need help a.s.a.p

hi ,
just found some blood parrots fish for sale ,
whats involved in changing from guppy type water ,
i have 3 small bristle nose plec's and 2 corys , will they eat them ? , the bnp are 1" , 1" , and 2.5"

are they worth 60euro for 4?
thanks
eric
any other info would be great too ,

hi eric
depends on what size they are
they are very aggressive and chase everything around the tank
i keep 2 with large cichlids and they have no problem having a go at my 10" oscar
my clown loaches drive them nuts they seem to know that the parrots are not quick enough to catch them:laugh:
i have seen them for sale in lfs for 40 euro each so your gettin a great price
but you would be better off keeping them with hardy cichlids

Thanks for you info john ,

Mossy the fella selling them said 2 are around the size of your hand and 2 a little smaller , what could be put in with them ??
Thanks
eric

JohnH wrote:

Parrot Fish are not everyone's cup of tea, you either love them or loathe them.

I'm not ashamed to admit I fall into the latter camp.

They are derived from Cichlids, that much is certain but as they are deformed some have dreadful trouble eating properly from bad mouths and, I'm assured, badly formed digestive tracts.

You see them offered in many colours - mostly dyed...which we don't want to get started on here - do a search for dyed fish and see some of the abominations there.
There are two lines of thought regarding the 'Blood Red' ones, some say that's how they're produced and others are of the opinion that they're that colour from being dyed, either way that is NOT very desirable.

As to are they worth €60 for four? - I wouldn't take them if I was being offered double that amount to take them away. But I have very firm views on this subject, perhaps you should wait for someone less biased to offer their opinions.

John

i heard today that someone is benching parrot fish in the show next week
wont be me as i ended up adopting my 2 which would be gone if only i could catch them which is not the easiest with a 10ft tank.gonna have to strip it down to get them
like john said not every ones cup of chaa

for 60 euro u would get some nice south american cichlids,can mix with most fish

ejgibbo wrote:

Thanks for you info john ,

Mossy the fella selling them said 2 are around the size of your hand and 2 a little smaller , what could be put in with them ??
Thanks
eric

every one has different views on tank mates
but i have kept them with firemouths,severums,silver dollars and catfish
alot of smaller cichlids as long as they are fast enough to get away should be allright
they tend to get very aggressive when breeding

I fall into the "dislike them camp" too..

There are so many nice looking natural fish available, why they are popular is beyond me.

Its not the fishes fault as they are manmade hybrids but they also suffer from health problems. Their spine is curved due to their shape and they can't fully close their mouths due to the beak like structure.

whats your view on flowerhorns

They are nice but I just have an urge to get the parrots :/

Are u fed up with the guppies, those parrot fish are hard to keep and have many problems-
As u probably can guess i do not like them either.
Regards,
Denis

I was in a bookshop in a shopping centre in Santry yesturday and my kid dragged me down to the section at the back of the shop to show me a fish tank on display there. In it, was two Parrot Fish, Blood Reds I think. Kinda hard to tell cos they are in such bad state and the aquarium was filthy, not to mention half drained.
Ive never really taken a close look at these things as I just dont like the look of them and they never interested me but I got wondering, what these things are the result of? It looks to me that there is some Severum in them but what the hell else??

Jay

I was in St Luke Hospital reception the other day and guess what fish were in the tank, parrots and a few others. The tank appeared very well kept. Why do parrots end up in so many display tanks, I have seen a few others too.

I fall in the "Can't stand them" camp too.


Daragh

do you like them or just urge buying, personally i think they look like they were deformed in the womb wit uranium

it could be a cross between a midas cichlid and the redhead cichlid
or
a green or gold severum with the red devil

What's the problems they have ??
I'm not fed up with the guppies , I'm thinking on putting them in my smaller tank
I think their always on display because of the colour :/
I just really want parrot fish so bad and have wanted them for a couple of years and I think it's time to bite the bullet
thanks
eric

ejgibbo wrote:

What's the problems they have ??
I'm not fed up with the guppies , I'm thinking on putting them in my smaller tank
I think their always on display because of the colour :/
I just really want parrot fish so bad and have wanted them for a couple of years and I think it's time to bite the bullet
thanks
eric

good man eric
you can make you own mind up
it your decision,go get them
dont let these guys put u on a downer:laugh:

Ha thanks mossy :L

i'm in the loathe camp with this one, but if you intend buying these mutants, you might consider dither fish, which are as big and alot faster than the parrots, like tinfoil barbs, bala sharks, apollo sharks etc therefore will not be touched by the parrots and will reduce aggression within the species

only drawback may be the parrots having to compete for food, but my barbs and sharks take it very easy at feeding time, and also the life that the dither fish has, having to be wary of attacks

this is some of the info i have read about parrots:
parrots have deformed spines therefore an awkward swim pattern
the iris (black) of the eyes is unusually large, possibly have sight problems
mouth looks like a beak (hence the parrot name) and doesn't close properly so feeding is difficult, they can barely take pellets from the surface
they are often dipped in a stripping chemical then a dye to colour them but the colour only lasts up to a few months
they cannot ever breed, they are a cross breed but what fish is kept secret in the breeding farms of taiwan (i think its bred in taiwan anyway)

its much the same as the ethic behind glofish, you know, the danios that have the colour bleached out of them, only to be injected with dyes that only make them "pretty" for a month

i would say buy these on your own morals and conscience. fish are animals and pets and deserve to be reared, bred and kept with decency and dignity. this is not a dig at you its my own thoughts and feelings

Severum face goldfish fins and Mary Harney body. Mutants noone should keep so they are not produced.

They remind me of Ripley in Alien4 "Kill Me, Kill Me"

But to each his own.

Mark

Could a green sevrum be put in with the 4 blood parrots ??
Thanks

should not be a problem
tinfoil barbs and silver dollars also go well

thats grand ,
what temp do the parrots need ? , and what ph etc ....
thanks
eric ...
will they eat my little bnp's ?

like other cichlids they like to dig in the gravel so choose a substrate not too rough.
temperature should be maintained at about 80,lower temp will result in a loss of colour
the ph should be 6.8 and the water soft
bloodworms and brine shrimp are their favourite,foods high in b-carotene and canthaxanthin will help maintain their vibrant colours
your bnps should be fine

Thanks for the help mossy ,

The fella's phone is off so I can't ring him

Anyone selling parrot fish for a good price here ?? , if I can't get in touch with the fella

Thanks

eric

where are u based eric

I'm based in tallaght

they have some in maidenhead just outside carlow
its only 20 min away from you
cant remember how much but you could ring them on 059 9722747

managed to get in contact with the fella

i managed to get him down to 40 for the 4 he said they are 1 large and 3 medium

will a ph of 7.5 do as thats what the test came out as ,

i think im collecting them tomorrow

thanks

eric