TankBud

Blood parrot cichlid

A. citrinellus x V. synspilum

FreshwaterFish

Blood parrot cichlid (A. citrinellus x V. synspilum)
Elizabeth Barrett / animal.photos · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
7.9 in
20 cm
Minimum tank
50 gal
190 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Common
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
no natural occurrence

Overview

The blood parrot cichlid is a round-bodied, mostly peaceful cichlid for a roomy tank with calm company. It is an easy fish to keep.

Did you know

Heart parrots and so-called jellybean or tattooed parrots have been cut, dyed or injected, and all of that harms the fish. A plain blood parrot is already a hybrid, so avoid the dyed and surgically altered ones.

Caring for the blood parrot cichlid

Plan on a tank of at least 50 gal (190 L) for one blood parrot, and more if you keep several. Give it caves and hiding spots, smooth decor and plenty of open swimming space. Its body shape makes tight squeezes awkward.

Run the water warm, at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C), with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Feed pellets, frozen foods and sinking foods, and color-enhancing food helps hold its orange. Its mouth closes poorly, so use foods it can actually grab.

Blood parrots are mostly peaceful for cichlids, and they do best kept alone or with calm tank mates of a similar size. Most are functionally infertile, so breeding is essentially unrecorded.

Good to know

The blood parrot cichlid is a hybrid, generally credited to a cross of Amphilophus citrinellus with Vieja synspilum. The crossbreeding that gives it a round body and a small, beak-like mouth often leaves it with a deformed mouth and spine.

In the wild

The blood parrot is a man-made hybrid, so it has no wild habitat at all. Its parent species come from Central American rivers and lakes.

Common questions

What size tank does a blood parrot cichlid need?

A blood parrot cichlid needs at least 50 gal (190 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a blood parrot cichlid need?

A blood parrot cichlid is comfortable at 72–82°F (22–28°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

What does a blood parrot cichlid eat?

A blood parrot cichlid takes pellets, frozen foods and sinking foods, and color-enhancing food helps hold its orange. Its mouth closes poorly, so feed foods it can actually grab.

How big does a blood parrot cichlid get?

An adult blood parrot cichlid reaches about 7.9 in (20 cm).

How does a blood parrot cichlid breed?

Most blood parrot cichlids are functionally infertile, so breeding them is essentially unrecorded.

Related species