Has anyone ever come across black marks appearing on there parrot cichlids?

My female has had black markings appear on top front of her body.

I think these might be from a tree root that i have in the tank, but if there any other suggestions i would appreciate them

Black marks on parrots or other fish that fade (red devils, midas etc) are actually stress colours although it can also be brought on if the fish are breeding. Check your water params and see if theres something wrong with your water. The markings will dissapear when the fish no longer feels stressed. This usually only happens with young fish.

black marks can be from cell damage (like bruising) or natural colouration. Often it is associated with chlorine damage or overdosing with medications. Sometimes tannins will make the water go darker and the fish can then show slightly different colouration when kept in the black water (tannin stained water).

I have checked my water and it appears that the GH is low but the KH is slightly high?

Any cures for this and would this cause the black colouring?

it's unlikely a GH or KH problem would cause the fish to develop black patches.
You can increase the GH by adding mineral salts to the tank. A rift lake conditioner used at 1/3 strength will increase the general & carbonate hardness quite rapidly.

If the params are ok (kh and gh being a little off is not life threatening) and the fish are otherwise acting normal and feeding IMO then I wouldnt worry too much. Maybe perform a partial waterchange. Are the fish young? Do they seem like they are preparing to breed? Have you added any new fish to the tank?

The last fish that I added were the Parrots. I bought them as a 'breeding pair'. There hasn't been any mating behaviour, although occasionally they will start to clear an area but this doesn't last fpr long. I will do a partial change and observe what is going on.

A COUPLE WEEKS AGO MY PARROTS WERE GETTING (WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE BLACK VELVETY LOOKING SCUM THAT GETS ON THE PLANTS!) I TOOK OUT THE PLANTS, WASHED THEM REAL WELL AND CLEANED THE STONES IN THE TANK. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE DARK VELVETY LOOKING MASSES STARTING GOING AWAY AND WITHIN 3 DAYS MOST OF THE DARK SPOTS WERE GONE! LIKE I SAID IT'S BEEN 2WEEKS AND IT'S ALL GONE! ALL WE HAVE NOW ARE EGGS, EGGS AND MORE EGGS!!! HOPE WE BECOME G'PARENTS =) GOOD LUCK! HOPE IT WORKS!