blood red parrot

[ashleynicole]

Ok these guys were on sale $5 at petsmart... so I got an impulse buy. Bad I know, but to be fair I have been researching this particular fish for a while now because everytime my husband accompanies me to a fish store and I ask him to point out fish he likes to try to get him more interested in the hobby, he points to these guys. I don't believe in purchasing dyed or genetically modified fish. However from my research this fish is a hybrid and not dyed. I know some can be but this ones color looks natural and the fish , not sure if its male or female, looks healthy. And the best part is my husband is showing more I interest in the tank when normally he just grumbles about the money I spend on it.


Anyway so I got him yesterday and he has already made a burrow inside a terracotta pot and has eaten both omegaone flake food and frozen/thawed bloodworms. He also ate an algae wafer when I put them in for my bottom feeders.

He did a "dance" with my bolivian ram and since then they have been keeping to themselves but also occasionally swimming side by side I noticed earlier this evening before the lights went out.

Overall I am happy with the purchase but would appreciate any tips from those that have or currently have these fish. I want to give this guy the best environment possible.

EDIT- forgot to mention this guy is in a 55 gallon planted tank with sand substrate and driftwood. Recently upgraded from a 29 gallon and still working on adding more plants, upgrading lighting, looking for bigger driftwood, etc.

I'm also attatching pics if anyone has any idea on the sex? Thanks
















Also here is one of the bolivian ram if anyone wants to take a stab at the sex. I think male but not sure.

 

[Pton46]

Hi you have Two nice looking fish there.

I have both but not in the same tank. I don't think the Ram will fair well with the Parrot due to their potential Size difference at adulthood in the long term.

The Ram is a peaceful fish and the Parrot should be ok as long as it doesn't feel threatened for now. The Parrot might bully it , just watch closely.

Male Rams tend to be more Colorful so from the pic (strictly guessing you probably have a male) I think since the hint on red in the fins.

No Idea on the Parrot and you good price on it, they usually run more than 5 bucks.

Sometimes depending on the Store Petsmart is not bad especially when I found out one of my LFS and local Petsmart got their Shipments from the same Distributor.

 

[ashleynicole]

Yes I have to say this particular petsmart has been excellent as far as stock I've gotten over the past year there has been healthier than the stock I've purchased at the local fish store.

I am definitely going to watch closely the relationship between the ram and the parrot. This particular ram is a fiesty one. He bullied two angels I had when they were in the 29, it was so bad I had to remove the angels and they were bigger than he was at the time. Of course it could've been the size of the tank as well but I will keep an eye on things.

Like I said they went face to face yesterday and "danced"... Not really sure how else to describe it. Maybe they were displaying for each other? They never nipped or pecked at each other, never even chased. Then they left each other alone. And then this evening I noticed them swimming side by side occasionally.

 

[Pton46]

Like I said they went face to face yesterday and "danced"... Not really sure how else to describe it. Maybe they were displaying for each other? They never nipped or pecked at each other, never even chased. Then they left each other alone. And then this evening I noticed them swimming side by side occasionally.

If they are Face to Face, typically not a good sign. (like a Stand off of sorts )

That is both species sign of Aggression typically.

Parrots are a Nippy fish, so just keep your eye on them.

 

[ashleynicole]

If they are Face to Face, typically not a good sign. (like a Stand off of sorts )

That is both species sign of Aggression typically.

Parrots are a Nippy fish, so just keep your eye on them.

Don't worry, I will definitely keep my eye on them.

The reason I wanted to know the sex is so my kids can name them, kinda silly I know but I have a 5 year old and a 3 year old. My 3 year old has a male betta whose name changes on a daily bases, and my 5 year old has a new male betta that she named "Toothless". (each in their own 5 gallon planted tanks) I guess it really doesn't matter but when my daughter asks me if the parrotfish was a boy or a girl so she can pick a name I told her it was a girl so I will just hope I am right

 

[markiezzi]

Just wanted to chime in. I have 3 parrots and never had a problem adding new fish as long as they were about the same size. Give it a few days every one is establishing territories. When I was having problems adding saltwater fish I was advised to move rocks around so that territories were taken away. You may need to look into a larger tank down the road my 3 are all about the size of a baseball now

 

[Pton46]

Don't worry, I will definitely keep my eye on them.

The reason I wanted to know the sex is so my kids can name them, kinda silly I know but I have a 5 year old and a 3 year old. My 3 year old has a male betta whose name changes on a daily bases, and my 5 year old has a new male betta that she named "Toothless". (each in their own 5 gallon planted tanks) I guess it really doesn't matter but when my daughter asks me if the parrotfish was a boy or a girl so she can pick a name I told her it was a girl so I will just hope I am right

LOL, I understand completely, My 9 yr old does the same thing.

We only know the sex of our convicts in our tank....

Any their names you ask? Boy Convict and Little Convict. LOL

 

[ashleynicole]

LOL, I understand completely, My 9 yr old does the same thing.

We only know the sex of our convicts in our tank....

Any their names you ask? Boy Convict and Little Convict. LOL

That's cute, lol. Not all of my fish have names, but we are working on it. I just love the names my kids come up with. We have a cat she named "Meela", I have no idea where she got the name from but it suits her.

Just wanted to chime in. I have 3 parrots and never had a problem adding new fish as long as they were about the same size. Give it a few days every one is establishing territories. When I was having problems adding saltwater fish I was advised to move rocks around so that territories were taken away. You may need to look into a larger tank down the road my 3 are all about the size of a baseball now

A 55 gallon should be sufficient since their max size is 8" from what I have read? I do not have any plans of upgrading this tank. If it turns out to be a problem I could always rehome or sell back the parrot, but if I become too attached I could get it a separate tank of it's own I suppose. I always keep my eyes on Craigslist for cheap tanks Thanks for your input.