I said I'd never own one but guess what I bought!

[tooth517]

Yep. A blood parrot! I have never been much of a parrot fan. Don't like the looks of them at all. The only thing I found attractive was the deep red color some of them get( if your lucky!). Well I bought one a week ago only about an inch long, unfaded, and typically deformed looking(IMO). I hope it turns out female so I can try cross breeding with some fh's, a tex, or maybe one of my other cichlids. Is there any advice specific th bp's that I need to know? It is alone in a 35 hex right now. Should I add more bp's or another fish? Thanks in advance for input!!

 

[Dominator]

hex not good for bp, its good for angels and discus.
If you can get a 29g you may add a tex.

 

[tooth517]

hex not good for bp, its good for angels and discus.
If you can get a 29g you may add a tex.

Why is a hex bad? I have a 20 gallon long I can put in in temporarily. Just want to know what makes hax bad?

 

[gwrace]

Why is a hex bad? I have a 20 gallon long I can put in in temporarily. Just want to know what makes hax bad?

You typically want as much surface area as you can get in a tank to allow gasses to escape from the water and oxygen to enter. Multiply length times width to get the surface area.

 

[xEchOx]

Yep. A blood parrot! I have never been much of a parrot fan. Don't like the looks of them at all. The only thing I found attractive was the deep red color some of them get( if your lucky!). Well I bought one a week ago only about an inch long, unfaded, and typically deformed looking(IMO). I hope it turns out female so I can try cross breeding with some fh's, a tex, or maybe one of my other cichlids. Is there any advice specific th bp's that I need to know? It is alone in a 35 hex right now. Should I add more bp's or another fish? Thanks in advance for input!!

BP's can be deceivingly aggressive. I had two a few years back. I was sure that they would be unable to catch live feeders so I had them in my community tank... wrong. They caught and ate a handful of some of my smaller tetras.

Even though they can catch prey, it can be hit or miss when it comes to standing ground with another aggressive cichlid. When mine got bigger (~8 inches) they could back down a smaller convict, but my tex and dempsey would shred them.

BP's can get quite large. I sold mine after a year of having them, and they were both about 8 inches long. I'd guess that they would have hit ~10 inches within the next year no problem.

I wouldn't say that the hex is bad, just not ideal. If you plan on keeping one long term I would consider a 55g a good fit.

 

[Betta Bob]

They my look retarded but after having one for a while you will love your parrot. My kids kept asking me so i got one and now I have four.
Typically only females have rounded fins and males get a pink coloration around their throats. If you want to make sure you get a girl get three and you shouldn't have trouble getting rid of the other two once they peel.