The parrot cichlid is popularly called the aquarium parakeet. Its scientific name is pelvikachromas pulcher. Fish are very popular with people who prefer to keep them in aquarium conditions. They differ not only in bright appearance but also unusual behavior. In addition, the fish are small in size, which is very convenient, since they can be kept even in small containers. Another advantage is their unpretentiousness to water quality and food varieties.

The fish are considered quite peaceful, so you can safely keep them in the aquarium without fear that they can harm anyone. They love aquariums with dense vegetation. They also prefer to dig in the sand and pebbles, but the algae themselves do not tear or spoil. Fish love hiding places, but they need open space to swim, although they tend to stay closer to the bottom. It is curious to observe adults and their fry - small gray dots follow big fish, obey and quickly disappear before our eyes, hiding in different places.

These beautiful fish sure to please the eye

Parrot cichlids were first described back in 1900. They were first imported into German cities in 1914. Africa is the birthplace of fish. Most of them are off the coast of Cameroon and in southern Nigeria. The water where cichlids live varies in terms of salinity, acidity, and hardness. In nature, these fish feed on worms, detritus and larvae. Almost no wild specimens are imported, and cichlids are usually artificially bred.

These fish were named parrots because of their bright color. As a rule, their body is brownish, but it has many purple spots on the belly and fins. Color largely depends on the mood of the pet. They are most beautiful during breeding, or when they meet their mate. But even the rest of the time they remain very interesting and bright. In addition, there are now many new colors. For example, albinos look unusual.

The fish grow up small. The length of the female is about 7 cm, and the males are slightly larger - up to 10 cm. The fish live up to 5 years. On this moment There are many varieties of cichlids. They are all bred from standard blue and brown cichlids. The most popular types:

1. Brown Discus. Lives in the Amazon. It grows up to 20 cm in length.
2. Green discus. His homeland is Peru. Grows up to 30 cm.
3. Blue discus. He also lives in the Amazon. Its length is up to 20 cm.

Be responsible in choosing an aquarium so that the fish feel comfortable in it

In terms of food, parrots are not fussy, so there is no need to prepare any special food for them. Dry food, such as gammaris and daphnia, will do. However, natural food will always be useful. For example, you need to grate pork or beef hearts. Preparing such an appetizer for fish is very simple. It is necessary to cut off the film, fat and cartilage from the frozen heart. Then cut into small pieces and freeze in the freezer. As necessary, the pieces need to be taken out and rubbed on a regular grater, and then fed to the fish.

In addition, live food is very important for parrots, which must also be present in the diet. For example, daphnia, bloodworm, tubifex, coretra are suitable. If it is not possible to find such food, then ordinary earthworms can be crushed.

It is not recommended to keep several male cichlids in one aquarium, even if the capacity is very large. Only one male will be the leader, and he will simply drive the rest of the stronger sex. Because of this, they will only stay in algae thickets.

In general parrots are peaceful fish. They become aggressive when it comes to breeding. But, on the other hand, they always establish a territory that other fish should not swim into. In general, swordtails, platies, mollies, tarakatums, zebrafish, gourami, corridors and other peaceful species that have the same preferences for living conditions get along well with parrots.

Parrot cichlids are considered quite strong, but if you do not follow the rules for their maintenance, this can lead to serious illnesses. Even if the aquarium is moderately populated, and the water in the tank is clean and at the same time quarantine control is carried out, this will not avoid the outbreak of the epidemic among the fish. The reasons may also be malnutrition, temperature conditions (especially for hypothermia).

Ichthyophthyriasis in cichlids

Another common disease is saprolegniosis. It is also provoked by the wrong maintenance of pets. A fungus develops on the affected areas, resembling a piece of adherent cotton wool. All diseased fish should be treated immediately.

To avoid various ailments of fish and entire epidemics in the aquarium, you need to know everything about the preferences of future pets - their food, temperature regime, water parameters, compatibility with other representatives, etc. If a variety is selected that lives only in an ideal clean water, then the aquarium should only have one. Be sure to comply with all conditions of detention.

Many diseases are directly related to the functioning of the immune system. And it, in turn, is affected by the quality of food for fish. If parrots for a long time will not receive live food, then they will receive less essential amino acids, because of which the whole organism suffers. That is why it is imperative to monitor the diet of pets.

In an aquarium, even a small one, you can easily breed parrot cichlids. These are very beautiful fish, besides they have an interesting behavior. Fish have many advantages, and their care is simple, so even a beginner can grow them in aquarium conditions.

In 1991, Taiwanese breeders obtained offspring from the constant crossing of Cichlasoma synspillum, Citrinellum and South American cichlids, which gave rise to new group hybrids known today as parrot fish.

They got their name because of the great similarity of the shape of the head with the colorful head of a parrot. Due to its bright and unusual color the parrot is very popular among breeders and lovers of aquarium fish, while not a single aquarist outside of Asia has yet succeeded in breeding offspring.

parrots: types

Mostly yellow and orange parrots are imported. Often you can buy bright red, crimson and purple fish. This coloration is supported by specialized coloring feeds, which contain carotenoids in large quantities. When fed with simple foods, the standard orange color is restored. Black and blue parrots are much less frequently imported.

For these fish, food of animal origin is preferred, for example: coretra, bloodworm, minced fish and beef heart, shrimp. They have an excellent appetite and can indulge in the sin of gluttony around the clock. But this circumstance leads to various accidents. This is mainly dangerous when feeding in the evening. They do not have time to eat all the food before dark, and in the morning, waking up, they immediately begin to eat it intensively. But he lay in the aquarium all night, having gone bad. Fish get quite serious poisoning.

The area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe cichlid fish "red parrot"

The parrot comes to our country mainly from Singapore and Taiwan. In the conditions of our country it does not breed, but it takes root well in home aquariums.

Parrot cichlid: dimensions

The red parrot grows up to 15 centimeters. The color of the fish varies quite strongly, the most common are yellow and orange forms. In addition, there is a “wild” color, which occurs in some cancers and cichlases. Raspberry, purple and bright red fish turn over time into a bright orange form. When fed with a variety of specialized foods rich in carotene to enhance the rich red color, the color improves markedly.

Cichlid parrot: feeding

Parrots are picky in feeding - the fish consume most of the quality dry food and any live food. The best for them are floating pellets and bloodworms.

Parrot cichlid: breeding

The parrot has no analogues in nature. This type of fish was obtained by artificial insemination from various kinds African and American cichlids.

Parrot cichlid: additional information

Fish live in an aquarium for up to ten years. This is a very quiet fish, able to coexist peacefully with other inhabitants of the aquarium, but intraspecific aggression still occurs from time to time. Grown-up individuals who are not familiar with each other have poor contact with each other, due to which they should be launched at the same time small so that they can get used to each other.

Red parrot - American hybrid cichlid

The red parrot or blood red parrot (Blood Parrot) is an amazing aquarium fish developed in captivity, in wild nature she doesn't exist. She has a rounded balloon-like body and a very small mouth. The fish got its name "parrot" for the similarity of their nose with the beak of a parrot. Although the exact genealogical origin of the red parrot is not known, it is most likely the result of a cross between Central American and South American cichlids. This is one of the types of "smart" fish that can be tamed.

Red parrots can be solid color or have a "chintz" pattern, with spots. Colors vary from pale or bright yellow to orange-orange and red. These are shy fish, suitable for both beginners and more experienced aquarists. This species should not be confused with the parrot cichlid (parrot hoplarch) - these are freshwater and rather aggressive cichlids South America, also very attractive, but outwardly differ from red parrots very much.

Origin

Red parrots - aquarium fish created by breeders and hobbyists. They are hybrids that live only in home aquariums. Also sometimes light varieties of red parrots, or albinos, are painted different ways, for example, using a dye under the skin, which then disappears within a few months. They paint fish in pink, purple, blue and other colors. It is said that artificially colored fish have health problems and die early.

The supposed parents of the red parrots are Central and South American cichlids, and the hybrid was supposedly originated in Taiwan.

Most likely, there were several crossings of species, and more than one generation. There are the following selection options:

• The first option: Citron cichlazoma (Amphilophus citrinellus) and Rainbow cichlazoma (Paraneetroplus synspilus).
• Second option: Red Devil Cichlid (Amphilophus labiatus) and Cichlazoma Severum (Cryptoheros spilurus).

There are other assumptions, but they are less likely.

Description

The body of a bloody parrot is round like a balloon. The mouth is small, the nose is like a parrot's beak. Sometimes their mouth doesn't close normally, making feeding difficult. In addition, the ovoid body makes natural swimming difficult.

There are several color variants of red parrots: solid color, with a "calico" pattern, with spots. There are fish different colors, from pale, bright yellow to orange and red. There is also a variety of parrots without a tail fin. They grow up to 20 cm in length.

There are also reports of red parrots being crossed with (Texas) cichlids, so there may be other new varieties.

Otherwise, the red parrot has inherited all the characteristics of cichlids.

The red parrot is a hardy aquarium fish, suitable for beginners, but they are "dirty" fish, be prepared to clean up after them regularly.

For fry and adolescent red parrots in the first two years of life, an aquarium with a volume of 100-110 liters is suitable, but for adults, an aquarium with a volume of 170-200 liters is recommended. The aquarium should have an efficient filtration system and a slow moderate current. These fish can also litter like goldfish, so choose a strong enough filter.

Lighting in an aquarium can be low to medium. The bottom is covered with a thin layer of dark sand, stones and snags are used as decorations, under which fish can hide. Free space for swimming should also remain. Red parrots love to dig in the ground, so it must be soft. Live plants can be planted, but parrots will disturb them and dig them up.

Temperature: 21 - 28 ° C;
ph: 6.5-8.0;
Rigidity: 2 - 25 dGH.

Weekly water changes of 20-25% are required. When replacing, you also need to siphon the soil to remove food debris (in parrots, food often falls out of the mouth) and clean the glass of the aquarium from algae. With proper regular care, red parrots live up to 10 years.

Compatibility

The ancestors of red parrots were aggressive fish, so they are not considered a sociable fish, although they are quite peaceful and even shy. Parrots can be kept with others aquarium fish suitable size. Can be kept with other cichlids, but not too aggressive. Angelfish, peaceful catfish, such as plecostomus, corridors, glass catfish, loaches, tetras, swordtails.

Feeding and feed

Red parrots are omnivores, they take all kinds of live and dry food in the form of flakes. The fish are usually fed daily high quality dry food in the form of flakes and tablets. Additionally, live or frozen brine shrimp, bloodworms, and small fish such as guppies are fed. Feeds containing carotene will contribute to better coloring of parrots.

Differences between male and female

It is difficult to distinguish a male from a female. Males have pink coloration around the gills and on the throat during spawning.

reproduction

In a home aquarium, it is almost impossible to get offspring from red parrots, since their caviar is sterile. To obtain viable offspring, they need to be mated only with non-hybrid cichlids.

Pelvicachromis, also called parrot cichlids, are beautiful fish favored by aquarists. Especially beginners. They are distinguished by attractive “clothes”, calm disposition and small size. Add to the listed advantages of Pelvicachromis unpretentiousness in maintenance and in front of you is a portrait of an ideal inhabitant of a domestic reservoir.

The parrotfish has been bred in captivity for over a century. Despite this, interest in it is only growing. She got such an original name because of the special shape of the head, reminiscent of a bird. Pelvikachromis, having arrived to us from Nigeria, was intended to become a landmark of any aquarium. And he succeeded, no doubt.

Description

Pelvikachromis is a beautiful fish that can hide under several names. Some call her affectionately "parrot", others more officially "cribensis", but the essence of this does not change. Representatives of the Tsikhlov family are valued primarily for their non-standard "appearance".

The most common species is the common parrot (Pelvicachromis pulcher). First described in 1901, imported to Europe in 1913. It has several color forms. The most popular are blue and tan. A dark wide stripe runs from snout to tail. You can recognize the fish by a bright cherry spot on the body. In the rays of light, the scales shimmer with azure lights. The pelvic fins are red. The dorsal and caudal fins are decorated with a yellow border and dark round spots. The intensity of the color often depends on the mood.

The body of pelvicachromis is oblong, laterally compressed. The forehead is sloping, the head is tilted forward. Hence the resemblance to a parrot. The eyes are blue with a black pupil. The size of the fish is 9 cm (males) and 7 cm (females). Sometimes - a little less. In nature, they inhabit overgrown, stagnant reservoirs. Water parameters do not really matter. Parrots thrive in hard and soft, fresh and brackish water. In captivity, they live for about 8 years.

Pelvikachromis: varieties

In addition to the common pelvicachromis, there are other, no less attractive, varieties of parrots.

Variable, or striped parrot (R. taeniatus).

Has 5 color forms. The color of males varies from olive to golden yellow, females - from sky blue to dark purple. First described in 1911. To date, about 20 wild morphs are known - Nigerian, Molivian, Kienke, Nange, Lobe, etc.

Reticulated parrot (R. subocellatus)

These residents West Africa reach a length of 10 cm. Males are gray-yellow, females are yellow-red. The first have a pronounced gray grid on the body. The fins are decorated with red "braid". Each scale has a red edging. It is recommended to keep in aquariums from 50 liters with a lot of vegetation.

Roloff's parrot (R. roloffi)

Seen in the east of Guinea, Liberia, in Sierra Leone. They grow up to 8 cm. Males are light purple with a brown back. Females are brown-violet with a raspberry sheen. Pelvic fins are black, unpaired fins are orange. A dark stripe runs along the body, which under certain conditions can lighten or darken. They live in a domestic pond for about 4 years.

Yellow-bellied pelvikachromis (P. humilis)

It lives in the southeast of Guinea. It reaches a length of 13 cm. Males are beige-gray with dark stripes and red edging on unpaired fins. Females are crimson, and their gills are turquoise. Differ in high efficiency. The number of eggs reaches 300. During spawning, the water temperature should be raised to 28 degrees.

Cameroon parrot (Pelvicachromis camerunensis)

The first mention of it dates back to 1962. Lives in the south of Nigeria, not in Cameroon, as the name might suggest. Top part the body is painted in brownish-violet tones, the belly is blue with green highlights. A dark stripe runs along the back. Males have round black and yellow spots on the tail. Their pelvic fins are purple, while the females are red.

The volume of the aquarium for several pairs of fish is 70-100 liters. Pelvicachromis love to divide territory. The borders are snags, stones, clay pots. Therefore, take care of the presence of a large number of such "limiters".

Lighting should not be strong. From this, the parrots become restless and lose their color intensity.

Aeration, filtration and weekly changes are a must. If you filter the water through peat, the fish will be even brighter. As a soil, it is better to use fine gravel or sand. By the way, do not forget to equip the tank with a lid: pelvicachromis are jumping. There should be plenty of cover. The best are driftwood, inverted ceramic pots, grottoes, plastic pipes, coconut shells.

Feeding

In nature, parrots feed on invertebrates - worms, crustaceans, insects and their larvae. At home, absolutely everything is eaten: live, frozen and artificial food. With pleasure they will feast on cereals or "edible tablets".

In the pre-spawning period, you can feed the fish with cyclops and daphnia. Vegetable top dressing will not be superfluous - spirulina, cucumber, slices of zucchini.

In general, the more varied the menu, the more beautiful and active the pelvikachromis will be.

Compatibility with other fish

parrots - peaceful creatures who never get into a fight. The exception is the spawning period. However, this does not mean that anyone can settle with them. Neighbors should be friendly and the same size. Young people get used to new conditions and new "friends" much faster.

reproduction

Males can be distinguished from females by size. The female is smaller and her body is more rounded. Fish reach sexual maturity by 8-12 months. It is noteworthy that they create couples for life - you should not separate them. Before spawning, pelvicachromis become even brighter.

Spawning can take place in a common aquarium. The female lays her eggs in a clay pot, in a plastic tube or in a hollow snag. The number of eggs is 50-100. Parents carefully guard future offspring. The exception is young couples. They can eat eggs, so they are placed in another tank with parental water, good filtration and aeration.

After 3 days, larvae appear, which after 4-6 days turn into fry. The care of experienced parents does not end there. They take the kids out for their first walk and feed them brine shrimp, rotifers, and crushed flakes. By 2 months, the dotted pattern on the body of the fry is replaced by horizontal black stripes. The habits and color of adult fish acquire by 4 months.

Video: spawning pelvicachromis

glass aquarium made in china Resun with curved front glass.

I used to make grottoes from stones and wood, but this time I decided to take a more modern approach. For a new aquarium, I made a grotto from rectangular and round plastic pipes. I glued them with pebbles on aquarium sealant.

The result was a structure the size of a sewing machine with many hiding places for fish and trays for soil and plants. The mainsail is light, thin-walled. The volume of water does not take away. The process of making a grotto is shown on the Plastic Grotto in an Aquarium page.

I put the grotto in the aquarium, grew some valisneria and elodea there, and transplanted a couple of parrot cichlids there. A male parrot is shown on the Pelvicachromis pulcher page.

Parrots - quite peaceful cichlids suitable for general aquarium. In a common 180 l aquarium, they have been trying for a long time to lay eggs in a coconut, but something did not suit them before.

mating dances

In the very first days after the appearance of the grotto, parrot cichlids took up mating dances and search for a place for caviar.

Then the fish hid in the grotto, and for several days I hardly saw them. Probably, everything is in order in the family, they laid eggs. They take care of her and take care of her. So in mid-October, many, many fry appeared in the aquarium.

To entertain them, I planted 3 cherry barbs, 1 ancistrus and 1 labeo bicolor. Parrots began to attack newcomers. The new fish usually hid behind the filter, although barbs usually don't swim into tight spaces. Even the brave labeo failed to swim into the grotto, although there were many entrances and exits in the grotto.

All internal volumes of the grotto are reported. It turned out a house for one owner. Next time you need to take this into account. In addition, when I make a grotto for a 180 liter aquarium, I will need to use dark plastic. It would have looked better. I did not photograph the first grotto, as there is nothing particularly beautiful in it. On the page about how I made the grotto, there are photos of the second version. The fish loved both.

When, finally, the parents took a flock of fry for a walk, I counted them. There were 40 pieces in total, 4 mm in size. Parrots grazed them in turn: one swims next to the fry, the other chases other fish.

Parrot 2 weeks old. Size 10mm.

At some point, when the fry grew up, it turned out that there were 20-30 of them left. Of course, 20 new parrots are too many for me, but the reason for their loss is interesting. I saw how the male takes a fry far away in his mouth and returns it to the flock.

The female is unable to do so. She has nutritional problems. The male sometimes eats a bloodworm, but the female cannot really grab it - her mouth does not open. It turns out that the male carries the fry consciously, realizing that they cannot be eaten.

Probably nature has arranged such protection so that the female does not gobble up the fry ahead of time. But she just succeeds. She takes the fry into her mouth, probably to move it to another place. The fry swims into her mouth as soon as she opens it enough. But she cannot spit out the fry. Makes several attempts, nothing works, and she swallows it. I already read in one book that parrots are known for eating fry.

In general, the matter of life. But at the same time, the female is getting angrier and angrier. She drove through the filter not only barbs and labeos, but also a male. And he doesn't attack them just to scare them. All are bitten. The male has almost no tail left, the barbs too, although, unlike the male parrot, they sit in the bushes almost all the time.

Now she tends the fry herself. The male hides either in the grotto or behind the filter, presses into the far corner and sits there for hours. How it ends, we'll see.

2.5 weeks, 12mm

The parrots are now two weeks old. There are about 20 of them. They are more than 10mm long and quite thick. Transparent and spotty. So in the photo with a flash they completely disappear against the background of the ground. And without a flash, with a shutter speed of 1/15 seconds, they turn out to be blurry, since they do not stand still.

The barbs didn't doze off either. For three weeks of life in a new aquarium, and despite the terror of the first owners, the barbs spawned, and for several days now I have sometimes seen tiny fry, which are several times thinner than parrot fry. There are 5 barbs in total. They swim alone, and no one cares about them. It is not known how many there were at first. A cherry barb 12mm in size and two more 6-8mm in size were found a month after the barbs settled in a new aquarium.

Cherry Barbecue

2002-11-16

The fry are already quite independent. They swim everywhere, not just in a tight flock. Parents continue to protect them. They reconciled. The tail of the male has almost recovered. Now there are only 35 fry of parrots and 3 fry of barbs. As for eating fry by the female, I got excited. It wasn't. Apparently, he wasn't paying enough attention to her behavior.

Parrot in disguise