Parrot cichlids

britesprite

What kind of tankmates can they have? I was hoping to have a community tank with one or 2 of these guys. Will it work? Or can they only go with other cichlids?

okiemavis

It depends...what size tank do you have? Have you already gotten the parrots?

Ziek

Parrots often don't get along with a lot of other fish. Occasionally when they are young but most will get to be around 10 inches and that is a lot of fish. If they inherit the red devil aggression, which half their genetics come from, it's like pitting a tank against a handful of people with daggers.

iamntbatman

Let me apologize in advance for getting a little preachy.

I would avoid the parrots for two reasons:

1) Parrot cichlids are not a naturally occurring fish species, but rather a selectively bred fish of disputed heritage. Many fishkeepers oppose the idea of the marketing of a man-made species. Whether or not you do yourself is up to you. However, there are additional aspects of the "creation" of parrot cichlids you may find inhumane: it has been claimed that the young fish are mutilated in order to give them the shape they have as adults, and many parrots (notably the "jelly bean" parrots but often the red ones, too) are dyed either by dipping or injection to give them their color.

2) Due to the unnatural shapes of their bodies and the dyeing process, parrots tend to suffer from certain health problems much more often than other fish, such as the inability to swim and eat properly due to their body shapes and the fact that they are unable to close their mouths as well as deaths caused by kidney failure resulting from being dyed.