Hey Just Wondering....

[the_evil_duboisi]

This site I know is selling "baby original blood parrots"(Which I personally think is a bit of yadda), which are small cichlids 3~4cm long, and have the typical shape of the BP, but have almost convict-like colors. The site says they will develop the red BP color as they grow and if they are fed blood parrot color food.

Is this true? If I bought these little chums and raised them, would they grow into normal BPs? And do they have to eat blood parrot color food to get the red color? Or do they just do color metamorphosis as they get larger?

Because if they are the real parrots, this is a real bargain, as they are 1/10 of the price of adults, plus I like raising little cichlids up

 

[~T~]

Yes that is what baby parrots look like (its actually the juvie markings of the midas/red devil cichlid that parrots are descended from) and not only will you be able to see them develp but this way you are sure they havent been dyed. Expect them to begin changing about 3". Also you dont need to feed them any special food for this to happen.

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

Good At 2 for 2000 won, thats a complete bargain....As I know these fish don't easily die, getting 7~9 would aproxomately be the same price as a single grown one!

Lets look up on tanks now.....

Thanks!!

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

Darn. Site ran out of them Still, I'll be getting an adult tomorrow, you see if I don't.....

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

Got a subadult about 3 inches long. She's really funny-looking, as all parrots are I purposely got the one who was getting kicked-on by all the other cichlids(Not just parrots!) but looking fine and the most eager feeder

As she's a typical parrot, she can't close her mouth, but I can count several black teeth!

And she's crazy for bloodworms; I gave the tank one cube, she suddenly unleashed whatever ansestral genes her parents gave her. She ate half the whole cube herself! Kept on biting it until it disappeared, hardly missing any! Something very typical I've seen with CA cichlids.

I look forward to her showing me more fun Wish I could get a King Kong though.....

 

[Zawiha]

you'll have toput up some pics

Here was my ole BP

He was about 10-11 inches.
Lovely fish, but aggressive as hell and drew blood

 

[~T~]

Got a subadult about 3 inches long. She's really funny-looking, as all parrots are I purposely got the one who was getting kicked-on by all the other cichlids(Not just parrots!) but looking fine and the most eager feeder

As she's a typical parrot, she can't close her mouth, but I can count several black teeth!

And she's crazy for bloodworms; I gave the tank one cube, she suddenly unleashed whatever ansestral genes her parents gave her. She ate half the whole cube herself! Kept on biting it until it disappeared, hardly missing any! Something very typical I've seen with CA cichlids.

I look forward to her showing me more fun Wish I could get a King Kong though.....

Nice one, get some pics up.

Yeah KK's are cool, mines drawn blood on me a few times haha.

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

Okaaaay.....She's driving me nuts!

She keeps on uprooting the vallis on the left side of the tank....The ones that were planted when I introduced her. She does it at night, so I wake up to a bunch of floating plants.

She doesn't attack ones on the right side....But she did pull one out.

Is there any way I could curb this annoying behavior?

Also, she's learned to associate tapping the tank's lid when I come near to ":food" Also, she seemed to know from day 2 that the feeding ring is, well, what it is. She alternates from looking at me to the ring. I guess she's trying to tell me something.....

I think I'll try that BP color test of that article on Aquahobby.com later.

Such a funny little fish!

 

[~T~]

Nah they love digging and uprooting plants, never managed to keep plants with a BP.

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

She seems to pull them first, if they are firmly rooted she leaves them alone completely; any signs of weakness and they're floating around the next morning.

PS What should I feed her? Because of the fact she can't close her outer jaws makes it hard to feed! The only things she can really eat are the bloodworms. 1mm NLS and Tetra Colorbits, most of them float out of her jaws. It's actually quite sad....

I think rough-surfaced, floating foods would be best....What do you suggest? Does the blood parrot fish food work well?

 

[kubora666]

She seems to pull them first, if they are firmly rooted she leaves them alone completely; any signs of weakness and they're floating around the next morning.

PS What should I feed her? Because of the fact she can't close her outer jaws makes it hard to feed! The only things she can really eat are the bloodworms. 1mm NLS and Tetra Colorbits, most of them float out of her jaws. It's actually quite sad....

I think rough-surfaced, floating foods would be best....What do you suggest? Does the blood parrot fish food work well?

all cichlids eat/destroy plants
its in their nature.
same as the larger ones rearange gravel etc dig pits, it is in their nature.

my malawi tank was wonderfully planted when it began.
day by day the plants were ripped apart and floating at the top until there was none left =P
i thought i could get away with it! so your not the only one =P

 

[alliebieb]

Hello, I am brand new to this forum and I joined to ask this exact same question. You see I work in a petstore and we dont normally carry them, But I already have one and wanted another and wasnt willing to pay as much as I paid before so I had my boss order them for me. But was kind of disapointed when I got them and they were black and white. Just let me get this straight, they will change color though? to the orangish reddish color? and I do not have to feed them anything in particular? thanks!

 

[kubora666]

Hello, I am brand new to this forum and I joined to ask this exact same question. You see I work in a petstore and we dont normally carry them, But I already have one and wanted another and wasnt willing to pay as much as I paid before so I had my boss order them for me. But was kind of disapointed when I got them and they were black and white. Just let me get this straight, they will change color though? to the orangish reddish color? and I do not have to feed them anything in particular? thanks!

yes

that is their baby markings, like red devil or midas cichlids which they share half their genes with.
all cichlid fry are greyish with stripes so dont worry about that, just like red devils u will soon have nicely coloured fish =)