New Parrot Cichlids

[OoHeatheroO]

I was at the lfs today gettin supplies for my upcoming tanks and i saw a red parrot being bullied by the others and was hiding the best he/she could....so i rescued it How do i sex them? Right now he isnt Red..he's like orange and black..will he turn red when he gets older? he's about 3inches right now.

Sorry for the crappy photos...he kept movin around

 

[Dwarfs]

Cool, I don't think they can be sexed though.

Try to put stuff like this in the hybrid forum, fights have started over these fish and how they came to be

 

[Ben]

cool fish

i dont know hwo to sex them but i hear sometimes as they get older there colour changes all the time

HTH
DD

 

[OoHeatheroO]

I know he's a hybrid but its not his fault that someone decided to create a new species. I think they are really cute Mods can move this to a hybrid forum if you want...it is still a cichlid either way **EDIT* EVEN IF IT IS A HYBRID

 

[Dwarfs]

Yes it is, I've seen a lot of tension lately and I'm tired of pointless flame wars. They are OK fish, I don't see why people can get so P.O.d about them Good luck with it

 

[Phantom Thief]

...it is still a cichlid either way

Oooh, them's fighting words.

A majority of cichlid owners do not consider this fish to be a "pure" cichlid. But i'll digress to avoid starting another fight over them.

P.T.

 

[CFC]

Please do not post questions about hybrids in the true Cichlid forums.

 

[OoHeatheroO]

Ok CFC sorry..jeez

Its a fish guys...it didnt ask to be born or made, it just is.

Now i'd appreciate it if anyone who actually own these "hybrid" fish to post to this forum instead of people who dont approve or have opinions on them.

Thanks

 

[Jason_S]

A majority of cichlid owners do not consider this fish to be a "pure" cichlid.

Well, that's because they're not "pure" cichlids, they're a cichlid hybrid. but they are still cichlids.

but anyway, nice looking blood parrot you picked up. looks like you might have managed to get one that wasn't dyed. the black coloring looks like juvenile color that is fading. they start off a greyish color with vertical stripes, and as they grow the stripes fade and the fish usually turns orange. I doubt it will become really red. I couldn't tell you how to sex them...I'm not sure they can be sexed by external features. you can possibly vent the fish when it gets bigger or watch to see if it ever lays eggs.

 

[OoHeatheroO]

A majority of cichlid owners do not consider this fish to be a "pure" cichlid.

Well, that's because they're not "pure" cichlids, they're a cichlid hybrid. but they are still cichlids.

but anyway, nice looking blood parrot you picked up. looks like you might have managed to get one that wasn't dyed. the black coloring looks like juvenile color that is fading. they start off a greyish color with vertical stripes, and as they grow the stripes fade and the fish usually turns orange. I doubt it will become really red. I couldn't tell you how to sex them...I'm not sure they can be sexed by external features. you can possibly vent the fish when it gets bigger or watch to see if it ever lays eggs.

Thank you very much for your post!! Thats right they are still cichlids...they are bred between TWO CICHLIDS..its not like they were bred between cichlids and some other fish.

He's a real cutie, just workin on his lil shy problem, im sure he'll be ok in a couple days Even if he doesnt lose all his black, i am happy with having him
I hear that one of the dorsal fins is longer or something if its a male or female, i guess i'll know if he/she lays eggs.

 

[Fishy411]

i heard that there is a true parrotfish. I will try to dig up the scientific name. If there is that would be a "pure" cichlid wouldnt it?


EDIT: Found it. Hoplarchus psittacus . Looks nothing like the Blood Parrots we are used to seeing

 

[yossie_ika]

it will surely turn red for you...

in time...
nice pick up

 

[Jason_S]

yes Hoplarchus psittacus is the true parrot cichlid and a pure species. however this is also an incredibly rare species often fetching prices of $100 ea. for juveniles.

 

[cometcattle]

Yours is beautiful!

Mine is like an aquatic dog. He follows me whenever I walk by the tank, and he's staring at me as I type this!

When I got him he was only 1.5" and he was black/charcol and yellow (sorry, no pics), now he is solid yellow:

 

[Ben]

nice parrot cometcattle!

they're still cichlids no matter what,

would you call maltesexpoodle not a dog?

DD