General information – Parrot fish are man-made cross-bred cichlid.

The Blood Parrots have been in the market for many years but became

very common in the recent years. This hybrid was first created in Taiwan

in late 80s and since it is one of the most popular cichlid in many

countries. How it was created is still shady but according to some

breeders the blood parrot is the offspring of the severum with the red

devil cichlid or the Midas cichlid and the Vieja synspila. There are more

types of parrot cichlids available in the market, bubblegum parrot

cichlids and jellybean parrot cichlids are not “pure” blood parrot but

hybrid between parrot cichlid and convict cichlid. The blood parrot

available in a variety of colors, bright yellow, orange and red.

Unfortunately these cichlids are painted and available in purple, blue,

green and other hurtful colors. It has a very small mouth and a “balloon”

shaped body, its eyes are large and they can not close their mouth

all the way.


Common Name – Blood Parrot, bloody parrot, blood parrotfish

Scientific Name – Parrot fish are man made hybrid therefore it doesn’t have a scientific name.

Family – Cichlidae

Origin – Only found in aquariums

Size – Up to 20 cm

First discovered – Man-made cross-bred cichlid

Nutrition – Blood Parrots will eat a variety of foods. Flakes, pellets frozen and live foods. Frozen foods such

as bloodworms are its favorite.

Behavior –Semi- aggressive

Maintenance and care – The blood parrot should be kept in large tanks, a 60-70 gallon fish tank will be

sufficient. The tank should be decorated with rocks and woods to provide hiding places. Blood Parrots

cichlid will do best with a softer substrate, as they like to dig. Hardy, bitter plants (Anubias, Microsorium

and Echinodorus) can be used if live plants are desired. The great part of keeping blood parrot is the fact

that they can be kept with other cichlids and with peaceful community fish such as Cory’s and large tetras.

Water Parameters – Temperature: 70F-82F (21C-28C), pH: 6.5-8.2

Breeding – Male blood parrots generally are infertile but some parrots have been known to breed. In most

cases the eggs were infertile unless they are paired with American cichlids.