Parrot Cichlids
Parrot Cichlid General Information
There is much confusion surrounding the many types of Parrot Cichlids. This page will attempt to familiarize you with all of them. Be aware, there is another fish that goes by the common name "Parrot Cichild" (Hoplarchus Psittacus). Make sure, when referring to Parrot Cichlids, others are aware that you mean Blood Parrot Cichlid, or the Hybrid Parrot Cichlid and not Hoplarchus Psittacus.
Unique Traits
Blood Parrots have many features
that set them apart from other cichlids. The most obvious is
the "beak" they possess for a mouth. A true Parrot Cichlid is
unable to close its mouth, but instead, uses the muscles in
the throat to chew or crush food. It's a misconception that
these fish can't eat from the surface. Every Parrot Cichlid
owner I have encountered, including myself, report that theirs
eat easily from the surface.
It's also been commonly stated
that Parrot Cichlid's have deformed swim bladders. These
organs control buoyancy and allow the fish to maintain a
certain depth in the water column. If they do have swim
bladder problems, it's not evident in the ones I keep. Many
people think that, due to this deformity, the fish must
constantly swim to stay afloat and keep level. In most cases,
I have also found this to be untrue.
I can however,
agree with the fact that Parrot Cichlid's possess a deformed
spine, this is one the reasons they have such a unique shape.
I don't believe it to be much of a problem for them. I've had
reports of Parrot Cichlids living perfectly good lives for up
to 10 years.
A true Parrot Cichlid will also
have larger than normal, bright yellowish-green eyes. Many
have an oddly shaped or overly large iris. Some have a oval
iris while others have a round iris. Some have a streak
leading from the iris to the outer edge of the eye. One of
ours have this feature and it gives the illusion of wearing
mascara. Very cute! Their eyes are definitely one of the
traits that gives Parrot Cichlid's such a great
personality.
Behavior
Parrot Cichlids seem to be somewhat shy upon first
introducing them to the tank. Hiding when any activity is
present outside the tank. After some time though, they will
overcome this shyness. Some report this to take less than a
week, while others say it may take up to a couple of months.
So be patient with your new fish, they will eventually come
out. And when they do, you will see their great personalities
they are known for. They will come to the glass every time you
pass the tank and beg for food . They do the "Feed-Me" dance,
as I call it, and are really good at it too, I fall for it way
too often.
There is also some behavior one must aware
of before attempting to keep a parrot cichlid. They love to
dig, and can be somewhat belligerent towards other fish at
times, especially if two have paired up and are defending
their nest. Many people say their parrot's are very docile,
rarely showing aggression towards tank mates. I however must
fall in to another category. Our parrots grew up together and
are always charging and bumping one another. An occasional lip
fight will periodically occur over territories. Basically
parrot's behavior seems to vary from fish to fish, some are
docile while others have quite a nasty disposition. When
single specimens are kept in a community aquarium, it will
show very little aggression, in a species tank (only parrot
cichlids) you will find the exact opposite to be true. What
bewilders me is, despite all their daytime scuffles, at night
they all share the same cave and snuggle together to sleep,
only to wake up the next morning to start terrorizing each
other again.
Types of Parrot Cichlids
Most commonly found in the
trade is the Red Blood Parrot. Despite the name, these fish
are generally a gold-orange color with a small amount of pink
found on the throat and behind the head of the males. They can
obtain sizes up to 10 inches. Females are usually smaller in
size and lack the pink coloration.
The second most popular type
seems to be the Purple Blood Parrot, like the latter, it's
name is also deceiving. This fish is a bright red color with
some parts of the coloration so deep and brilliant it appears
to be a purple, hence the name Purple Parrot. There is some
controversy as to whether or not these fish are "dyed". To my
knowledge these fish are NOT dyed but are just a different
color morph.
There is also a variety of
Parrot Cichlid that is quite odd. (As if they aren't odd
enough!!) This type is tailless. It's called the "Love Heart"
parrot due to its heart-like shape. It's available in both the
red and the purple variety. We keep one of these, and despite
his missing appendage, he can hold his own in a scuffle and
swim as fast as the others in the tank. This is a really
unique fish, and tailless trend must be catching on. We are
starting to see Discus produced with the missing tail
also.
There is many other color morphs of the Parrot
Cichlid available to the hobbyist. Most of the types below are
not usually found at LFS, (local fish stores) but if you can
find a willing shop owner, they can be ordered. Among these
are:
Red and White
Black and Red
Red and Black Streaked
Black
White
Silver Spots
Black and Red No Tail
Red and Black Streaks no Tail
The
following four types I have not been able to obtain any
information on other than the pictures. If anyone keeps any of
these, or has information pertaining to these types, please e-mail me. As far as
I can tell, these fish are larger in size and have a little
different body shape, but this is just speculation. I have
e-mailed azoo.com requesting more information, we will see
what they say.
Lo-hann
King-Kong Red
King-Kong Purple
Dar-mo
Jelly Bean Parrots and BubbleGum Parrots
This type of Parrot is not a
true Parrot Cichlid at all. What I have gathered is, Jelly
Bean and Bubblegum Parrots are a cross between a male convict
and a female blood parrot. They are then usually died bright
colors like, green, blue, pink, red, purple, etc.
I
found the following information on a message board somewhere
and do not have the authors name. If you are the source of
this information please e-mail me so that I can give you the
proper credits.
The young fish is usually an albino
variety which is chemically treated to strip the protective
slime coat. They are then "painted" with dyes, and given
another bath in a solution to stimulate the slime coat to grow
back. Due to this torturous dying process, the fish have
stunted growth, and rarely reach more than 3-4 inches. They
also have a decreased life span due to the dyeing process.
This also goes for other painted fish such as painted tetras.
There's been many cases of Jelly Beans and
Bubblegums being able to mate and produce fry. This breeding
is often mistaken for true Blood Parrot breeding, so don't be
mislead by these reports.
Parrot Cichlid Info
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