blood parrot cichlids...controversial fish??

[ChasingFish]

We just recently acquired some blood parrot cichlids (that came with a tank purchase). This is not a fish that I think I would have ever set out to purchase (based on appearances), but now that I have them LIVE in person in my tank, and see how funny and interesting their interactions are with my other fish - I have fallen in love with them and would love to get more for my 220 gallon tank that we will be setting up next week.

For those who don't know (I only just learned myself when researching these fish), they are actually a hybrid of "red-head cichlids X midas cichlids" not found in nature...and there are some drawbacks from what I understand in that their mouth is oddly triangular in shape (see my profile pic) and may have other abnormalities. The two that I have are the only blood parrots that I have any experience with, and although their mouths are oddly shaped and their gills also expand out a far distance from their bodies - which is new to me, they don't seem to have any "issue happily existing" are fat and seem to have no problem getting enough to eat. They are also not aggressive to any of the fish in my tank, but I have heard that others have had a different experience regarding aggression.

I guess my question is, have any of you had any experience/problems with this fish type? Do you look down on people who own/breed this type of fish?

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I don't have any experience with them. Just what others have told me. Anytime you have a fish that has been selectively bred to be unfit for life in the wild, you're going to get some controversy. Bettas with extremely long fins, bubble-eye goldfish, balloon-bodied fish, and yeah, blood parrots. Some people say that their very existance is a cruelty. I get where those people are coming from, but I find that looking down on people is almost always a bad idea.

Personally, I like fish that look like fish, dogs that are more-or-less shaped like their ancestors, cats that look like they could actually kill a mouse. I enjoy animals that look and act like they're healthy and "normal." I used to like blackmoor goldfish, but now? Not so much. Seeing how they struggle just to swim across the tank doesn't make me happy. Same with long-fin bettas and lots of other highly domesticated and altered types. I just don't like seeing critters suffer, especially critters in my own care. I doubt I'll ever keep blood parrots because I doubt I'd enjoy them. It sounds like yours are well taken care of, so that's good.

If anybody else responds to this very interesting question, I'll just preemptively remind you to keep it civil and, if all else fails, agree to disagree.

 

[GaryE]

It's a hybrid with a history that makes it more controversial than most of the designer fish. When they first came on the market, the extreme deformity of the mouth was even worse than it is now. It's a super aggressive fish, but the mouth deformity makes it generally harmless. It has its big obese looking body, and looks kind of genial.
The problem was that as the early to market fish grew, a significant percentage of them began starve to death in peoples' tanks, because with age and growth, the mouth deformity had gone too far. They became a poster child of sorts in the campaign against cruelty breeding in the hobby.
In time, the worst of the mouth deformity eased, because of simple natural selection - the starving ones didn't breed. People I know with pet shops have noticed that health can go too far - some are able to act on their aggression, although the fish farms usually kill those ones before they come to market. There was talk in some circles that the fish needed work, and would have to be seriously handicapped again if it was going to stay in the hobby. A lot of stores backed away from stocking them because of complaints.
I think you can see why they get bad press, and why aquarists interested in nature or in natural fish are horrified by them. You can also see why their look and demeanor would be very commercially popular - there are a lot of people who love them.

 

[Splash Dance]

We just recently acquired some blood parrot cichlids (that came with a tank purchase). This is not a fish that I think I would have ever set out to purchase (based on appearances), but now that I have them LIVE in person in my tank, and see how funny and interesting their interactions are with my other fish - I have fallen in love with them and would love to get more for my 220 gallon tank that we will be setting up next week.

For those who don't know (I only just learned myself when researching these fish), they are actually a hybrid of "red-head cichlids X midas cichlids" not found in nature...and there are some drawbacks from what I understand in that their mouth is oddly triangular in shape (see my profile pic) and may have other abnormalities. The two that I have are the only blood parrots that I have any experience with, and although their mouths are oddly shaped and their gills also expand out a far distance from their bodies - which is new to me, they don't seem to have any "issue happily existing" are fat and seem to have no problem getting enough to eat. They are also not aggressive to any of the fish in my tank, but I have heard that others have had a different experience regarding aggression.

I guess my question is, have any of you had any experience/problems with this fish type? Do you look down on people who own/breed this type of fish?

I have two that live happily with an Oscar. I adopted? them all together from another fishy guy. One has an issue with one gill. It’s like the gill is opening up and I can see the darker red gill inside. It sounds & looks terrible, but it doesn’t seem to bother him. He doesn’t otherwise seem affected by it. I initially thought it was part of the breed but the other doesn’t have it. I’ve tried treating it with Pimafix and Melafix with no success. Other than that they are darling fish I absolutely love!
I understand the why there’s an issue with the breed. Since I didn’t set out to buy them I don’t feel remorse. I can honestly say, they would have been difficult not to purchase if I saw them in the store. Have you ever heard of a gill issue like what I described on a different fish?

 

[GaryE]

Gill deformities happen. It isn't common, but it can appear on any fish, really.
Is it more likely on a blood parrot? Probably, because of the head deformity breeders aim for.
Since farms do report a problem with healthy mouths reappearing, it could also be an injury from when the fish was young. One of its brethren might have done that before the fishfarm killed it. It's hard to be certain it's genetic.
As you can tell, I have a problem with the ethics of the people who produce them. But they make a product people like, and the fault isn't with the buyer.
There are a lot of dog breeds I would never seek, because of the choices of their human breeders. Pugs, French bulldogs, pit bulls - all can be good dogs, but they won't be being cute in my house. If you like them and I visit you, I'll get along well with them - I know some nice, very well loved pugs. I figure with extreme breeder products like blood parrots, celestial goldfish, etc, it's pretty well the same.

Be careful with the gill deformity fish, as a new tankmate might target it as a weak point.

 

[ChasingFish]

I have two that live happily with an Oscar. I adopted? them all together from another fishy guy. One has an issue with one gill. It’s like the gill is opening up and I can see the darker red gill inside. It sounds & looks terrible, but it doesn’t seem to bother him. He doesn’t otherwise seem affected by it. I initially thought it was part of the breed but the other doesn’t have it. I’ve tried treating it with Pimafix and Melafix with no success. Other than that they are darling fish I absolutely love!
I understand the why there’s an issue with the breed. Since I didn’t set out to buy them I don’t feel remorse. I can honestly say, they would have been difficult not to purchase if I saw them in the store. Have you ever heard of a gill issue like what I described on a different fish?

No, I haven't heard/seen this gill deformity in other fish, but both of mine are like that too, with the gills open and showing a darker red inside - but just as you said it doesn't seem to bother them.

 

[Back in the fold]

I’ve had fish that I just happened to get stuck with. In time I grew to like them.