Blood parrot cichlid care
Hybrid (Amphilophus × Vieja) · Hybrid bred in captivity (Taiwan, about 1986)
Blood parrots are man-made hybrids with a round body and a mouth that cannot fully close, so they eat slowly.
- Tank size
- 55 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 76 to 80 °F (24 to 27 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Semi-aggressive
- Adult size
- 8 in
- pH
- 6.5 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 6 to 15 dGH
- Lifespan
- 10 to 15 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 55 gallon
48¼ × 12¾ × 21 in outsideHow to keep blood parrot cichlids
Blood parrots are man-made hybrids with a round body and a mouth that cannot fully close, so they eat slowly. A 55 gallon or larger tank at 76 to 80 °F with caves suits one or a group; tankmates should be robust and too large to swallow.
Diet: Omnivore: sinking cichlid pellets, frozen foods. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Middle of the tank.
Blood parrot cichlid tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Striped Raphael catfish
8 in · 55+ gal · 75–81 °F
Gold nugget pleco
8.8 in · 75+ gal · 77–86 °F
Twig catfish
8.9 in · 30+ gal · 72–79 °F
Elephantnose fish
9 in · 55+ gal · 77–82 °F
Bristlenose pleco
6 in · 29+ gal · 73–81 °F
Siamese algae eater
6 in · 29+ gal · 72–80 °F
Giant danio
6 in · 55+ gal · 72–79 °F
Three-spot (blue) gourami
6 in · 29+ gal · 72–82 °F
Keep apart
Neon tetra: Adult blood parrot cichlids eat fish under about 2 in; neon tetras grow to 1.6 in.
Cardinal tetra: Adult blood parrot cichlids eat fish under about 2 in; cardinal tetras grow to 1.2 in.
Black neon tetra: Adult blood parrot cichlids eat fish under about 2 in; black neon tetras grow to 1.5 in.
Green neon tetra: Adult blood parrot cichlids eat fish under about 2 in; green neon tetras grow to 1 in.
Ember tetra: Adult blood parrot cichlids eat fish under about 2 in; ember tetras grow to 1.2 in.
Glowlight tetra: Adult blood parrot cichlids eat fish under about 2 in; glowlight tetras grow to 1.5 in.
What a blood parrot cichlid tank needs
A tank of 55 US gallons or more (such as the 55 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon QuietFlow Canister Filter 200
Rated by the maker for up to 55 US gal, which covers a 55 gallon blood parrot cichlid tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Seachem Tidal 55
Rated by the maker for up to 55 US gal, which covers a 55 gallon blood parrot cichlid tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon Pro 150
Blood parrot cichlids need 76 to 80 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding blood parrot cichlids.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 76 to 80 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 55 gallon tank · Heaters for a 55 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common blood parrot cichlid problems
- Slow eaters lose food to fast fish; feed sinking pellets they can pick up.
- They eat small fish and shrimp.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Hybrid (Amphilophus × Vieja). Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Blood parrot cichlid Citron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Striped Raphael catfish Piotr Kuczynski, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Gold nugget pleco Anne Blindheim, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Twig catfish Francesco Loda (CONTERALLY), CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Elephantnose fish Jutta234, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bristlenose pleco André Karwath aka Aka, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Siamese algae eater aleander2137, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Giant danio Faucon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Three-spot (blue) gourami Peter Jung, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Neon tetra Holger Krisp, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cardinal tetra CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black neon tetra Debivort, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Green neon tetra Sascha Biedermann, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ember tetra Klaus Rudloff, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Glowlight tetra gonzalovalenzuela; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Angelfish Citron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Discus Patrick Farrelly, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- German blue ram Eric Mengel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cockatoo dwarf cichlid William Kreijkes, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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