My Pumpkin

[hellohefalump]

Just thought I'd make a post about Pumpkin because he's lovely!

Pumpkin is an undyed blood parrot (I think) cichlid and is maybe 7"? I haven't measured him, but he's pretty big.

He lives in my 100gal tank, alongside many, truly, tiny, tetras (glowlights etc) and tiny otos and khuli loaches (granted, these are large ones)!

Is Pumpkin normal? Because I've read and seen first hand that parrots are aggressive and eat small fish. I've had him in my tank getting on for two years now. He's not aggressive. Every now and again he has a small fight with my clown loach, but in fairness, the loach usually starts it. When I worked in my LFS, the parrots used to attack me when I cleaned their tank out! Pumpkin's a shy thing and when his tank is cleaned he hides in the java fern!

He likes to dig, which is annoying because it's a planted tank. But I don't mind. He's my favourite fish in the tank and my toddler loves him (because he's big and bright and easy to see).

Has anyone else got a friendly parrot cichlid?

 

[~T~]

Just thought I'd make a post about Pumpkin because he's lovely!

Pumpkin is an undyed blood parrot (I think) cichlid and is maybe 7"? I haven't measured him, but he's pretty big.

He lives in my 100gal tank, alongside many, truly, tiny, tetras (glowlights etc) and tiny otos and khuli loaches (granted, these are large ones)!

Is Pumpkin normal? Because I've read and seen first hand that parrots are aggressive and eat small fish. I've had him in my tank getting on for two years now. He's not aggressive. Every now and again he has a small fight with my clown loach, but in fairness, the loach usually starts it. When I worked in my LFS, the parrots used to attack me when I cleaned their tank out! Pumpkin's a shy thing and when his tank is cleaned he hides in the java fern!

He likes to dig, which is annoying because it's a planted tank. But I don't mind. He's my favourite fish in the tank and my toddler loves him (because he's big and bright and easy to see).

Has anyone else got a friendly parrot cichlid?

Yep thats very odd, my parrots would defo eat anything smaller than a tiger barb (khulies would be like big earthworms to them). Saying that I have heard of BP's like this, especially if they have grown up with the community fish. My friend had a red devil that was similar, it would completely ignore little barbs and such but anything bigger than it (it was a kinda short body type) and it would beat the crap out of them. Any pics of pumpkin?

 

[hellohefalump]

here he is!

and this is his tank:

please excuse the algae, I'm working on it!

 

[SharonCC]

He certainly is lovely, with a personality to match!

 

[~T~]

Yup lovely big BP. I wish I could keep mine with little fish.

 

[hellohefalump]

is there any way to tell if he's really a boy? He digs holes, but never lays any eggs, and sometimes fans a piece of slate. So I assume he's a boy.

 

[~T~]

is there any way to tell if he's really a boy? He digs holes, but never lays any eggs, and sometimes fans a piece of slate. So I assume he's a boy.

Males have short pointed breeding tubes and females have longer rounded ones. Females also tend to lay eggs regularly without a male so if its never laid eggs as you say then chances are its male.

 

[hellohefalump]

where are the breeding tubes or are they hidden inside, only to come out at breeding time?

 

[vancouver]

Like the pics.. looks like a keeper

 

[rach3l---x]

Awwww he's lavliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!

Mines a shy nice parrot
But I've only just got her so that might be why.. Well I've had her nearly two weeks now

Is he called pumpkin because of his colour?
Pumpkins a well cute name, hehe

xx

 

[Davo86]

Has anyone else got a friendly parrot cichlid?

There are 4 parrot cichlids at work that are the same, (there where 5 but 1 was sold and now lives in a tank containing tetras and similar sized fish)

my hand only has to enter their tank and within seconds all 4 are crouched behind rocks peering out until my hand is removed.
In fact I wouldn't feel comfortable adding anything remotely aggressive to their tank because they are just so soft.