Care Guide for Blood Parrot Cichlids: The Hybrid with A Tiny Mouth

Blood parrot cichlids are super cool, derpy fish that we have previously kept in an 800-gallon aquarium. They are a great choice over other animals that could be kept in the aquarium. They possess an interesting mix of features – larger size, bright color, and yet a smaller mouth that makes them less likely to damage or eat other fish. It is easy to keep them, provided that you have adequate tank space and the right type of food.

What is a Blood Parrot Cichlid?

This is not the saltwater parrotfish, but rather a freshwater hybrid fish developed in Taiwan from a mix of mostly Central American cichlids. Although there are many theories regarding their lineage, some speculate that they may be:

– Midas cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellus) – Redhead cichlid (Vieja melanurus) – Red devil cichlid (Amphilophus labiatus)

The average length of a blood parrot is 8 inches (20 cm), which is a bit more than a softball. They love swimming in the middle-levels of the ocean. The common name comes from their rounded heads and small, deformed mouths that look similar to a parrot’s beak.

What kinds of blood parrots exist? They are available in many colors, including red and white, yellow and purple (i.e. deep red). The super-sized King Kong parrot, the platinum or snow white parrot, the polar blue parrot and the kirin (or Flowerhorn) parrot cichlid have been created by further mixing blood parrots with other cichlids.

Although blood parrots are usually reddish to yellow in color they can be crossed with other cichlids to produce more variety.

How much do blood parrot cichlids cost? They are more expensive than your average freshwater fish and can range from $15-20 or higher, depending on the variety. Red blood parrots are commonly available at big pet store chains, like Petco and PetSmart.

Why does my blood parrot or cichlid turn black? Juveniles are usually paler than adult fish and can have black markings at the beginning. These black spots may appear and disappear throughout their lifetime, but they usually fade as the fish gets bigger and more colorful with age. Try different ways to decrease stress in your fish, such as increasing water quality and reducing aggression.

How to Set Up an Aquarium for Blood Parrots

Unlike many man-made fish, blood parrots are surprisingly robust and can tolerate a wide variety of temperatures from 72-82degF (22-28degC) and pH between 6.5-8.0. We often keep them in planted aquariums because they don’t dig a lot and their mouths are too small to destroy plants.

How many blood parrots are allowed to be kept together? Can they live alone? We like to keep them in groups, but you can keep one blood parrot in a 30-gallon tank, three blood parrots in a 55-gallon tank, or five to six blood parrots in a 75-gallon tank. This is similar to the tank size requirements for a fancy goldfish, such that each fish needs at least 20-30 gallons of water. We recommend getting one, three, or more than three blood parrots because if you just get a pair, one of them will likely dominate the other.

In spawning seasons, bloodparrots can be more aggressive than usual.

Is it possible for blood parrot cichlids to be aggressive? They can act like a tank boss and climb up on the glass to ask for food. Their small mouths mean they are less likely to harm or eat other tank mates. If you notice your blood parrots are being bullies (or are constantly hiding from the main bully), reduce the aggression by placing tall decorations that block line of sight, providing more shelters, adding dither fish, or upgrading the tank size.

What fish can you put with blood parrots? Keep them with other peaceful or semi-aggressive fish that are similar-sized and can live in the same environmental conditions. That means no to guppies, betta fish, or goldfish. Common tank mates for blood parrot cichlids include oscars, angelfish, larger tetras, and of course more blood parrots. We personally have kept them with clown loaches, a Mbu puffer, giraffe catfish, and clouded archerfish.

What do Blood Red Parrots Eat?

Many people struggle with finding the right kinds of foods to feed blood parrots. Because their little mouths do not open or close very much, they have to carefully line up their bodies with the food and then swim forward to “scoop” it in. They may become overwhelmed during mealtimes and need food that is easy to swallow. Therefore, consider feeding baby-sized pellets to the juveniles and feeding mini pellets to larger adults. We believe they prefer floating pellets, as the cichlids will be able to reach the food from beneath it and gravity will allow the granules of the food to fall into the container. Hikari’s Blood Red Parrot+ has the added benefit that it contains color-enhancing substances to increase blood parrots’ redness.

They have small mouths that are more suited to eating whole foods, than just taking bites.

How do Blood Parrot Cichlids Reproduce?

Hobbyists cannot reliably raise blood parrots because males are often infertile. They will try, however. If the female lays her eggs on a flat surface, both parents will protect them from predators. While females can cross with similar-sized Central American Cichlids, offspring seldom look like or display the beautiful colors of bloodred parrots.

We realize that man-made hybrids are not everyone’s cup of tea, but they are an attractive choice if you want to make a larger community tank with aquarium plants. While we do not ship fish, you can visit our preferred online vendors to find the perfect parrot cichlid for you.