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, though
Parrot 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 Cichlids
Most 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
