Hi lian - don't worry about C-man - he takes his fish seriously (like as in the Spanish Inquisition), but he's a nice guy on any other subject than Blood Parrots
Got a pair of the things myself, didn't know what they were at the time, and fallen in love with them since.....
In a 40 gal tank two BP's would be your lot, they grow to 8 inches - eat and excrete like hogs, and they can get bossy if given the chance. They get on really well with Oscars, but the minimum for a pair of Parrots and ONE Oscar would be a 75. There's just not enough water space for more than that once they grow - which would happen within one year. i have one Oscar and a Parrot in a bow front UK55 gal - and when that Oscar gets over the 10 inch mark, I'll still need a bigger tank.
The trick with parrots is to know thier weak spots, although they are bred for characteristics such as no tail, this can severely hamper their interaction with other fish. The "normal" fish see this other fish with no tail, and beat up on it because they think it is sick and dying - being the wrong shape can get you killed in the aquarium. Also, some Parrots can't close their mouths properly - not all - just some - and that means they can't defend themselves if attacked. Hard to win a lip-lock competition if you can't "lock".
It seems the red ones are the strangest and therefore the most likely to get picked on, some of the yellows are ok, but have odd tails, the safest ones are the orange or peach coloured, as they seem to get on well with most SA Cichlids. Avoid the ones with heads that look like they are stuck on as an afterthought, these will be the first to die in the tank. The shape tends to offend the other fish and anything odd gets attacked in a Cichlid tank.
Well - hope this doesn't put you off blood Parrots - but maybe also it should. The world of hybrids is fraught with trouble. Colours and shapes that are artificial disturb the body language process of the other fish, so they are often picked on just for being strange - by fish as well as by people.
But hey - we haven't got to the ones that have been stuck with needles to dye them green, blue, and purple yet..............well.....you can see where this goes.....straight into the cash register at the shop.
I do love the two I have, I really do - but no - it's not a good idea, and certainly not in that size tank.
