The red blood parrot was first "created" in Taiwan back in the late eighties. Little is known about it outside Taiwan. According to Cher Chan in "Cichlids in Taiwan", it first appeared in 1986. The parents of the hybrid was a mystery back then, now many fish farms in Taiwan can produce it from a male "Cichlasoma citrinellum" (midas cichlid) and a female "Cichliasoma synspilum" (redhead cichlid). The author doubts the purity of the parent stock, thoughParrot Cichlids seem to be somewhat shy upon first introducing them to the tank. Hiding when any activity is present outside the tank. After some time though, they will overcome this shyness. Some report this to take less than a week, while others say it may take up to a couple of months. So be patient with your new fish, they will eventually come out. And when they do, you will see their great personalities they are known for. They will come to the glass every time you pass the tank and beg for food . They do the "Feed-Me" dance, as I call it, and are really good at it too, I fall for it way too often.
There is also some behavior one must aware of before attempting to keep a parrot cichlid. They love to dig, and can be somewhat belligerent towards other fish at times, especially if two have paired up and are defending their nest. Many people say their parrot's are very docile, rarely showing aggression towards tank mates. I however must fall in to another category. Our parrots grew up together and are always charging and bumping one another. An occasional lip fight will periodically occur over territories. Basically parrot's behavior seems to vary from fish to fish, some are docile while others have quite a nasty disposition. When single specimens are kept in a community aquarium, it will show very little aggression, in a species tank (only parrot cichlids) you will find the exact opposite to be true. What bewilders me is, despite all their daytime scuffles, at night they all share the same cave and snuggle together to sleep, only to wake up the next morning to start terrorizing each other again.
Types of Parrot CichlidsMost commonly found in the trade is the Red Blood Parrot. Despite the name, these fish are generally a gold-orange color with a small amount of pink found on the throat and behind the head of the males. They can obtain sizes up to 10 inches. Females are usually smaller in size and lack the pink coloration.
The second most popular type seems to be the Purple Blood Parrot, like the latter, it's name is also deceiving. This fish is a bright red color with some parts of the coloration so deep and brilliant it appears to be a purple, hence the name Purple Parrot. There is some controversy as to whether or not these fish are "dyed". To my knowledge these fish are NOT dyed but are just a different color morph.
There is also a variety of Parrot Cichlid that is quite odd. (As if they aren't odd enough!!) This type is tailless. It's called the "Love Heart" parrot due to its heart-like shape. It's available in both the red and the purple variety. We keep one of these, and despite his missing appendage, he can hold his own in a scuffle and swim as fast as the others in the tank. This is a really unique fish, and tailless trend must be catching on. We are starting to see Discus produced with the missing tail also.credit : http://geocities.com/parrotcichlid/general.html
Two or three small feedings a day is better than one feeding per day. Only put in as much food that the fish will consume within 2 minutes. Overfeeding your fish will lead to poor water quality and stressed fish.
Brine ShrimpBrine shrimp is a great food for getting your fish ready for fish breeding. It can also be used as an excellent treat for your fish. Use it as a supplement to the daily diet of flake fish food.
You can also create your own brine shrimp rather easily.Blood WormsIf you have carnivorous fish you may want to supplement their diet with some blood worms. Your other fish will love these as well. Blood worms are high in protein and only feed them to your fish occasionally.Live Fish FoodThe food is still alive when you introduce it to the tank. Brine shrimp, Daphnia, Feeder Goldfish and worms are usually the main live foods given to tropical fish.If you plan on using live foods, caution is advised because feeder fish can bring fish disease along with them. Earth worms can be a great supplement for your fish but don't feed them to your fish too frequently. Finding earth worms can be fairly easy but make sure you don't collect them from soil that may have contaminants such as lawn fertilizer. Frozen Fish FoodFrozen fish foods are great for getting high quality, fresh food to your fish. These foods are usually high in proteins and fats so check the label to see exactly what you're giving your fish. Manufacturers are making frozen varieties of the many tropical fish food types, including brine shrimp, beef heart, bloodworms, daphnia, krill, plankton, silversides, etc. You can sometimes get the frozen fish food in cube packs that really makes it easy to dispense.
Using frozen fish food can be messy, to cut down on the amount of pollution added to your tank you may want to thaw the frozen food in a bowl and then slowly spoon feed it to your tank. Only put in as much food as your fish will eat as soon as it touches the water.
Feeding your fish high quality, frozen foods will really do wonders for them. You may start to notice that your fish have improved colors and they may even start breeding. credit : http://www.fishlore.com/Food.htm
The Texas cichlid (Herichthys cyanoguttatus, formerly Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum) is a freshwater fish of the cichlid family. Also known as Rio Grande cichlid, this species is originated from the lower rio Grande drainage in Texas and Northeastern Mexico, particular on the sandy bottom of deep rivers. This is the only cichlid species native to the United States.
The Texas cichild has a large greyish high-backed body with bright blue scales and two dark spots, one at the center of the body and another and the end of its tail. Adult males have a large hump on their heads. This species can grow up to 30 cm. They prefer a water temperature range of 20–33°C, a pH range of 6.5-7.5, and a water hardness of 5-12 pH
The Texas cichlid is commonly found in the aquarium trade and is relatively popular with cichlid enthusiasts. Its temperament differs from one individual to another, but in general can be kept with other large aquarium fishes such as tinfoil barbs,silver dollars,oscars, and other South American cichlids. Texas cichlids prefer larger tanks with 55 gallons of water or more. They are substrate diggers and will uproot plants.
Feeding is easy as the Texas cichlid readily takes pellets, flake foods, and live and frozen food. This species is a prolific breeder and breeding in aquarium is relatively easy. Adult fish pair up and become territorial. Up to 1,000 adhesive eggs are laid on a clean, flat surface and both parents guard them aggressively. Eggs hatch in 3-5 days and the fry grow rapidly.
Texas cichlid is known to hybridize with other related species. The flowerhorn cichlid, a hybrid cichlid extremely popular in Asia, may have been a result of the crossbreeding of Texas cichlid and several other species.Credit : - Goldstein, R. J. (2000), American Aquarium Fishes, p. 385-386, Texas A&M University Press, College Station, Texas. ISBN 0-89096-880-2.
- "Herichthys cyanoguttatus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. October 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_cichlid
The largest fish family in the world is the family Cichlidae. Made up of approximately 160 Genera with more than 1,300 described species, this family is found in the Americas (Central and South America) as well as Africa and Asia.
Cichlids are the second most colorful fishes, second only to marine fishes. Cichlid colors vary widely, to include, blues, yellows, reds and greens.
These fishes tend to be more aggressive than the standard tropical fish, but in a tank with other cichlids, their aggressive nature makes for a very active and interesting tank.
South America is home to Angelfish, Discus, Oscars, Jack Dempsey, and Rams. These fish require a pH of 7.0, matching the pH found in the standard home aquarium.
Although Austin Aquariums sells Cichlids from all over the world, Michael leans more towards the species found in Africa, specifically the rift Lakes Malawi and Tanganyika.
Some 150 million years ago, as Gondwanaland broke up into the continents of India, Australia, Antarctica, Africa, and South America, two large splits in the earth opened in Central Africa trapping early fishes. Over time, these rifts continued to fill with water to become deep, highly mineralized lakes. Lake Tanganyika is the second deepest lake in the world, with a maximum depth of two miles. Over millions of years, these fishes evolved separately from all other fish species. Today we know these fishes as African Rift-Lake Cichlids, whose closest relative is the salt-water damselfish.
Michael loves to discuss the fishes found in these lakes, as well as the other regions of the world. Come in and use his experience with these animals to create a lively, exciting tank of these colorful fishes.
credit : Original Composition by Michael Holcomb and Charles Teel.
( http://austinaquariums.com/cichlid.html )
