Need ID, but no picture...

[PheonixKingZ]

Looking for someone to help me with an ID. Which is the issue, because I don't have any pictures...

I saw a really cute Cichlid at my LFS that had great personality, and i wanted to look into his care requirements, to see if he is maybe a species of fish I could keep in the future.

ID: He was bright pink, large eyes, and his face looked like it was smooshed, and not smooth with the top of his body.

Pretty much the worst description ever, lol. @HoldenOn

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Found it, never mind THANKS GOOGLE.

It's a blood parrot.

I still would like care requirements though.

 

[HoldenOn]

Looking for someone to help me with an ID. Which is the issue, because I don't have any pictures...

I saw a really cute Cichlid at my LFS that had great personality, and i wanted to look into his care requirements, to see if he is maybe a species of fish I could keep in the future.

ID: He was bright pink, large eyes, and his face looked like it was smooshed, and not smooth with the top of his body.

Pretty much the worst description ever, lol. @HoldenOn

Kinda sounds like a parrot?

 

[CassCats]

When you look at them up front they look like they're forever smiling.

From what I've known, they need a tank 75g+ though

 

[HoldenOn]

Guess you got it! They like 150-250 ppm and are pretty chill. Actually a decent community fish. I'd say a 55 is the smallest you can go, but a 75 gallon is better because they can be moderately territorial. They are on the messy side, and need high protein. Can be kept with others of their kind.

Edit: They can go lower GH wise.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Guess you got it! They like 150-250 ppm and are pretty chill. Actually a decent community fish. I'd say a 55 is the smallest you can go, but a 75 gallon is better because they can be moderately territorial. They are on the messy side, and need high protein. Can be kept with others of their kind.

Edit: They can go lower GH wise.

I guessed they would need a 55g+.... will have to persuade the parents...

When you look at them up front they look like they're forever smiling.

From what I've known, they need a tank 75g+ though

Yup! That's why I love them so much!

I will keep looking on Craigslist for a decent priced/sized tank.

So it actually turns out we won't be moving for a whole other year, because of the Covid-19 spikes and crazy housing market up in PA. So, i guess more fish!? Haven't ask for sure though.

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

I think I read somewhere that for Cichlids, this family of fish isn't particularly aggressive. I was going to set up an all Cichlids tank and this fish showed up - very cool. And the cichlids have fish similar to saltwater fish in appearance, but what made me hesitant is the question just how aggressive is "somewhat aggressive" - for some reason, and I could be wrong, I believe a "somewhat aggressive" Cichlid is more aggressive than a "somewhat aggressive" Gourami. And how would you ever put a mixture of fish together not knowing if there would be a lot of fights going on all the time, so I thought, maybe the best way to go is to pick one species of Cichlid and fill the tank with that species. In the end I went with a bunch of Rainbow fish, which don't all have their full colors in yet and the females are rather dull - but I need to spend some more time observing their behavior. Very peaceful fish - which I prefer.

I hate bully fish and I hate seriously aggressive fish. Just yesterday my oldest fish and "king" of the tank, a Gourami that's always been a pain in the butt because he would chase and bully other fish (he never bit one but would drive them to stress out and die - at least that's my theory) - well he passed away - problem was he took 3 glo-fish with him. I saw intense cloudiness in the tank and took some readings, everything was zero (PH 7) EXCEPT Ammonia which read as 4.6! - so he either died a natural death and his ammonia levels were what took out the glo fish or he tormented the glo-fish to death too -he was rather large for a dwarf gourami so I think he just passed away from natural causes and wasn't discovered soon enough before the ammonia levels climbed and took out the weaker glo-fish (not all died, only 3/6). I did a very intense water change of 75% and even added water back in and re-cleaned it. I cleaned all the tank walls, the heater, plants leaves and removed all decorative items and scrubbed them clean. I then filled the tank completely and now have an ammonia rating of zero - since I'm disabled the whole thing took me over 4 hours but it was worth it.

Anyway - as beautiful as they are I don't think I'll be getting any Cichlids. I couldn't put up with the fighting and potential deaths - causing ammonia spike and all sorts of other problems. Gourami (most) are generally peaceful fish and the dwarfs come in beautiful colors. So far, the Rainbows are showing some promise as their colors come in and they are peaceful too. BUT what I notice on all the online fish websites is that they have more Cichlid varieties than they have of anything else - so their beauty must make them very popular. I don't know if people mix and match these groups or if they just pick 1 or 2 species but they sure are popular.

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

PhonixKingZ - you must have very supportive parents! Mine were like that too but we were dirt poor. I saved an entire summer of babysitting money to buy a Telescope. In the end I didn't have quite enough so they chipped in. Many, many hours of entertainment for the entire family. . My dad even got me a subscription to Scientific American (I was only 12 so it was pretty difficult reading) - my dad and I read the articles together with a Webster's dictionary by our side (no internet back then) - one of my fondest memories of my dad (he passed away a year and a half ago ). Cherish your parents, especially those that support your interests. Mine were both so wonderful. My dad told me just before he died "you're not really an adult until your parents die" - that is so true. Lost my mom 5 yrs ago. My husband died of a freak accident (slipped on ice a year ago and burst a large blood vessel in his brain). My daughter's family is all I have left and they make time to come over for dinner every Sunday night. My mother made me a better mother due to her acceptance and support. I' was feeling too much like a "grown-up" which is why I got interested in fish. Keeps me young and like my cat, provides lots of laughs (Get a couple of Dojo's and you'll see what I mean - they are the silliest fish I've ever seen - a air "bubbler" is a must for these guys. They love to "ride the waves". LOL - You're obviously doing a great job - I think you've won nearly every award there is on these forums!

 

[AilyNC]

Omg I was just gonna post they're freaky looking fish but then I read Jan's post and I feel like crying. Really lovely message. I'm sorry you're parents are gone. There's no greater pain than the grief of losing a loved one.

 

[Wells]

I actually saw these in a shop yesterday and the missus fell in love with them, so aiming to do the big tank when we move based around them.
Was basing the tank requirements off of this site.

Blood Parrot Fish: Blood Red Cichlid Care & Tank Mates

A blood parrot cichlid is a freshwater species of the Cichlidae family. Blood parrot cichlids are recognizable due to their beaky mouths.

www.fishkeepingworld.com

The plan is 55g, potentially 70g. Tank mate wise unsure atm, since this thread is up and if anyone sees, what sort of tank mates would be good?

 

[HoldenOn]

Parrots stick to the bottom half of the tank. So I'd skip any bottom dwellers but from there on out most fish are relatively fair game.

 

[vanalisa]

I guessed they would need a 55g+.... will have to persuade the parents...


Yup! That's why I love them so much!

I will keep looking on Craigslist for a decent priced/sized tank.

So it actually turns out we won't be moving for a whole other year, because of the Covid-19 spikes and crazy housing market up in PA. So, i guess more fish!? Haven't ask for sure though.

Was wondering how you were gonna pull that off with your upcoming move...

 

[PheonixKingZ]

So if you guys didn't catch that, I don't have to move until next year! So excited. Hope Covid dies down quickly, so I can get back together with my friends.

 

[Wills]

Just to throw a few thoughts in on these - they are a hybrid fish that has been bred on a massive commercial scale and they are some of the most abused fish in the hobby. They are commonly dyed, cruel strains like unicorns and love hearts have been bred and mutilated in. And in terms of compatibility they are descended from Midas cichlids so if you happy keeping these please open your mind other beautiful natural cichlids that often get over looked because they are termed as aggressive.

 

[HoldenOn]

Just to throw a few thoughts in on these - they are a hybrid fish that has been bred on a massive commercial scale and they are some of the most abused fish in the hobby. They are commonly dyed, cruel strains like unicorns and love hearts have been bred and mutilated in. And in terms of compatibility they are descended from Midas cichlids so if you happy keeping these please open your mind other beautiful natural cichlids that often get over looked because they are termed as aggressive.

Not to mention the majority are crippled to get a certain effect, like shorter fins.
They're like the pugs of the fish world .