Keeping Blood Parrot Cichlids in Freshwater Aquariums
A Hybrid Fish with a Gentle Disposition
May 25, 2009
In Taiwan, the Blood Parrot Cichlid was created in the late 1980s as a result of cross-breeding other cichlids. The actual parentage is not confirmed but the most popular theories are a cross-breed of a Midas Cichlid and a Redhead Cichlid or a Gold Severum and Red Devil.
There is no scientific name for the Blood Parrot Cichlid and it’s not the same as a Parrot Cichlid Hoplarchus Psittacus.
Traits of the Blood Parrot Cichlid
The mouth of a Blood Parrot is a small slit which resembles a beak. It cannot close its mouth but is able to pick food from the surface of the water and crush it using its throat muscles.
The iris of the eye is proportionately large and its spine is deformed in order to give it a high arched back. It is prone to bladder deformities and may have an unusual swimming pattern.
The natural color of the Blood Parrot is orange but breeders have been known to inject the fish with dye to produce colors such as purple, blue, green and pink. Injecting dye into fish is another controversy in the aquarium world.
There seems to be no discernible sexual differences between a male and female Blood Parrot, though some females may be more chubby than males. Adults can grow up to ten inches long and reach an age of ten years.
Breeding Blood Parrots is next to impossible. There have been reports of eggs being laid and not hatching. Males have a tendency to be sterile and professional breeders are experimenting with fertility drugs on the male species.
Aquarium Conditions for the Blood Parrot Cichlid
The Blood Parrot cichlid is extremely peaceful and is compatible with a wide range of fish of the same size. Because it can grow to large size, it is recommended to have a tank size no smaller than 72 gallons.
The ideal PH level for the water should range from 7 to 8.2. The water temperature should be 70 F to 82 F and well-filtered.
The aquarium should be decorated with rockery, plants and driftwood to provide hiding places. A Blood Parrot likes to rearrange the substrate so be sure the plants and driftwood are well-anchored.
Feeding a Blood Parrot is simple because it will eat veggies, flakes, freeze-dried, and small live foods, they don’t take much to keep it happy.
One of the most appealing things about the Blood Parrot Cichlid is the fact it gets along very well with cichlids and non-cichlid fish. It would rather ignore other fish in the tank than chase them.
 |
