# Does anyone know anything about Blood Parrot fish?



## whitelop (Nov 29, 2012)

Yes y'all I know this is a rabbit forum. But the blood parrot forum I just joined is really hard to navigate and I'm not sure how to work it! haha. 

Anyways, my fish is acting really strange and I think I've narrowed down what could be wrong with her but I wanted to know if anyone had any experience with this mutant breed? 
Or if anyone knows a good forum/website for blood parrots or cichilds that maybe I've missed. 

Thanks in advance! 
Any help would be greatly appreciated!


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## agnesthelion (Nov 29, 2012)

I wish I did but no, not one ounce of knowledge 

But I sure hope your fish is okay!!!!


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## degrassi (Nov 29, 2012)

Whats happening with your fish?


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## whitelop (Nov 29, 2012)

She is having a hard time staying afloat. She spent the majority of the day wedged between the plants and the side of the tank. Im pretty sure she has swimming bladder disease/disorder. So I've quarantined her in a small tank. I've checked all the water levels and the only thing that's wrong is the nitrates. Im just trying to get the water warm enough now, the heater is small. 
She was having to deal with our smaller king kong parrot who has now become highly aggressive. She seems to be doing much better in the smaller tank, just very pale.


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## luvthempigs (Nov 29, 2012)

I don't know anything about this breed in particular but I do have several tanks and have been keeping fish for about twelve years now.

If your fish is being bullied by a tank mate it can cause stress and illness. Your fish being pale is a sign that something is wrong. 

How high are your nitrates? How often do you do water changes? 

Good idea moving her to a quarantine tank. I would keep her warm and in a dimly lit tank with some live or fake plants to make her feel safe. Are you using a filter on the q tank? You don't need one really. You don't want to deal with the tank cycling while she is in it. I would use an airstone to add aeration/oxygen to the tank. And water changes accordingly. What size is the q tank? How big is the fish?


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## whitelop (Nov 29, 2012)

Unfortunately, the q tank is only a gallon. Its just the one I grabbed today when I decided to move her. I'm going to put her in a 10 gallon tomorrow if she seems like she's doing better. She is about 4.5 inches long. The q tank has a small filter on it, but I think that I will get an air stone out and switch it with the filter. She has two small plants in there. 
As for the paleness, she is always pale. Her color is just a pale yellow/orange. 

Oh boy, the nitrates are through the roof! About 200. I should have known the nitrates were high because we just had a growth spurt of algae. 

My husband usually does the water changes and I don't know how often he does it. He just did about a 20% water change a few days ago. 
I usually don't pay enough attention to the cleaning/changing of the tank because they're mostly my husbands responsibility. I just saw her last night and this morning acting strange, and she is my fish. So I had to do something to save her. 

I noticed the smaller parrot attacking her last night and this morning and I think thats why she stayed in the corner to stay away. This little parrot is half her size, but way more aggressive than my big girl. (she's a different breed of parrot) The little one split the big girls tale, my poor big mutant baby.


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## luvthempigs (Nov 29, 2012)

Oh my goodness, Nitrate at 200 is extremely high. It's best to keep under 40 and preferably at 20. Water changes will help lower it as well as making sure your not over feeding. Live plants help reduce levels too. 

If you can even move her to a clean 5 gallon bucket it would be okay temporarily. Just make sure no chemicals were ever used in it. You will need to change water often (every other day, possibly daily) You can use a 25W heater and an airpump in the bucket. I have also used Rubbermaid storage containers as hospital/quarantine tanks. They work great and can be used for storage when not in use 

I think Cichlids are pretty hardy fish, atleast the ones I kept in the past. They can be aggressive though. Which can be an issue if you don't want several tanks set up in your home


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## luvthempigs (Nov 29, 2012)

Just thought of something else. If your fish have recently started fighting you can try rearranging their tank. I assume you have rocks and or caves for them? I would do that with mine if they got too territorial. It mixes things up a bit and everyone scrambles to claim new territory's.


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## whitelop (Nov 29, 2012)

I'll try moving their things around to break everything up. Im going to move her tomorrow to a new q tank. 

I read for swimming bladder disorder to give them shelled peas, so I've been giving her some peas. It works like a laxative or so it says. It helps to get everything moving again. She seems to like the peas though.


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## luvthempigs (Nov 29, 2012)

Swim bladder disease is a general term used for fish having a hard time staying upright and balancing itself. It can have several causes, constipation being one of them. If that is the case with your fish then fasting for a few days and feeding shelled peas ( I use frozen peas, just defrost in hot water first) can help.


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## whitelop (Nov 30, 2012)

Maria you have been such a great help with this! 
I haven't switched her q tank yet, because I'm not really sure what to do with her. She seems to be doing so much better. I don't think she was actually having any issue at all. She is pooping and eating like normal, swimming around in what little space she has, being friendly like usual. 
I think she was trying to avoid the smaller parrot and thats why she was wedged in the plants, where the smaller one couldn't really get to her. 

So now my questions are, can she live on her own in like a 5 gallon tank? Thats all I really have room for right now. I don't have room for another huge tank set up. Should I keep her in her own tank or should I move the smaller one into her own tank? The big girl lived peacefully with our golden barbs for over 2 years, then this little brat came in and disrupted the balance. 
Will the big one be happy on her own? And will a 5 gallon tank be alright for her? I know its small, but if she is the only one in there she wouldn't be competing for territory/food/space. 
We have larger tanks, but I think the 5 would be my limit for where I have to put it. I have an extra filter system and air stones and the whole shabang to fill her tank up with. I just need to get a new heater, because her water STILL isn't warm enough, therefore she is still pale. 
This is her. She follows my hand when I drag it across the tank wall. Look how pale she is! I know theres a flash mark, but trust me the flash didn't wash her out.


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## luvthempigs (Nov 30, 2012)

Glad to hear she is doing better. It does seem like she was just stressed from being bullied by the other fish. If it went on too long it could have caused her death. 

It's really up to you who you move but I definitely wouldn't put them back in the same tank. I can't really imagine a fish that size in a five gallon tank though. Any way you could set up a ten gallon tank? It would be more appropriate. Maybe put the smaller fish in the new tank. 

Don't forget the new tank will have to cycle. I normally use filter media from an established tank to seed or start the new one. You can also use some gravel and or decorations from your established tank too. You don't want to further stress the fish with ammonIa and nitrite.


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## whitelop (Nov 30, 2012)

I think what we're going to do is rearrange the tank they're all in, to break up the territories. I'll put the big parrot back in and see how it goes. If that doesn't work and the little one is still being really aggressive, I'm going to take her out and put her in a smaller tank. 
I talked to my husband and he doesn't really want another tank set up for just one fish, I don't really either. But thats the only thing I can think of doing. But my big parrot and the other fish get along great. 

Thank you for all your help!


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## luvthempigs (Nov 30, 2012)

Oh, I wouldn't hesitate to keep a lone Cichlid. Should be just fine. 

I would try to get that nitrate level down in your main tank by doing several partial water changes. Nitrate isn't as dangerous as ammonia and nitrite but at high levels for an extended period of time it can cause issues for your fish.

It is pretty cool when a fish interacts with a human. That's one reason I love my bettas so much, tons of personality. And some of my Goldie's will eat from my hand. 

Your fish is cute, Can't wait to see her when she colors back up.


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## luvthempigs (Nov 30, 2012)

Oops, Just saw your post. No problem with the help  I hope things work out in the main tank. Let me know how it goes


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## whitelop (Nov 30, 2012)

I will! Yeah i loved my bettas too, they were really personable. This big girl is definitely mine. She was eating peas from my hand earlier. She is a sweetie. 
Hopefully everything works out. Im keeping my fingers crossed.


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## MLS (Dec 1, 2012)

I wouldn't hesitate to separate them if one is bullying the other. With aggressive cichlids, and hybrids of them, sometimes the fish are just too aggressive to co-habitate. I'm in a similar situation where my fiance is a big fish hobbyist, focusing on aggressive South American cichlids and while he does most of the work, some of the fish are "mine". I've got one named Liberacci who is a gorgeous Parrot x Flowerhorn hybrid; aka as mutant as mutant fish can get but I still love him and his color is gorgeous. Liberacci has to have his own 29 gallon tank despite being one pretty small, for now, fish because of his aggression. Anything else in that tank will get bullied or beaten up regardless of size or species. Unfortunately, that happens with these fish but they're fine on their own.

Alternatively, they may get along once you re-introduce them. We have a Jaguar cichlid who had to be removed to her own 75 gallon tank because she was attacking and terrorizing everything else in the large predator tank. She lived alone for a few months and we changed up the layout of the larger tank and re-introduced her and the new fish hierarchy has held up without any single fish getting beat up. Best of luck with your fish!


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## whitelop (Dec 1, 2012)

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one with mutant fish! 
Do you guys have any experience with a king kong parrot? She is 100x more aggressive than my big girl. Not to mention she is probably going to dwarf my big girl eventually. Jeez, what did I buy! 
I got her because her mouth was perfect and she looked pretty perfect, come to find out she is a king kong that they didn't identify as that! omg. 

Oh and I looked up flowerhorns x parrots, they're really pretty. I would love to see a picture of your Liberacci boy!


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## Sweetie (Dec 6, 2012)

whitelop: have you tried fishforums.com? I am a member on that fish forum and their knowledge about fish are amazing. Blood parrots get huge. I am glad that your blood parrot is doing better. 

My username on fishforums is Angelclown. I love fishforums!

I don't know about blood parrots but the folks over on fishforums do. Hope to see you on the fish forum.


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## whitelop (Dec 6, 2012)

My parrot is actually doing very well now! I separated her for a few days and she recovered fully. We also moved the decorations in the tank around to break up the territories. That worked for the parrots. Now they are getting along again. Unfortunately when we did a massive tank cleaning, we took out too much of the good bacteria and lost our two, two year old golden tinfoil barbs.  But such is life. 

I will check out fishforums. Thank you! I hope they're better than monsterfish. I didn't like them.


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## ldoerr (Dec 6, 2012)

Have you tried Aquatic Community? I have been a member of that forum sice I got my first tank. They are really helpful. There is normaly someone on at all times ansering questions. It is a big forum with lots of members and activity. I really like it. Here is the link. http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/
I have not been on in a while because I have had a lot to do lately (and RO is a trap that I get sucked into each day and spend 3hrs on at a time  )

I hope that your fish gets better soon. Something that you might want to try that will save your back and save you sooooo much time is a python style water changer. http://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-Aquarium-Water-Changer-Feet/dp/B000YAJKL6/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1354771075&sr=1-1&keywords=aqueon+water+changer. It hooks onto a sink, you turn a lever and it drains your tank, you switch another lever and it fills your tank with the corect temperature water. You do not need any buckets. 

Also you should be doing weekly water changes of at least 50% (or more).


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## whitelop (Dec 6, 2012)

I just looked at fishforums and I liked it enough, they are really biased against the blood parrots. I didn't really like what a few people had to say about them and the people that owned them. But I guess I'll find that on any fish forum I look at. Unfortunately, they're mutants and we humans created them and made them what they are. But I do love my parrots and even though one is a bully, I'll always love them. Especially my big girl, she is such a sweetie. She follows me around her tank! Shes very smart. haha. 
Sorry, I didn't mean to kind of rant. I'm just a little amped because of something someone said about parrots. 

I don't think we'll be getting any more fish. I think my big girl, the king kong and the cat fish will live happily in the tank now. We may get another fish, but both my husband and I are a little apprehensive. We really liked our barbs, they were like 6 inches long and hefty. (I know, because I picked one up with my hand ) 
Anyways, thanks y'all for the forums to look at. I'll lurk around them to see if I can get any more good information about my big mutants.


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## Sweetie (Dec 6, 2012)

Cool! Yeah they can be biased on a lot of fish, but their knowledge is awesome. Become a member. They are really nice and very helpful.


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