# Blood Parrots



## sdkinaz (Aug 11, 2016)

I thought these fish were sterile, but I have a pair that has laid eggs. Any ideas on what is up with that?


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## ZJP98 (Aug 6, 2016)

http://www.parrotcichlids.com/parrot-ci ... eeding.asp

"Until recently, it has been though that Parrot Cichlids could not breed because the male was sterile. The pair go through the normal courtship but the eggs would never hatch. There has been rumors lately, that the fish farms are now introducing males that ARE able to fertilize the eggs. They are doing this by injecting them with a hormone that makes them fertile."


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## Sinister-Kisses (Jul 19, 2013)

Regardless, a female has always been capable of laying eggs. So yours may NOT be fertile...you'll know in a few days if they start to rot.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

ZJP98 said:


> http://www.parrotcichlids.com/parrot-cichlid-breeding.asp
> 
> "Until recently, it has been though that Parrot Cichlids could not breed because the male was sterile. The pair go through the normal courtship but the eggs would never hatch. There has been rumors lately, that the fish farms are now introducing males that ARE able to fertilize the eggs. They are doing this by injecting them with a hormone that makes them fertile."


It needs to be noted that there is some real mis-information in this article.
If it is simply a rumor that fish farms are just now releasing males that are fertile, how does the author know some of the details he/she is claiming about their breeding. As I read the article over again, I realize, he/she makes no claim of having bred them him/herself. Of coarse, if he/she had bred them, it would be more then just rumour, wouldn't? That a blood parrot would be a delayed mouth brooder is more then unbelievable. And that the eggs would require a pH of around neutral for the sperm to be able to penetrate is also unbelievable for a fish that no doubt, has entirely Central American ancestry. The next article by Christine is just as silly, using a turkey baster to remove eggs to do them artificially? Why? And no mention of using an air stone and methylene blue?? Good luck having any success that way :lol: She as well, did not breed them, as at the end of the article she mentions it's her friend that is breeding them. The third article by Sue is about a fish she could not identify herself. With a body like a black belt, and looks more like a king kong parrot then a blood parrot. By the way, a king kong parrot is a different hybrid fish then the common blood parrot and these are known to be fertile. But hers has less of a beak and hump then a king kong parrot (which already has considerably less then a blood parrot). Doesn't sound to me, like it's a "parrot" at all. :lol: 
Also, a bubble gum or jelly bean parrot is not 1/2 convict. It's entirely convict. It's simply a short bodied convict. It's one of many such cichlids like that (short bodied) that are commonly available today.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

BC in SK said:


> That a blood parrot would be a delayed mouth brooder is more then unbelievable. And that the eggs would require a pH of around neutral for the sperm to be able to penetrate is also unbelievable for a fish that no doubt, has entirely Central American ancestry.


I guess we know that this is more then unbelievable; it is plain false. Female blood parrots have been successfully crossed with virtually every CA cichlid. They breed just like any other CA cichlid, and no there is no special pH requirement (such as certain soft water SA cichlids) for sperm to penetrate there eggs. Like any CA cichlid, they can be crossed with any CA cichlid and produce fry. Of coarse, the requirement is, the male has to be fertile......otherwise the eggs won't hatch.
In almost 10 years of being on fish forums....I have yet to see a thread where someone has successfully bred male blood parrot with female blood parrot. The eggs always go bad. Of coarse that doesn't necessarily mean it's impossible, just very unlikely.
As far as a Blood parrots ancestry, there is little doubt that it is entirely CA cichlid. A member on this forum, Chromedome, knows of someone that got a mitochondrial DNA test on blood parrot. It came out midas (or red devil) so we know for certain that at least the maternal line is midas/RD. That it has RD/midas ancestry is obvious simply by looking at the fish. Many people believe (as I now do) that the other parent is synspilum. Two threads on MFK show the results of this cross (midas X synspilum) as producing a number of offspring that look pretty much identical to the commonly available blood parrot. There is a third claim of this cross producing blood parrot- type fish though I have not seen the pictures or results.


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