caring for new fish

[lightning]

my wife had to buy one of those hybrid parot fishes, only thing is i know nothing about these fish and seem to find very little info on them, its in a 10 gallon tank with a medium pleco, the tank has been set up for awhile, it was looking pretty stressed till i put a nice rock in it to hid under, she wanted to put it in the 55 with my cichlids but i didnt think that would be a good idea, if anyone has hints or where to find good info on this fish, please let me know,, thanks!

 

[Psycho_187_2k]

Ok...to begin with, blood parrot cichlids are a hybrid cross between a servium and a red devil, i have had a blood parrot cichlid every since i got into this hobby, the water parameters have to be just about perfect or the parrot fish will be stressed all the time(you will notice a kinda slimy, dirty lookin fish if the water parameters are not nearly perfect). Now to keep a blood parrot in a 10 gallon would be down right, "unhealthy".....now you would be able to put it in with the other cichlids cause the blood parrot is considered "aggressive", i have my blood parrot in with oscars, jack dempseys, pacus and plecos....they are like a big family...now on the other hand keeping a pleco in a 10 gallon is wrong..im not trying to be offensive but ive seen so many people get the plecos and return them cause the "outgrew" their 10 gallon tank..Also here is a couple websites for you to look at about the blood parrot......keep me informed on how everything is goin with the blood parrot!!!!


http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/gparrotm.html
http://geocities.com/parrotcichlid/general.html

<.^.>Psycho<.^.>

 

[lightning]

thanks for the links,
the 10 gal was just a place to put the parrot fish, the guy at the fish store told her that the parrot fish couldnt go with the cichlids, that they would tear it up, i have mostly rock dweller african types
yello labs, colbolt blues, bumblebees a firemouth, etc
also doesnt know if it matters or not but this parrot is a grey blue color, not like the other ones i have seen

the pleco is in holding in the 10 gal also, a neighbor bought it for his kids 3 gal and was going to toss it out to the cat to play with cause like you said it was too big and couldnt find anyone to take it, so i took it to keep it alive, i plan to add it to my 55 gal with the cichlids also

thanks again,

 

[SoulFish]

parrotfish get way too big for a 10 gal, i would return it and tell your mom that you dont have a tank it can be put in and if she wants it to buy you another tank, btw firemouths are not africans

 

[lightning]

i know the fire mouth is not an african, he was a test fish, he gets along just great with the african's,, right now anyway, i think we are going to add another 55 gal, and put the parrot fish in it,, maybe add afew more parrot fish to keep it company,, how many parrots would you think could comfortably live in a 55 gal?

 

[SoulFish]

they will never live comfortably they are freaks of nature who cant even close there mouths, in my opinion

 

[colesea]

2 blood parrots in a 55 gallon tank. They grow very big, like soft balls.

Blue grey is not the natural color of a blood parrot, you probably have a dyed fish. Baby blood parrots are a green color, and as they grow they turn yellow, then orange, then become a deep "blood" red when fully mature.

How big is your blood parrot? Sometimes people get dyed blood parrots confused with dyed convict ciclids.

Bood Parrots get along with several different species of South American Cichlids, such as sevrums and convicts. But I would place them in a tank with big carnivors like oscars or jack dempseys. I've also kept Blood Parrots with tinfoil barbs, silver dollars, giant danio, bala sharks, ID cats, and different cory cats.

it is not a good idea to keep South American Cichlids mixed with African Cichlids. Nor is it a good idea to keep a pleco with African cichlids either. For some people it works, for others it doesn't, and because of that uncertainty factor, I highly recommend it not be done at all.
~~Colesea

 

[SoulFish]

i agree with most of what cole said except about the plecos with the africans, plecos are very tough the live in the wild here in everything from highly brackish water to polluted freshwater canals with no flow, they also are very tough incase they are attacked but are usually ignored

bala sharks . IDs and Tinfoil barbs get along fine with parrotfish but i wouldnt keep them in a 55gal

 

[lightning]

the parrot is just about the diameter of a baseball,
sometimes its fins look a little yellow in the right light, its still hiding alot, only comes out where it senses food,

so then its a NO with putting it into the tank with the cichlids ?

 

[lightning]

how can i upload pictures?
i got a couple you can see, the parrot and my cichlid tank