All about "blood red parrot cichlids"

[bosk1]

My wife saw these at the lfs and likes them, and asked me to do some research. Apparently, everything about these fish, right down to the name itself (hence the quotes) is controversial. But it is difficult to get the straight scoop so I thought I'd ask here and see if anyone keeps these.

What I have been able to gleen so far: These are a hybrid fish, but you get different answers about what two (or more) species it came from, depending where you look. Some can't reproduce. Some can. They get fairly big. Some sources say up to 6 inches, some 8, some 10. Some say they are docile and can be kept in a community tank. Others say they are aggressive, but only toward other cichlids.

So, can anyone give me the straight scoop in these fish? How big do they get? Are they aggressive? Would they work in a community tank?

I'm not sure I would get one even if they would work. But this is the research stage. So, what can people tell me?

[Fishyfanatic]

I used to have three of them and they are definately not community fish. Well, IMO they are not. Possibly some semi-aggressive species. If you do plan on purchasing, make sure they are not dyed (no blues, greens, purples). Non-dyed ones are yellow and red/orange. Juvi's start off as gray with black bars. They change colors to yellow and ultimately to red/orange. I loved mine and hated to part with them, even if they were hybrids.

[Japola44]

I saw some in a tank at whole foods. Any way they were pretty big and with a bunch of juvenile cichlids. It was just 2 and they didnt seem to bother the cichlids for the few minutes i observed them. One of my friends has a pair. I'll ask him about them.

[anythingscales]

I think they look disgusting. Also they abuse these fish by adding colors and whatnot. Do not buy these fish as they are abused.

[bosk1]

Uh, care to elaborate on exactly how they are "abused?" I am not following you.

[coolchinchilla]

As fishyfinatic said, be sure not to buy any that are dyed artifically. Dying fish is very very cruel and why do you need a purple fish when the regular red/orange color is so bright? Some fishkeepers are stressed out by the hybrid breeding. They do have a cheeky looking head and they can't close their "lips" but plenty of people consider fancy goldfish like orandas to be very distorted looking too (which they kind of are). IMO a blood parrot isn't suffering nor unusually prone to disease if you take care of them.

I emphasize again to strictly avoid any dyed variety. Dying is hideously cruel.

my 2 cents.

[Fishyfanatic]

anythingscales- How are non-dyed parrots abused?

[YuccaPatrol]

When we first began fish-keeping, my wife wanted these. I learned all I could about them and found that it was possible to acquire these that were not dyed and had not been treated badly. Just because it is a hybrid fish does not mean that it has been abused.

I decided to seek out juvenile fish so that I could ensure that I would only be purchasing healthy fish that had been treated well.

Here are some photos to show what the juveniles look like and what they grow up to become. These photos are of the same fish as it developed.

If you buy healthy juveniles, there is no reason to believe that you are buying abused fish. You may not like the idea of having hybrid fish in your aquarium, but that is a matter of personal preference not quality of care.

[boomboom]

I myself own blood parrots and i have no problems with them in my comunity tank. Realize when you are buying them as juvenil they are
grayish green and strip look like a convict and stripe sevurm
yes they can be breed of else we would not be able get them juvenil .
they are a hybrid between a gold serum and a red devil though not beautiful at birth watching them mature and change show the true beauty of this fish.and don't let anyone tell you bad thing because they are hybrid remember purity is over rated and we are even hybrid in some manner

[talloulou]

I keep my blood red parrot in a community tank with severums, firemouth, rams, and I haven't had any problems. I love mine and enjoyed watching it change from a green juvi to an orange fish. Mine grew pretty fast. It was the size of a quarter when I bought it and now its about 4 inches.....that's over apx a year I think. Mine wasn't dyed. Mine does have the problem where its mouth is constantly open but I think many do. It doesn't affect eating at all and mine eats like a pig. I know some find the fish to be a "disgrace" since it's not a fish that nature intended. But I like mine anyway. They seem to have a ton of personality and I like their different look. I would say mine is the least aggressive of my south american cichlids. I thought they were hybrids of severums and midas? It's kind of hard to believe they could be hybrids of red devils 'cause I'd expect them to be much more aggressive.

As far as breeding them I think it is almost impossible to breed two blood red parrots. I have heard strange reports of them being breed with convicts and what not. Not sure what to believe there but I think most of the time the blood red parrot is infertile.

Most people who have a problem with them dislike the fact that they are born with abnormalities that cause problems such as the infertileness, the open mouth, crooked spine, ect..... They are definitely not just a mixture of two things like a retriever/shephard pup. A retriever/shephard pup is still fertile. The reason there is dispute over their parentage is because it is kept secret. I think they are breed in Taiwan and no information is released on how. So people are just basically guessing the parentage from obvious clues. The fact that you can buy juvi's does not mean they breed. It just meens Taiwan is making alot of these Frankenstein fish. But like I said there have been very rare reports of some being fertile. Perhaps eventually this will become more common as nature is good at finding a way so to speak. Hope that helps. Sorry so wordy.