Blood parrot cichlid in 20 gallon long?

[Raven_LOVESFish]

Hello! im fairly new too the hobby, i own a betta. i have one 20 gallon tank and i really like blood parrot cichlids, could i house one BP in a 20 gallon long? because i know they can grow up to 8 inches and thats how big fancy goldfish can grown, and they're minimum is 20 gallons, If not thats ok, can i have suggestions for more fish with lots of personality? thanks!

 

[Wills]

Hi Welcome to the forum.

Unfortunately a parrot cichlid would not work in a 20, as you say they do get quite large. With your reference to the goldfish in a 20g, the rule of thumb is as you say 20g for 1 and 10g minimum for each fish after but that is with the intention of them being kept in at least 50 gallons over all.

Although it would physically fit in the tank to a degree it would be quite cruel. A ratio to work on as a bare minimum is a tank where the length is 6 x the adult size and the width is 2 x the adult size so for an 8 inch Parrot it would need a tank that is 6 foot long and 16 inches wide. The Parrot is actually not the best example for this as due to the way they are bred their adult size is quite unpredictable so some may end up maxing out at around 6 inches or less. Others may end up bigger than 8 inches, but these are usually sold as a premium quality fish so you should know in advance.

So as for what you could keep in your 20g, first of all we need to know what your water is like? What is your ph and do you know if it is soft or hard water. It is important to know this as it sounds like you want some kind of cichlid so it all depends what kind you go for as some will do best in soft water with a below neutral ph and others will do best in harder water with an above neutral ph.

Hope that helps
Wills

 

[Byron]

Aside from Wills' good info, there is a movement among aquarists that this cichlid should not be acquired. This is a deformed fish (not a natural species) made by man from two natural species. It has several deformities that make life difficult and painful for the fish. This is not something we should encourage, so please do not buy one. That only increases the demand.