CICHLID BLOOD RED PARROT (UNPEELED) 5CM

Blood Red Parrot Cichlids (also called Blood Parrot or Bloody Parrot) are popular hybrid cichlids known for their bright red-orange colour, rounded “balloon” body, and beak-like mouth. They are artificial (typically involving Midas cichlid × Redhead or similar Central American cichlids) and first appeared in Taiwan in the 1980s. They do not exist in the wild.

They are hardy, personable fish that often recognise their owners and come to the glass, but their deformed mouths require careful feeding, and their bioload demands solid filtration and space.

TANK SET UP: A longer footprint is better than a tall/narrow tank.

• Soft sand or fine, smooth gravel (they dig and rearrange).

• Plenty of hiding spots: caves, driftwood, rocks, inverted pots. Multiple visual barriers reduce territorial behaviour.

• Open swimming space in the mid/lower levels.

• Hardy plants (Anubias, Java fern) if desired; they usually don’t destroy plants as aggressively as many cichlids. Secure decorations so they can’t topple them.

LIGHTING: Some keepers note warmer/red-spectrum light can help colour, but consistency matters more than intensity.

NOTE:

Add roughly 20 gallons per extra fish.

TANK MATE: • Other Blood Parrots

• Severums

• Firemouth cichlids

• Angelfish (monitor)

• Larger peaceful tetras or rainbowfish

• Silver dollars

• Bristlenose plecos or other non-aggressive bottom dwellers

• Some larger corydoras or peaceful catfish

AVOID:

• Small fish (neons, guppies, etc.) — may be eaten

• Highly aggressive cichlids (Oscars, Jack Dempseys, Green Terrors, Red Devils, Flowerhorns)

• Fin-nippers (tiger barbs, etc.)

• Slow long-finned fish if the parrot is pushy

• Dwarf shrimp

FILTRATION: Strong filtration (canister or high-capacity HOB) — they are messy eaters.

MAINTENANCE: Ammonia/nitrite 0ppm, Nitrate < 20% ppm.

FEEDING: With a permanently small, beak-like mouth, food size and texture matter.

Best staples:

• Mini/small sinking or slow-sinking cichlid pellets (e.g., Hikari Cichlid Gold mini, Hikari Blood Red Parrot+ for colour enhancement).

• Soften pellets briefly if needed.

Supplements (2–3 times per week):

• Frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, mysis, krill.

• Occasional blanched peas, zucchini, or spirulina-based foods for fibre and variety.

Feed 1–2 times daily.

EXTRA NOTE:

Color Peeling (Juvenile Change): Young blood parrots often start out dark gray, brown, or speckled with black marks. As they mature (usually within their first year), many “peel” into bright orange, yellow, or red colors. However, not all fish peel on the same timeline, and some retain dark spots or a darker base color permanently