# New Cichlid Keeper need help w/ Blood Parrot Fish-(Bit me!)



## Jada (Feb 6, 2015)

Hi I am new. I have been keeping bettas for a couple of years. I have about 10 in various sized tanks. I wanted a personable fish that lives longer than betta. My first choice probably would have been an Oscar but the tank size would probably be bigger than I could do. After reading how interesting Parrot fish can be and seeing some videos that seem to prove that I decided to get one along with dither fish. They are all are in quarantine tanks. The dither fish are Giant danios 5, Golden Barbs 5 and Julii Corys for cleaning the bottom 5. None are full size i read to buy fish that won't fit in the mouth of the fish you have. This is true in the sense that the front part of their bodies wont' the tails could if they are not fast enough. My parrot fish is about 2.5 inches in size and has a pretty "operable" mouth. The parrot fish in a 20 long with a fake hollow log, some fake plants and floating live plants on top until quarantine is over. At that point I was planning to introduce it to the other fish that would already be in a planted 29 gallon. I plan to buy a 55 gallon at the next Petco $1.00 per gallon sale in a few months.

It's been about a week and half the BP will come out if I look busy on the computer or if I am reading about 6 ft away on the couch and is responding to feeding time for the most part. Bp knows if I am looking and will quickly retreat to the log if I look too long. I was able to clean the tank one time without incident BP stayed in the log looking afraid. I read BP like lots of gravel but I decided to removed some for this cleaning because too much food is accumulating. When I started removing the gravel and got closer to her log she came and got close to my hand I tried to wave her away. She circled the log and came back and bit the heck out of of my hand removing a small chunk of skin and left me bleeding. After this she swam around the tank several times looking like a cross between smug, angry and not worried about hiding. So much for the peaceful parrot fish eh? It still hurts. She was biting so rapidly you think she was a piranha. It felt like a tiny jackhammer latched on to my hand for 4 seconds. I'd swear I could hear the biting!

I stopped cleaning and googled parrot fish bit me to find out this is not entirely uncommon but definitely not mentioned in various profiles online. I managed to get the tank cleaned but I watched her carefully. She stayed in her log. I am suspecting this fish is a she because recently her belly lightened up to a tan to light orange color. I've read that females get like that when they are filling up with eggs. I cannot see any ovipositor hanging down though . Another problem since then is she has probably ate some pieces of silk plant I took the silk out. I have fed her zuchini and algae wafer hoping she will be able to pass it.

I was a little angry and upset but I have gotten past that. I have a new respect for the parrot that supposedly doesn't bite. Now I need to know how I can avoid getting bit and how I can create the best environment that will allow her to feel confident and safe. Furthermore, I have all of these dither fish that I am not sure will be safe with her in a bigger tank. I bought all fish that were suggested on forums and in fish profiles. She did start coming out beyond feeding time once I set up the Giant Danios next to her tank where she could see them.

Please let me know how to work with this fish and what you'd suggest.

(I didn't notice a category for BP's and since this manmade fish is supposed to be from South American descent I posted here. I know some people see them as an abomination but I also have seen that many people enjoy them and this looked like a good first interactive cichlid that I felt I could house)


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## The Cichlid Guy (Oct 18, 2014)

Blood Parrot temperaments seem to be hit-or-miss, but this is to be expected of a hybrid fish. In my experience, they are incredibly aggressive. I have seen a group of Blood Parrots kill a full-grown Oscar in one day, as well as wipe out an entire tank of African cichlids. It sounds like you may have one of the more aggressive individuals. While many show aggression towards other large fish (or hands), dither fish may be ignored. Only time will tell.

As for not being bitten, you'll just have to be careful. I usually don't find the need to put my hands in the tank when doing maintenance, but occasionally something needs to be changed or removed. The easiest solution would be to avoid your Parrot, if possible. You could also try gloves, or even some sort of grabbing tool.

Once your Parrot becomes accustomed to you, you may find it easier to work with, and I imagine it will be much more comfortable once you upgrade to a bigger tank. Some people hand-feed, pet, and even hold their Blood Parrots, so it seems at least some of them are open to human interaction. :thumb:


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## Jada (Feb 6, 2015)

The vacumn on my siphon is short because I am using one designed for betta tanks. I am planning to get a longer one. I do pick up decor to get under it to make sure nothing accumulates. As dumb as it sounds I did try to hand feed the zucchini today before weighting it down ( I read to move if she charged) and she did take a few nibbles and retreat. I was happy to get a few nibbles and leave the zuke behind. I could compare Blood parrots to semi-ferral cats they will come out for food but they are ready to run if needed and sometimes they might become friendly with you or now I know they just they might bite you. It would be nice if forums and profiles said something about the potential aggression.

What I really want is to get to understand their behavior and needs and to try to use conditioning to get the fish to respond to me without aggression. I was told by an experienced fish keeper (40 years experienced) that you need to work with the fish and gain their confidence. Can you do that with BP's or is that not true?

I've seen repeatedly posts about people just letting an aggressive fish wipe the other fish. I've had a betta sorrority I removed or time outed an aggressor why not stick the fish in another tank or in bucket?


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## Jada (Feb 6, 2015)

She is out quite a bit now and doing lots of sitting on the bottom of the gravel and wiggling her tail. What does that mean?


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