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Blood Parrot Fish

Bloody Parrot ~ Blood Parrotfish ~ Jellybean Parrot

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Hybrid
Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Giannis

   The Blood Parrot is just about the most curious result of cichlids interbreeding, and has created quite a stir in the aquarium hobby!

   It is not uncommon for cichlids to interbreed in a hobbyists aquarium. When they are in spawning mode, they will often respond to a fish of the opposite sex whether it is the same species or another fish of a closely related species. The Blood Parrot, also called the Bloody Parrot or Blood Parrotfish, are a unique hybrid fish. They do not occur in nature.

Hybrid Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   The Blood Parrots have a very small mouth and a roundish "balloon" shaped body. Perhaps they are called Parrotfish because their nose looks like a 'parrots' beak. They can be solid or have a "calico" patterning or blotching., are available in a variety of colors. They range from basic pale or bright yellows, to oranges and reds. Dyed fish sport purples, pinks, blues, and more colors. These are generally sold as the 'Jellybean Parrot' and 'Bumble Gum Parrot' though there are also names that describe them by their color such as 'Purple Parrot'. Then there are Blood Parrots described by their physical appearance such as the 'Love Heart Parrot' which has no tail fin.

   The Blood Parrots are a peaceful, shy fish that should not be kept with real aggressive tank mates. However, if you keep them in a community aquarium with similar sized fish, be aware that they can be territorial. They like an aquarium with lots of rock formations and caves for retreating and hiding. Plants are not essential though they do not harm them.

   These fish should not be confused with the Parrot Cichlid Hoplarchus psittacus which is another freshwater cichlid from South American that is quite aggressive. There is also no relation to the saltwater Parrot Fish Callyodon fasciatus.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Dream Aquarium Build your own aquarium The Coolest and Funnest Screensaver in the World.

Distribution:
   The Blood Parrot, also called the Bloody Parrot and Blood Parrotfish, and another variety known as the Jellybean Parrot are fish developed by breeders and hobbyists. Since they are a hybrid, they are domestic and only found in aquariums. The Blood Parrot is said to have been bred in Taiwan and the suggested parents are Central and South American cichlids.

Status:
   There are no wild populations of this species.

Description:
   The Blood Parrot has a roundish 'balloon' shaped body. They have a very small mouth and are perhaps they are called Parrotfish because their nose looks like a 'parrots' beak. They also have some other distinctions, their spines are deformed which gives them their unique shape, the iris of their eyes is overly large, and they are awkward swimmers.
   They can be solid or have a 'calico' patterning or blotching and they are available in a variety of colors from basic pale or bright yellows, to oranges and reds. There are also color varieties, which are dyed albinos or dyed light colored Blood Parrots. These are generally referred to as the 'Jellybean Parrot' and 'Bumble Gum Parrot', though their names can describe them by color such as the 'Purple Parrot'. Then there are Blood Parrots described by their physical appearance such as the 'Love Heart Parrot', which has no tail fin.
   A further developed variety is the Convict Parrot Cichlid, which is also called the 'Jellybean' Parrot or 'Bubble Gum' Parrot'. This is actually a 'double hybrid' fish. It is a cross between a female hybrid Blood Parrot and a pink male Convict Cichlid Archocentrus (Cichlasoma) nigrofasciatus. Blood Parrots have reportedly been crossed with other cichlid species such as the Severum and the Texas Cichlid. So there may be other new varieties showing up down the road.
   All cichlids share a common feature that some saltwater fish such as wrasses and parrotfish have and that is a well-developed pharyngeal set of teeth that are in the throat, along with their regular teeth. Cichlids have spiny rays in the back parts of the anal, dorsal, pectoral, and pelvic fins to help discourage predators. The front part of these fins are soft and perfect for precise positions and effortless movements in the water as opposed to fast swimming.
   Cichlids have one nostril on each side while other fish have 2 sets. To sense “smells” in the water, they suck water in and expel the water right back out after being “sampled” for a short or longer time, depending on how much the cichlid needs to “smell” the water. This feature is shared by saltwater damselfish and cichlids are thought to be closely related.

Size - Weight:
   These fish generally get up to 6 - 7" (15-17.5 cm), though some will reach 8" (20 cm).

Care and feeding:
   Since they are omnivorous the Blood Parrot, Bloody Parrot, or Blood Parrotfish will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food or pellet everyday. Feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen) or blood worms as a treat. Live guppies and goldfish will suffice when they get bigger. Proteins high in B-carotene will promote good coloring.
  A 30 gallon tank will be fine for juveniles for the first couple of years, but for adults 55 gallons is suggested. They prefer slow to moderate moving water along with good efficient filtration. The aquarium should have low to moderate lighting. Provide a substrate of fine dark sand along with rocks and roots for places to hide along with open areas for swimming. Plants can also be included as they will not bother them.
   They can be easy to care for if water changes are performed frequently. Do water changes of 20 - 25% weekly, more or less depending on stocking numbers. If water quality is ignored, as with all cichlids, disease and death can occur. One common problem is Ich. It can be treated with the elevation of the tank temperature to 86° F (30° C) for 3 days.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
  These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Hardness: 2-25° dGH
   Ph: 6.5 to 8.0
   Temp: 70-82° F 21-28° C. Their colors will pale in the lower temperatures.

Social Behaviors:
   As a cichlid with aggressive parents, they would not be considered a community fish, but their shy peaceful nature has allowed them to be kept in aquariums with other fair sized fish. If kept with other cichlids, make sure their tank mates are not overly aggressive. They can be kept with Angelfish, peaceful catfish such as Corydoras and Glass Catfish, Kuhli Loaches, Swordtails, Tetras, Plecostomus, and Silver Dollars.

Sexual Differences:
   Sexing them is difficult. Males will show a pink around their gills and on the throat when they are in spawning colors.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The Blood Parrot has been known to breed, but most often their eggs are infertile unless they are paired with a non-hybrid fish.

Availability:
   The Blood Parrot or Jellybean Parrot, has become commonly available. They can often be found in fish stores and sometimes online. The Convict Parrot Cichlid (which is also called the 'Jellybean' Parrot or 'Bubble Gum' Parrot') is also sometimes available. They can often be found in fish stores and sometimes online ranging from about $8.00 USD and up for the Blood Parrot, and about $12.00 USD and up for the Convict Parrot Cichlid. Price is dependent on size, color, and type.

Author: Clarice Brough, CFS

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Latest Comments
Ok so I went in to WAL-MART of all places and saw these really pretty colorful fish. The sign said Purple Parrot Fish and before I bought them I asked the so called fish lady what size tank they needed and how big they got. She said a normal size tank and that they dont get big ...So I bought a blue one and a pink one... Well after getting them home and becoming very attached to this fish I My mom came and saw them and said they get BIG.. They are considered jellybean parrot fish and are painted or dyed or whatever..which is suppose to be very cruial... My question is how big are this painted fish suppose to get, how long do they live, and what size tank do they NEED. I dont really want to take the fish back because they are very nice and smarter then any fish I HAVE EVER HAD.. I just want to make the fish comfortable and want them to live long.. I am a novice fish owner and right now they are in a five gallon tank which according to research is just plain wrong. I just would like some decent advice as to how to accomodate these beautiful fish Cherie 2008-10-08
I saw these red parrots for like 4-$65 and then I was shocked that the website said it was only 8-12$. Bloody h*** I have pretty pissed so if u want to buy red parrots buy from net. andy Andy 2008-08-03
I had an orange parrot and an albino parrot. The albino laid eggs and the orange one dug a safety pit for the babies to hide in. Both fish were very protective of the fish and the eggs, but especially the albino mother. The eggs hatched and we wound up with two that got pretty big. The were black and white striped. I never could figure out why. But there were no other cichlids in the tank and the way the parrots were acting made it obvious that they were the parents. I love parrot fish because they are more like dogs than fish to me. They are the only fish that I know of that see and react to what's going on outside the tank. They swim over to me when I'm near the tank because they want to get fed. And they're ALWAYS hungry, even if they just ate 10 minutes ago. I always say that they eat better than me! Now I have some tattoo parrots. I know that people think that it's crul to tattoo them but they don't seem to mind or notice for that matter. They say that fish don't have a very long memory anyway. They say that when a fish swims around the tank and sees another fish, they think it's the first time they've seen it. That's how short of a memory they have. This would explain why they don't get stir crazy being couped up in a tank, because they forget that they're in one. Ben Cook 2008-07-27
I currently have two blood parrots, one is a vivid pink the other is a vivid yellow. Originally I bought the pink one for a small tank and then my niece wanted one so my dad bought her one and put it in my tank... the pink one was so territorial the poor yellow one would just get chased and pecked at all day and night. Now that I got a bigger tank and 2 hiding places for each. The yellow one is the one doing all the chasing but at least it's not all day and night like it was when the pink one was doing it. I also have 1 rose barb and 1 jack dempsey cichlid in the tank as well and they don't seem to interested in the others, just more aggressive with each other. I also noticed the pink one starting to get black circles on it, so I cleaned the tank and kept an eye on him and now he's back to being all pink. Cas 2008-04-25
I love my baby faced parrot fish. I was told by Wal*Mart employees he would be aggresive. I fell in love with him and was hoping, as sweet as he looked, he would not be too aggressive! However, I was hoping he could give this little barb in my 30 gallon tank a little competetion. That he did. I have 4 neons, one angel, one little guppie who has totally survived?, one dalmation, 3 barbs and 3 marlies in with him, and the one barb that was really harrassing the other fish. I was tickled, the parrot man has really put him in his place and now he seems to be the mild manner of all the bunch!! LOL and the parrot seems very friendly, now that they all know he is the "big katuna" What a great fish, very much worth the 10 bucks I had to pay for him. Selena 2008-04-05
Some of the coolest comments:
I was first introduced to the blood parrot fish when I ran across my first one back in 95'. I had a 185 gallon tank with 2 lg. 2' sharks, a 3' pelco and 4 huge angels in it. I was in a pet store I had never been in before and I saw this funny looking, cute little aqua colored \fish. It was explained to me what it was, how it would change to a deep orange/red color as it matured, and that it would only grow to about 5" tops. Well they were wrong about 2 things, Flounder as we called her (little mermaid movie, the fish on there, we thought she looked like her a little) Never did change her color, she got a little lighter but never did turn the orange/red color, and she grew to 10" big. Some say it was because of the size of the tank. I fed her flakes, shimp pellets, frozen shimp, and algae pellets. She also ate lettuce put in the tank for the sharks as I raised them to be vegetarians. (No live fish). Anyways she would follow you around the room. When the tv was on she would sit in one spot and watch the tv until it was turned off, then she would go back to checking everything out in the tank. She was quite the fish, who I grew to love very much. I had my sharks 17 yrs and her for 10 yrs. The sharks would eat out of my hand, and flounder soon learned to do the same thing. She did seem to poke at the pleco a lot but she never harmed him. My sharks died within a week of each other, I assumed old age, and 2 weeks later my flounder died. The angels had all died long before that, and I gave the pleco away and Moved to another state, so I sold my tank. Well this past yr I got another tank. I bought a 55 gallon thinking I'd be happy with it, but not the case so I upgraded to a 125, then a 185 gallon. Here it is very hard to find a true blood parrot. If you do they range from 25 dollars for a baby the size of a nickel, to $150 for a 3-4' one. You can find the dyed ones in lots of pretty colors for a little cheaper but I think it's so inhumane to do that I refuse to buy them. I had decided that my 125 gallon tank was going to be used for blood parrots only, so I was on a mission. To find true blood parrots. Sometimes I'd hear of a store having them and I'd drive up to 100 miles to find some, just to find the dyed ones. Finally, one of the guys at wally world (yea I know), seemed to be pretty knowledgeable about them and told me, I can special order them for you. Well being wally world I was very hesitant. But finally I said ok. So the wait was on. I was told 1 week. Well it took 5 weeks, but finally they were here. I didn't rush right down as I had already prepaid, and well I figured they would be small. I got in there about 6 hrs after I received the message and there were a group of people standing around discussing them. I quitely stood back and just listened, at this point all I could see was there noses, until one moved. I could not believe it. He was close to 4" big and a dark Orange, more red I'd say. At this point I'm getting excited, so I step up and say aren't they cute, and one guy said yes I think I'm going to buy one. I said not tonight your not, he kinda looked at me funny and I said they are mine, they were special ordered for me. Well then Sergio the guy who ordered them steps up and said, ah Paige your fish are here, nice aren't they? OMG yes real nice. I paid $15 each for them, and they are just amazing. I put them in the 125 gallon tank with huge logs, caves and gravel about 4" deep. a few live plants, but mainly silk plants. I had gotten the tank ready by putting in 5 gold fish (who are still in there cuz I've been to lazy to remove them) and 2 cichlids (a yellow back, and not sure of the name of the other, a brilliant orange with colored spots on her fins) that were being picked on by my big bumblebee cichlid in another tank. A 4" pelco, and a 5" picus cat and 1 lg angel (who was being picked on in the other tank). The bigger of the 2 parrots kinda goes nose to nose with the cichlid with the colored spots but they aren't hurting each other. I keep my tank at 80 degrees exactly, I check it daily. The ph about 7 and I feed the same things I fed my first blood parrot flounder. They are quick compared to flounder, but seem to hide more then flounder did. I have had them a month now and they know me, and will come out of hiding when I'm in the room. I recently ordered 2 more which haven't came in yet. Then about a week ago I ran across someone giving away a pair.(I had to drive 75 miles one way to go get them but I think they are well worth it) They are a male and a female and they are in the same tank and they are acting like they want to breed. We will see. They are bigger, around 5-6", but also a bright orange color. One has a little bit of black along the top of her but the guy said she was dark like that then started her color change. I also heard they get that way when they are ready to breed. The other 2 BP's hang near these 2 like they are protecting them or something, so we will see. All in all if you can afford these fish I would most definitely recommend having them. Not only are they cute, beautiful, playful and smart, they have a wondeful personality. They can be a bit terrerial about theire hiding places but they really don't cause anyone any grief. They make me smile or laugh every day, and if I have anything to say about it, I will always have one or more in my life. Thank you, Paige Paige 2008-05-26
Yea...I own two jellybean parrots, and now I own six. They had fry. So they can successfully have fry. They have had at least three batches that I have known of, and of those in the second batch, 4 of them survived. The other batches hatched, but none made it. I did not attempt to keep the second batch alive, and amazingly they did just fine by themselves with no help at all!!! Kevin 2006-05-31
Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear!
This web-site was most helpful in answering many questions I have had about my two blood red parrot fish. They, I can't tell which one, have been spawning, three times over the last several months, fiercely guarding the eggs and then eaten them. Our local pet store said I was nuts, that they didn't lay eggs or breed. I will research even further to learn what a non-hybrid is. Thank you. Julie 2008-02-23
We have five Jelly Bean Parrots and One Sweet Heart Parrot fish. They range from about 3" to 6". We have had them for about two years and love them very much! The fish are part of the family and each have a specific mood that fits right in with us! They enjoy a 55 Gallon tank with plenty of logs and rocks to peek out of when our nephew stops by! This site has been very helpful in maintaining a clean and healthy environment for our little babys. Thanks for the great advice through the years!!!! cmf///nmf 2007-11-09
I have six, rapidly growing Parrots in my 55 gal. tank. Two orange, one pink 'Candy' Parrot, one red 'Heart' Parrot (really is shaped like a Valentine) and two fellows that started out green with black that have "morphed" into peach-colored with touches of black.! Very interested in seeing what they will eventually look like! So far, no pairing noted..which is fine with me as I have 7 fancy veil-type juvenile Angels in another tank that I'm hoping will pair up and spawn. THANKS for this site..There is so much to learn about these fish..and so little information out there! BJ Lukken 2006-10-09

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