i found this fish called parrot in my local aquarium is it aggressive?

Answer 1

Unique Traits
Blood Parrots have many features that set them apart from other cichlids. The most obvious is the "beak" they possess for a mouth. A true Parrot Cichlid is unable to close its mouth, but instead, uses the muscles in the throat to chew or crush food. It's a misconception that these fish can't eat from the surface. Every Parrot Cichlid owner I have encountered, including myself, report that theirs eat easily from the surface.

It's also been commonly stated that Parrot Cichlid's have deformed swim bladders. These organs control buoyancy and allow the fish to maintain a certain depth in the water column. If they do have swim bladder problems, it's not evident in the ones I keep. Many people think that, due to this deformity, the fish must constantly swim to stay afloat and keep level. In most cases, I have also found this to be untrue.

I can however, agree with the fact that Parrot Cichlid's possess a deformed spine, this is one the reasons they have such a unique shape. I don't believe it to be much of a problem for them. I've had reports of Parrot Cichlids living perfectly good lives for up to 10 years.

A true Parrot Cichlid will also have larger than normal, bright yellowish-green eyes. Many have an oddly shaped or overly large iris. Some have a oval iris while others have a round iris. Some have a streak leading from the iris to the outer edge of the eye. One of ours have this feature and it gives the illusion of wearing mascara. Very cute! Their eyes are definitely one of the traits that gives Parrot Cichlid's such a great personality.

Behavior
Parrot Cichlids seem to be somewhat shy upon first introducing them to the tank. Hiding when any activity is present outside the tank. After some time though, they will overcome this shyness. Some report this to take less than a week, while others say it may take up to a couple of months. So be patient with your new fish, they will eventually come out. And when they do, you will see their great personalities they are known for. They will come to the glass every time you pass the tank and beg for food . They do the "Feed-Me" dance, as I call it, and are really good at it too, I fall for it way too often.

There is also some behavior one must aware of before attempting to keep a parrot cichlid. They love to dig, and can be somewhat belligerent towards other fish at times, especially if two have paired up and are defending their nest. Many people say their parrot's are very docile, rarely showing aggression towards tank mates. I however must fall in to another category. Our parrots grew up together and are always charging and bumping one another. An occasional lip fight will periodically occur over territories. Basically parrot's behavior seems to vary from fish to fish, some are docile while others have quite a nasty disposition. When single specimens are kept in a community aquarium, it will show very little aggression, in a species tank (only parrot cichlids) you will find the exact opposite to be true. What bewilders me is, despite all their daytime scuffles, at night they all share the same cave and snuggle together to sleep, only to wake up the next morning to start terrorizing each other again.

Answer 2

The true Parrot cichlid is a beautiful naturally occuring species that isn't necessarily easy to find. A true parrot cichlid has absolutely nothing to do with the 'parrots' found in fish stores today.

The one you are talking about is probably a blood or jellybean parrot, of which many types have been created since the success of the original bright red blood parrot.

As mentioned these are fish created in a lab to achieve certain results for the ornamental fish keeper, not a much different idea then the deformed fancy goldfish loved so much (but much different in needs). It's become a staple in the hobby and while some people hate the idea of them, they are here to stay.

They are, in the end, still cichlids of a sort and will show some aggressive behaviour, but as far as ciclhids go they are quite passive. They can be mixed quite successfully with other fish as long as you go with larger non-territorial-but-robust fish. The larger your tank is, the more options open up with them.

It's good to keep in mind that these guys do grow to 8" long, sometimes larger, and with their bulk need a reasonable tank of 30 gallons alone, and preferably over 50 to be mixed with other fish.

Also stay away from the funky colored types. If they look like an unnatural color (baby blue, brilliant yellow or green) then they are dyed - this is not only a horribly cruel process to expose the fish to (in which the mortality rate is high), but the color wears off as the fish grows and the result is an ugly worthess fish.

Answer 3

My stock response is short and sweet, "Don't buy them!".
Parrot fish are man-made cross-bred fish, and a controversial one.

The Blood Parrot clearly has numerous anatomical deformities. One of the first things an observer will notice is that their mouth is quite small and oddly shaped. This can affect their ability to eat. They also have spinal and swim bladder deformities, which affects their swimming abilities. I believe creating a fish that inherently has such deformities is not only unethical, but cruel as well.

Should you choose to purchase one, care should be taken when choosing tank mates. They should not be kept with aggressive fish, as they are not well equipped to compete for food or turf in the aquarium, but are agressive themselves.

Again..may I suggest you, keep away from buying.

Answer 4

I have had Parrot fish before. I didn't find them to be particularly aggressive.

Answer 5

Dun be deceived by the 'smiley' lips of the Parrot.

They are just as aggressive as Oscar and many other chiclids. Wait till you see how they suck in the shrimp and fight among each other for food, you will know how fierce they are!

Answer 6

surely Black Belt Cichlids,"Cichlisoma" Maculicaudia,(sorry i do no longer understand the present taxonomy).I raised a small team in a 2 hundred gallon tank,or maybe as i became away (gathering in Brasil) my spouse lower back abode to discover lots of the water drained from the tank and approximately $2000 well worth of hardwood floor ruined. The Black Belts had attacked the hoses on the canister filter out,thoroughly knocking it off on the valve,thereby springing up a short lived fountain,and draining all yet a pair of inches of water from the tank into our eating room. 3 of the 5 Black Belts perished as a effect,regrettably 2 survived. additionally surviving became my puppy Albino purple Oscar,he made it by using mendacity on his area in an inch of water and flopping over each and every minute or 2 to maintain the two gills moist. The surviving Black Belts grew to over 14" long and at loss of existence weighed over 5#. they had to be seperated from the Oscar by using a robust tank divider for years.there are in all threat better and meaner aquarium fishes,C. Dovii or Cichla sp.,i.e.,Wolf Cichlids or Peacock Bass,yet all different issues being equivalent, i'm specific that if the two one became presented into the Black Belts tank they might meet an untimely end. fortuitously to your Mbuna a 40 isn't super sufficient for any of the forementioned fish.Mbuna are in basic terms territorial and have been only attempting to discover a place to shack up. Wolf Cichlids and Peacock Bass are predators of Mbuna sized fish. although the Black Belt is only hassle-free mean, for a vegetarian. wish you enjoyed the story. by using the way,my marvelous spouse rousted the interior of sight puppy save proprietor off the mattress at eleven:00 P.M. and that that they had all of it wiped sparkling up by using break of day. Leaving me to handle the insurance adjuster 3 days later as quickly as I have been given abode from the jungle,and we are nevertheless married 15 years later. I even have yet another tale some Wolf Cichlid matched up against an excellent Black Piranha,yet i don't have time for that now. PeeTee

Answer 7

Here are some links with information on parrots:
http://geocities.com/parrotcichlid/general.html
http://cichlidresearch.com/parrot.html
http://parrotcichlid.com/
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/cichlids1/a/bloodparrot.htm

There are actually two species that go by this name - one is natural, but the "blood parrot" is a hybrid. The hybrid is more common in stores and these are a yellow to red color. Since these are hybrids, they're more than likely sterile.