing as they have been bread before they have to be real fish and not a hybrid. JUst to let you know.

an interesting albeit completely erroneous diatribe. in other words 'dwarf gourami', you have no idea what you're talking about. The blood parrot cichlid is definitely a man-made hybrid. The exact origins of the fish are unclear but it appears to be a cross between a South American cichlid, Heros severus and a Central American cichlid, Amphilophus citrinellus or the red devil Amphilophus labiatus.

while there are 'some' reports that this hybrid has been successfully bred, these reports are by non-scientific sources and purely anecdotal. in fact, the only validated reports of viable spawns are by fish farms using males injected with hormones. additionally, there have been sporadic cases of successful spawnings, but these have been shown to have been crossed with a non-hybrid male, typically a convict cichlid.

[jm1212]

So then, parrot fish, hybrid or not? Well for all of you who don't think it is. Good for you. Those who do are wrong. You see when it comes to hybrids they lack the required amount of chromosomes to breed. Seeing as they have been bread before they have to be real fish and not a hybrid. JUst to let you know. females can breed. thay is how "jelly bean" parrots are made- male convict x femals blood parrot. breeders dye them for one reason; to be dyed. they have a white color but they are not albino.

some blood parrots are a cross between a severum and a firemouth (normal blood parrot) and others are a cross between a severum and a red devil (king kong parrot. they get MUCH bigger and develop the nachal hump)

more and more males are able to breed also, and then their offspring are able to breed also.

regular blood parrots get to be about 8" long, and IME they gain some of the use of their mouths (juvenile blood parrots cannot move their mouths whatsoever)

[Aussie_hippie_2]

How do they eat if they can't move their mouths?

[jm1212]

they "swallow" the food, and they have teeth in their throats that grind it up

[fish_freak]

There mouths kill me such deformed things makes me feel so sorry for them. Some hybrids can in fact breed fertile off spring any how. I had a tank with some mix breed africans and they managed to pair off and breed. But honestly if it is not a hybird then just tell me the scientific classifcation and the debate will be over.

[dwarfgourami7]

We all know or heard of the common mule (donkey and horse) they can't breed what-so-ever, being hybrids. The same applies to parrots. Because people have bread them they can't be hybrids.

[wataugachicken]

the "jelly bean" convict cross parrots can sometimes breed, the true blood parrots can not. not all hybrids are sterile, it depends on how far removed they are from each other. in fact, most blood parots would be able to breed if they were not first *chemically sterilized* to prevent it. why allow fishkeepers to breed for free when it costs the asian companies lots of $ to produce the fish?

[fballguy]

Dwarf gourami can you please post where you found this information? I need to see proof before I believe something, and there is tons of proof that they are hybrids, but I have seen nothing that says they are not.

[fishcatch22]

Dwarf gourami can you please post where you found this information? I need to see proof before I believe something, and there is tons of proof that they are hybrids, but I have seen nothing that says they are not.same here. your logic doesn't make sense, DG.

[GuZZiZZiT]

Again, you are incorrect. While rare, there have been reports of fertile mules, just as there are cases of parrot fish breeding. But only when breed with either a horse or a donkey.

As i explained before, i know what your reffering to. One of the characteristics of a species is that they are able to produce FERTILE young. But, since both parrots and mules are only fertile when breed back into there parent species, Parrot fish are not there own species but are instead a HYBRID.

Also, i believe you missunderstand the concepts of chromosomes. It's not that they dont have enough chromosomes, it's that the number of chromosomes dosnt match.

[YoFishboy]

I'm not a fan of frankenfish, but, for what it's worth, here is another link.....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Parrot

With so much natural diversity of species of fish, I don't really see the need to create hybrids. I prefer to protect the natural species that we have with my breeding program. But that's just my opinion, and I know there are lots of folks that love these little buggers. Whatever you keep, take care of them well and enjoy!

[dorkfish]

Drawf gourami, if the blood parrot is not a man-made hybrid, then where is it's natural habitat?

[Shocker6966]

Drawf gourami, if the blood parrot is not a man-made hybrid, then where is it's natural habitat?

I can answer that: Florida! There are ponds and ponds full of them!

[sumthin fishy]

I can answer that: Florida! There are ponds and ponds full of them!LMAO!!!


Dwarf guarami, please provide me with the scientific name of this "pure" strain of fish. As others have stated I need proof rather than your word on something like this.

[guppygirl123]

Even if it can breed it can still be a hybrid. Blood parrots come from two different species of fish, which automatically makes them a hybrid, wether or not they can breed.

[Ulan]

The term "hybrid" does not include any statement about fertility. It just says that this organism has parents of different species or race. In the latter case, the offspring is usually fertile.

This might also have to do with the fact that most people don't know the definition of "species". A species is not defined by not being able to have offspring with a different species or not being able to have fertile offspring. It's sufficient that they usually don't breed with each other for what reason ever.

[Aussie_hippie_2]

I'm impressed with everyone's knowledge about this subject. It shows how smart people at this site really are.

BTW from my knowledge a species isn't as defining as most people think. If two flocks of birds of the same species were to live on different sides of a mountain for instance, they may eventually evolve into different species, however the changes might be so minor that it makes no difference when it comes to mating. The only reason they wouldn't mate with each other in the wild would be through the geographic isolation.

[GuZZiZZiT]

One of the characteristics that define a species is:

"Two creatures of the same species are able to reproduce (without human help) and have a 'child' that is fertile."

Dwarf Gourmi is trying to use this then to claim that any two individuals that can reproduce are of the same species. That is just not the case. By that logic, buffulo and cows are the same species as then can be cross bread to create a fertile offspring called a beefulo.

What he is forgetting is that there are several other factors that must also be met as well.

Dont get me wrong, i'm impressed that a 15 year old boy understood this much of the theorey, i'd say he's got about 70% of it down, unfortunatly, that last 30% is what makes the rest of it make sense.

[Malefic23]

Dunno about parrots but I'm on my 30th plus generation of guppy/endler hybrids. Not all hybrids are sterile.

[Mgamer20o0]

i am glad someone posted the wiki for the fish. anothing important wiki is the word hybrid. knowing the meaning of words your trying to use is another great idea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid

everything i know about this fish seems to fit into the definition thats stated there.