In 1991, Taiwanese breeders received offspring from the constant crossbreeding of Cichlasoma synspillum, Citrinellum and South American cichlids, which gave rise to a new group of hybrids, known today as parrot fish.
They got their name because of the great similarity of the shape of the head with the colorful head of a parrot. Due to its bright and unusual coloring, the parrot is very popular among breeders and aquarium fish lovers, while not a single aquarist located outside of Asia managed to breed.
Aquarium fish cichlids parrots: species
Mostly imported yellow and orange parrots. Often you can buy bright red, raspberry and purple fish. This color is supported by specialized coloring feeds that contain large amounts of carotenoids. When fed with simple feeds, the standard orange color is restored. Black and blue parrots are imported much less often.
For these fish, food of animal origin is preferable, for example: coronet, bloodworms, minced fish and beef heart, shrimp. They have an excellent appetite and can indulge in the sin of gluttony around the clock. But this circumstance leads to various accidents. This is mainly dangerous when feeding in the evening. They do not have time to eat all the food until it is dark, and in the morning, waking up, they immediately begin to eat it intensely. But he lay in the aquarium all night, having managed to deteriorate. Fish get quite serious poisoning.
The habitat of the cichlid fish "red parrot"
In our country, the parrot comes mainly from Singapore and Taiwan. In the conditions of our country, it does not breed, but it survives well in home aquariums.
Cichlid parrot: sizes
The red parrot grows to 15 centimeters. The color of the fish varies quite strongly, yellow and orange forms are most common. In addition, there is a "wild" color, which happens in some cancers and cichlases. Raspberry, purple and bright red fish turn over time into a bright orange form. When feeding with various specialized feeds saturated with carotene to enhance the saturated red color, the color improves markedly.
Cichlid Parrot: Feeding
Parrots are not picky in feeding - fish consume the majority of high-quality dry food and any living. The best for them are floating pellets and bloodworms.
Cichlid Parrot: breeding
The parrot in nature has no analogues. This type of fish was obtained by artificial insemination from various species of African and American cichlids.
Cichlid parrot: additional information
Fish live in an aquarium for up to ten years. This is a very quiet fish that can coexist peacefully with other inhabitants of the aquarium, but from time to time intraspecific aggression occurs. The grown individuals who are not familiar with each other have poor contact with each other, due to which they should be launched simultaneously small so that they can get used to each other.