True Parrot Cichlids, Hoplarchus Psittacus

[CFC]

At the back end of last year i picked up these true south American parrot cichlids and they looked like this

now 7 months later they are starting to get a bit less shy and beggining to show their adult colours

 

[kj23502]

Wow They look cool! What's the adult size?

 

[CFC]

Adults should reach around 14", they are similar in stature to oscars

 

[Miss Wiggle]

ooooh they're purdy

 

[kj23502]

Adults should reach around 14", they are similar in stature to oscars

That's big....by my standards I know it's probably not to you, with all your other bigger fish you have

---edit---
So how giant is that tank?

 

[CFC]

Its only a 55g they are just babies

 

[kj23502]

Its only a 55g they are just babies

lol, I suppose you couldn't put them in the big tank, huh! They easily become someone's dinner.

 

[CFC]

The fish in the big tank wouldn't even know they had eaten them, i give them food bigger than the cichlids are at the moment

 

[invader]

What are you planning on doing with them when they get bigger? Breeding or anything? I've always liked these cichlids and considered some for my 125, but decided against it a while back. Maybe one day in a larger tank.

 

[severum boy]

Absolutly stunning fish CFC. They are easily my favorite cichlid so its good to see someone with a big group of them.
How are they getting along together? Much dominant behavior?

 

[CFC]

What are you planning on doing with them when they get bigger? Breeding or anything? I've always liked these cichlids and considered some for my 125, but decided against it a while back. Maybe one day in a larger tank.

Hopefully a pair will form which i can breed from and the other 3 will either go into the 900g or be sold on

Absolutly stunning fish CFC. They are easily my favorite cichlid so its good to see someone with a big group of them.
How are they getting along together? Much dominant behavior?

The biggest most boldly marked one is the dominant fish in the group, it feeds first and pushes the others around if they sit in a spot it wants but aggression is pretty mild and come to nothing more than some playfull jaw wrestling for a few seconds.

 

[mark7616]

Starting to look sweet mate. Nice little brycons I see there how are they towards the Parrots?

 

[CFC]

The parrots bully the Brycons a bit actually, they are super skittish and freak out if any of the parrots even go near them.

 

[severum boy]

The biggest most boldly marked one is the dominant fish in the group, it feeds first and pushes the others around if they sit in a spot it wants but aggression is pretty mild and come to nothing more than some playfull jaw wrestling for a few seconds.

So a bit like sevs and oscars at this point then?

 

[geo7x]

Very nice don't remember you getting them

I think the hybrid ones put the name 'parrot cichlid' to shame compared to the true version!