Are Blood Parrots ethical to own ?

[Freakgecko91]

Breed-physically different individual within the same species (dog, cat, etc)
Hybrid-two or more species interbred to form offspring. (Blood parrot, flowerhorn, etc)

A cichlid is never to be referred to as a "breed" as they are defined by their distinct species. Any color morphs within a species are labeled as such, and any collection point that offers a different pattern/color is referred to in the format [genus species "collection point"].

Figured I'd throw this out as these terms are most often thrown out horribly in these hybrid debates.

With all that said, everyone here knows my stance on hybrids. They have no place in the hobby. I even have trouble keeping BNP for that reason, but that is the one hybrid you'll find in my tanks.


Blood parrots are a horrendous example of how humans love to play God. Their short bodies can cause major internal issues, and they often lack the ability to close their mouth, the number one defense tool in a cichlids repertoire. For this reason, they chew their food with their pharyngeal teeth (second set of teeth in the back of the throat). Why keep a fish that is this deformed? I hate the argument "because they're cute" or "they have great personalities!" Because there are naturally occurring, non-deformed species that exhibit similar traits. Why buy a fish that can't even eat properly?

There's my 2 cents, take em or leave em


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[aquamami8326]

I've had my 2 blood parrots for quite some time now. I knew exactly what they were before getting them, and I have no excuses. Though I can now say my opinions on the matter have changed. At first, I couldn't ignore the fact that they were such happy, personable fish. I thought "it's no different than cross breeding domestic cats with servals to get that certain wild cat breed". But as my blood parrots have grown, the issues are relentless. My larger blood parrot has become severely aggressive towards the much larger ghost knife in my tank, and the only saving grace is the blood parrots horribly deformed mouth. His mouth cannot close, let alone move very much at all. When I feed, he definitely has a hard time; sometimes I need to use a turkey baster to get the food right in front of his mouth where he can suck it in. I have to agree that they chew with their throats, but it isn't very noticeable until the fish get quite large.

At first the fish seem to get along swimmingly, living a happy normal fish life. As they grow, the deformities take their toll. In my experience

 

[Brookster123]

I've had my 2 blood parrots for quite some time now. I knew exactly what they were before getting them, and I have no excuses. Though I can now say my opinions on the matter have changed. At first, I couldn't ignore the fact that they were such happy, personable fish. I thought "it's no different than cross breeding domestic cats with servals to get that certain wild cat breed". But as my blood parrots have grown, the issues are relentless. My larger blood parrot has become severely aggressive towards the much larger ghost knife in my tank, and the only saving grace is the blood parrots horribly deformed mouth. His mouth cannot close, let alone move very much at all. When I feed, he definitely has a hard time; sometimes I need to use a turkey baster to get the food right in front of his mouth where he can suck it in. I have to agree that they chew with their throats, but it isn't very noticeable until the fish get quite large.

At first the fish seem to get along swimmingly, living a happy normal fish life. As they grow, the deformities take their toll. In my experience

That's a whole new point er havnt hit yet, they're bred with phsyco so these seemingly docile goofballs can hit full psycho when they mature.. be like watching a jar full of possessed skittles.

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