# Blood Parrots



## MyOwnZoo (Aug 1, 2006)

Not wanting to hijack another post, and I know this one's going to bring grief, but it's my 2 cents. My point here, if you don't like blood parrots for various reasons, that's fine, that's your opinion. I understand some want the hobby to be kept pure. But at least be informed, instead of assuming that "their mouths don't close, they can't eat". 

I have several tanks, and I have 7 blood parrots, one is "allegedly" a jellybean. Just because their mouths don't close, doesn't mean they can't eat or defend themselves. Over the years, I've had them with several different fish, and the parrots were always the kings of the tank. 

When they have eggs in the tank, and I clean it, I'm repeatedly assaulted and bitten. Granted, it doesn't draw blood like my red devil, and I don't cower in the corner and cry over it, but it hurts enough to the point I'll avoid cleaning that area of the tank their defending. 

I've fed them everything imaginable, crickets, worms, peas, (steamed) carrots, shrimp, pellets, flakes, krill, beefheart, neons(wasn't intentional on my part) they've eaten it all with no problems. And I honestly believe they would survive in the wild. I'd guarantee somewhere in swampy Florida, there's some out there. But, since most males are sterile, at least they won't breed, with each other anyway. These fish are very hearty, they've survived lengthy power outages from the hurricanes(until I could get a generator), my move from Florida to Tennesse, and my multiple mistakes when I first began fishkeeping. 

They also swim just fine. They zip around, go in and out of their caves. They even use their mouths to dig the sand out of their way. From what I understand, they are prone to swim bladder disease. So are other species, certain goldfish I believe? I haven't had that problem with mine though. 

The only problem I have with this type of fish, or any fish for that matter though it seems to be common with blood parrots, is the things that are done to them. Unicorn parrots, heart shaped/tailless parrots, dyed funky rainbow colors. That stuff is wrong and shouldn't be done, nor should they be bought. 

One last thought, we don't have many pet stores here where I live in po-dunk Tennessee, PetSmart and Petland. I won't shop at Petland, they sell dyed fish, Florida store did anyway. Petsmart had 2 tanks with parrots. Both about the same size, one for 5.99 the other for 28.99. I asked what the difference was. The gal said because the cheaper ones had stripes, and the others didn't. I didn't get a good look to see if the expensive ones were dyed or not, and I was in a foul mood and would've ended up being trespassed or thrown in the pokey if I stayed and argued about her ignorance. My point is, juvenille parrots are supposed to have stripes and be a brown, grey color. They either turn yellow or orange as they mature, eventually turning orange. So if you're planning on buying one, don't pay 28.00 for a juvenille parrot. And no need for the "I wouldn't pay 10 cents for one" comments please....... Thanks for letting me express my opinion


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## aykfc (Jun 6, 2006)

Petsmart does not sell dyed parrots. And they are actually 24.99... not 28.99. The smaller parrots are 8.99 I believe. The stores should not vary prices on fish. I work at a petsmart in arizona.


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## MyOwnZoo (Aug 1, 2006)

Thanks for the info, I didn't think Petsmart sold dyed fish. I talked a lot with the guys at Petsmart down in Florida, they didn't sell dyed fish down there anyway-figured it was a national "policy". It just irritated me that she said the price difference was because of the stripes/color, and such a huge price difference at that....I'm glad, I love Petsmart, I don't know where I'd have to go to buy all my critter food if I couldn't shop there.


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## Phantom_Cichlid (Jul 3, 2006)

my lfs carrys dyed and if u ask me its kinda mean


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## bosh (Aug 25, 2006)

what does dyed fish mean


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## Phantom_Cichlid (Jul 3, 2006)

they dip the fish in a stripper and then into a colorful dye and the color dont last long either


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I don't like hybrids. Period. There are hundreds of beautiful, endangered cichlid species and we do well to cultivate them (separtely) in the hobby. If you could guarantee they were sterile, I could see an advatage to that, especially in ponds where they might accidentally get released. However, I won't hijack a thread on keeping them just to tell people to flush the fish the already have. Its rude and not going to change anyone's mind.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

We all have our own opinions about dyed fish. Lets leave it at that unless you are asked for it. Nothing good ever comes from this debate.


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## Lupin (Aug 1, 2006)

The smaller parrots are usually jellybean parrots. Unfortunately, they are fertile so they could still be produced in mass numbers.
As for dyed fish, rather than promoting them, it's better to boycott them by not buying them. This way, the fish farms will see how much losses they get when no one buys dyed fish, Unfortunately, it is the beginners that are the likely victims into buying dyed fish.


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

How can one differentiate a dyed fish? Do you just have to _know_?


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## bosh (Aug 25, 2006)

personally i like blood parrots


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

For the most part, you just have to "know". Painted tetras are dyed. If the color looks too good to be true, it usually is. Glowfish are not dyed but are injected (sometimes into the eggs) with dna from another living creature. The result is a fish capable of breeding and passing the genetic trait on.


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## Phantom_Cichlid (Jul 3, 2006)

as any1 besides me ever seen a dyed oscar, the other day at wallys world there was a dyed oscar


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## Dr_House (Aug 15, 2006)

Yeah, they'll dye just about anything. Saw the "Blueberry Oscars" at a LFS.

I wonder, in regard to Blood Parrots, if the hybridization occured naturally or if it was "helped along".


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## Phantom_Cichlid (Jul 3, 2006)

i have asked that question also but i never get an answer


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## Phantom_Cichlid (Jul 3, 2006)

i have asked that question also but i never get an answer, so what is the answer


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## Lupin (Aug 1, 2006)

Dr_House said:


> I wonder, in regard to Blood Parrots, if the hybridization occured naturally or if it was "helped along".


Help of course. Parrots are usually the cross of Heros severum and Cichlasoma labiatum. Obviously, people would help crossing them rather than letting them mate which can be avoided. People do that to see if they can achieve a cross they like.
Sad though, that parrots aren't natural and I'm not a fan of hybrids. They only decimate the pure strains.


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## Phantom_Cichlid (Jul 3, 2006)

what do u mean by "they only decimate the pure strains"


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I think Blue means that hybrids tend to get bred back to the parent strain resulting a fish that looks like the parent, but doesn't breed true. People looking to outcross their own fish get the hybrids unknowingly and suddenly have a line of fish with poor color or deformities. I don't think this is an issue with blood parrots, noone would mistake them for anything else. But we advise against keeping closely related fish in the same tank (or pond) to avoid hybridization.


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## Lupin (Aug 1, 2006)

I agree with emc7. Endlers and guppies may look different but they will also interbreed. The same thing applies to mixing platies and swordtails which results to xiphophorus variatus or variegated platy.


Phantom_Cichlid said:


> what do u mean by "they only decimate the pure strains"


When I say decimate the pure strain, we are trying to destroy them by crossing them with other species to create more monstrous hybrids and then distributing the hybrids to the public. This will also cause the other hobbyists to create more hybrids rendering the pure strains in danger of being lost due to massive hybridization.
I hated even the flowerhorns which can pose a threat to the local flora and fauna if introduced. They are hardy species but largely carnivorous. They are more dangerous than the original Midas cichlids IMO. Midas may be aggressive but I can see flowerhorns as being more vicious.
Personally, I don't want to encourage anyone to keep hybrids. They are just hybrids and we seem to destroy the natural creations by simply creating hideous hybrids.


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## Phantom_Cichlid (Jul 3, 2006)

oh ok but parrots are so cute cause they cant close there mouth and they look like a fruit you would eat


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## Lupin (Aug 1, 2006)

I'd still oppose the parrots whether or not they're cute.


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## Guest (Aug 29, 2006)

Simpte said:


> Glowfish are not dyed but are injected (sometimes into the eggs) with dna from another living creature. The result is a fish capable of breeding and passing the genetic trait on.


Actually if you do your research you will find that glofish are not injected at all, so to say "sometimes into the eggs" is incorrect. the embryos of the fish have been altered with the DNA of coral..or anemones i cant remember. so now the red is a trait of the fish. they breed true. IMO nothing cruel there fish dont die because of it like in dyeing with acid baths or dyeing with injection.


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## Phantom_Cichlid (Jul 3, 2006)

what size tank doea a parrot need anyway


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

> I'd still oppose the parrots whether or not they're cute


 I'm wilth blue on this one. I'm anti-parrot, anti-flower horn and anti-German Red pea****. There is obviously a tremedous demand for new, bright fish. But we are losing the ability to go back to the wild to refresh our strains and need to get serious about breeding for conservation. Educating new aquarists about species maintainence is hard if they are told "just throw them all together in a tank, it doesn't matter, they're all hybrids anyway". I used to enjoy red swordtails and other common hybrids strains, until I saw Montezuma swords and wild mollies. There are enough spectacular species out there that we don't need to create "new" fish.


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## angelfishamy (Jul 22, 2006)

However the strain was produced the damage is done(or lack thereof).I doubt we are going to eradicate the fish after all more than likely,it was a human who had a hand in bringing the strain about.It isn't the fishes fault they just want to survive and reproduce.I think blood parrots are beautiful if I could provide proper housing for them I would have a few.Hybridization isn't nessecarily a bad thing either it sometimes can improve exsisting speicies(take it from someone who just took a biology class last year.)It could also be bad, but I guarentee your cute cuddly kitten or puppy didn't look that way 5,000 years ago ;-) .


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## Dr_House (Aug 15, 2006)

It seems to me that hybridization by means of putting 2 different fish in a tank and letting them breed is not such an unnatural process. Granted, the option to select a mate is removed, but surely in nature there are fish that hybridize. As rarely seen as they may be, they must exist.


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## Schism (Jul 20, 2006)

So say we have a Labrador and breeds with a poodle to make a different type of dog labradoodle hasnt existed for more than 4yrs now so this type of dog should be considered a "hybrid" and boycotted??


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## Lupin (Aug 1, 2006)

I'd say only the "desperate" will try to create new strains which aren't even natural. Hybridization may happen in the wild but it's not reasonable to create horrible forms in captivity. We are just destroying the natural creations by choosing strains to mate with another strain.
Best is boycott the hybridization. While they may be hardy, I don't see them to be any good at all. What is good with hybrids when you have thousands of selections of natural species.


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## Phantom_Cichlid (Jul 3, 2006)

some one plz answer my question


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## Lupin (Aug 1, 2006)

Phantom_Cichlid said:


> some one plz answer my question


A 40 gallons minimum is ok for one parrot. 55 gallons for a pair.
I wouldn't bother with parrots. We are just trying to promote them when we buy them. There are lots of other fish besides those parrots.


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## Phantom_Cichlid (Jul 3, 2006)

ok ty for the answer


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

> What is good with hybrids when you have thousands of selections of natural species.


 I completely agree. There is only one species of domestic dog. When red swords were developed there were only 4 livebearers in the hobby. Now you can get thousands of beautiful fish from all over the world. Don't even think about buying hybrids until you have paged through an aquarium atlas. Yes, hybrids do occur in the wild. DNA testing reveals that it is one of the ways new species appear. Hybrids in the wild are one reason we are losing species in wild. Mankind connect previously isolated bodies of water (usually for irrigation) and the fish hybidize and both original species are lost. The driving force behind hybridization in the hobby is money. A hybrid strain must be carefully controlled by a professional breeder (usually by culling), whereas any amatuer can breed a species and sell the fry.


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## Lupin (Aug 1, 2006)

emc7 said:


> whereas any amatuer can breed a species and sell the fry.


I'd hate someone who can do that. We are just making the pure strains get wipeout of existence. Beginners are usually the ones who are easily victimized into believing that hybrids like parrots are natural when the truth is they aren't.
Deformed fish(though not hybrids) are widely available. I'm disgusted by the sight of goldfish with overly elongated fins which make them unable to swim properly. Even balloon rams and balloon mollies are a common sight.
Not to mention the sight of dyed fish. This alone has a sign that some people are not satisfied with the natural looks of the fish. Very sad indeed as not everyone realizes what danger they are posing to the natural species which are gradually decreasing in numbers.


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## Dr_House (Aug 15, 2006)

Makin' whoopie seems pretty natural to me. I guess I'm just weird that way. :lol:


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## blcknwitecuban (Apr 17, 2006)

GoodMike said:


> Actually if you do your research you will find that glofish are not injected at all, so to say "sometimes into the eggs" is incorrect. the embryos of the fish have been altered with the DNA of coral..or anemones i cant remember. so now the red is a trait of the fish. they breed true. IMO nothing cruel there fish dont die because of it like in dyeing with acid baths or dyeing with injection.


i thought it was jellyfish.... anyhow there is a fish that they cross with jelly fish DNA. i saw it on discovery channel


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## Lupin (Aug 1, 2006)

blcknwitecuban said:


> i thought it was jellyfish....


It is. I have read some sites and they keep mentioning it is the jellyfish, not corals.


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

I have no problem with hybrids, but I dont like that they are so readily available because if someone comes along and buys say a flowerhorn for their brand new 20 gallon tank and it outgrows it, then they release it into the local stream and it decimates the population of small fish like minnows, as well as killing many large fish as a result of FH's super agression. I think Hybrids are okay for your own uses, or even giving them to responsible friends of hobbyists, but dont put them on the market.

I do like FH's and BP's, though.


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## Lupin (Aug 1, 2006)

Gourami Swami said:


> I have no problem with hybrids, but I dont like that they are so readily available because if someone comes along and buys say a flowerhorn for their brand new 20 gallon tank and it outgrows it, then they release it into the local stream and it decimates the population of small fish like minnows, as well as killing many large fish as a result of FH's super agression. I think Hybrids are okay for your own uses, or even giving them to responsible friends of hobbyists, but dont put them on the market.
> 
> I do like FH's and BP's, though.


Good point. I have always say that FHs should be considered as one of the most dangerous. Let alone their high aggressiveness and potential size. This will cause another case of Nile Perch invasion which is already threatening to wipe out Lake Victoria off its native fish.
The only thing being feared of having hybrids on the hands of hobbyists is that if they no longer become interested, they'll hand them to other hobbyists who may not be aware of the requirements of these fish. Thus the solution for this is euthanization.


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

If I ever get an unknown hybrid, ill either keep it for my own amusement or cull them and feed them to my other fish. The good thong about bp's now is that they are one of the few hybrids where people actually DO know its requirements.


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## The Gallonator (Sep 20, 2006)

Well, i hate to bring back and old thread, but i just got a blood-parrot and i really like him. The first day he was swiming all over the tank checking stuff out, but now he just kinda hides in one of the caves i built him. He comes out to eat and eats just fine, but then goes back and hids. Hes the biggest fish in the tank, and nothing is aggressive in there. Water levels/temps are fine. Is he just getting used to the tank or do they normally just hid alot?


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## Puffer Pita (Jun 16, 2006)

Blue said:


> It is. I have read some sites and they keep mentioning it is the jellyfish, not corals.


Actually its both. There are currently three colors of glofish - red, blue and green (I believe). Each color has had ther dna spliced with that of another sea critter. Each was created for valid scientific research, not for aesthetics. They were hoping to create fish that would glow in the presence of a specific type of toxin/pollutant, which is why they created different colors - one for each type of toxin/pollutant. However, once created, they found that the "glow" effect is always on, thereby not functioning well for the purpose for which they were created. The trait breeds true (babies will have the same colors), they are not physically harmed, their life spans are not shortened, their health is not compromised in any way, and they grow to be the same size as the original zebra danios.


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

....... WHat???

I have always heard they are very social animals... what sie tank?


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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

MyOwnZoo said:


> I'd guarantee somewhere in swampy Florida, there's some out there. But, since most males are sterile, at least they won't breed, with each other anyway. These fish are very hearty, they've survived lengthy power outages from the hurricanes(until I could get a generator), my move from Florida to Tennesse, and my multiple mistakes when I first began fishkeeping.


Blood Parrots are exotics to Fl and inhabit it as do many other species like the Mayan Cichlid and Oscar


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## Jgray152 (Jan 16, 2007)

Personally parrot fish wouldn't be my first choice only cause they are not my type of fish to keep. BUT. My gf wanted some fish so not knowing anything about parrot fish we found some in a tank at a local fish shop. I was amazed by the different colors and I was thinking, parrot fish really these colors? So anyways she wanted 2 of them so we got them. $40 bucks worth. Put them in a 5.5 gallon tank, they were very small. Remember we knew nothing about parrots or how large they get. 

One of them died only from a turtle snapping it in half, she put it in her dads 100 gal with a turtle which usually is ok because the turtle only seem to go after small fish. There are some 1"-3" gold fish in there now doing fine for many many months.

Anyways, the other one is now in my tank, my 55gal with Mbunas. I sometimes think he is the king of the tank. He sits very proud (chest out) right above my large plant in the center of the tank and when any other fish come near to give him crap he immediatly wins the argument within seconds. Most of the time there is zero aggrasion, him and other swim together. Him and my yellow lab fight it out sometimes for rocks. He usually wins. Sometimes looses.

I have grown to like the parrot fish and they can deffinatly hold their own and thrive very well in any water condition. 

This parrot fish also has the tail chopped. 

Now that I have read more and more about what they do to these fish, I wish it would be illegal for them to sell them and even more so to even do the things they do to them.


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