Mike’s Fish Tank – Blood Parrot Cichlid
Posted by Dustin Horton // April 3, 2013 // Articles, Mike's Fish Tank
The blood parrot cichlid has become a very popular fish. It was first created in Taiwan around 1986. It’s parentage consists of the Midas cichlid and the red head cichlid. Blood parrots should not be confused with the salt water parrots. Blood parrots are often bright orange in coloration, but there are other colors that happen naturally such as red or yellow. Other colors may be produced by dyeing the fish.
Adult fish can grow to a length of 8 inches or more and reach an age 0f 10+ years.
As a result of inbreeding, the fish have deformities such as a beak-shaped mouth that cannot fully close. Some commercial foods have been developed specifically to be easy for blood parrots to ingest. Recently some blood parrots have been selectively bred to be able to completely close their mouth. Blood parrots sometimes can have deformed swim bladders, causing an awkward swimming pattern due to their unique shape. Male blood parrots generally are infertile, but successful breeding has occurred. Fish farms have begun introducing male blood parrots injected with a hormone to increase fertility. Most female parrots are fertile. Both parrots guard the eggs of their young.
Blood parrots are hardy and may be housed singly or in schools. The fish are voracious eaters and generate significant uneaten debris during feeding. High volume filtration and frequent substrate suctioning is recommended to minimize nitrates.
As mentioned above, Blood parrots are often dyed and come in a variety of colors such as blue, purple, pink, green and yellow.
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