As everyone knows, I have several Blood Parrots. Four, to be exact. 3 males and 1 female. And they all have different personalities! This is just a fun thread for info purposes...can't wait for my new stand so everything goes back to normal!
How they are alike: intelligent, show complex behaviors, interactive and attentive
How they aren't alike: Two are extrovert (Kong, Patch), two introvert (Boss, Tango). As time goes on I discover different nuances of their personalities and tendencies. It's pretty cool.
TANGO (male)
Color: pale orange, pink undertones with a darker orange patch on head.
Body shape: Thick coin shape, "Yuan Bao"
Cheeks: Heart shaped
Eyes: "double dot"
Temperament: Skittish, curious, high energy, fiesty, ambitious. Worked his way up the heirarchy in a week before I separated him into his own tank. Caused problems with Boss. Camera shy, quick to dart and hide. A nervous fish but recovers quickly when he knows you.
Attitude: Very personable. Almost Oscar like, will take pellets from your hand. TANGO patiently waits while you clean his tank. Follows the finger.
Size: growing quickly, may have the genetics to be huge...purchased at 5" 3 months ago and already rivals the girth of my other parrots. Approximately 5+" ~ 6".
Most surprising behavior: When in quarantine with the catfish, TANGO pushed the catfish into a corner then placed plants around to box the catfish in. He deliberately chased the catfish under a filter then left him alone.
Decorating style: Does "fortress type" decorating and makes walls of plants, separating the floor into partitions. He recently tore leaves out of the stone base of a large fake plant.
************
KONG (male)
Color: medium deep orange, with frosty orange undertones based on mood
Body shape: Muscular, long triangular shape
Cheeks: Baby cheeks
Eyes: gold rimmed
Temperament: A bully with kamikaze aggression. Adapts well to change and rarely intimidates. Extreme high energy. Very calm as long as you don't enter his tank. Most physically active parrot. Total alpha, loves to fight. Hates nets and siphons. Best description is a red devil with a parrot's body. Gets hyper aggressive and glass bangs when you clean Patch's tank...she's the girlfriend that can't be in the same tank with him.
Attitude: Oddly enough, friendly and curious. If you come near he races up to see. He'll also settle in the corner next to you. But don't put your hand in the water, he attacks. I have to cover him with a net to clean his tank. He's not a finger follower at all.
Size: had recent growth spurt, may have the genetics to be huge, much like TANGO...purchased at 6" last year. Currently 7+" inches and overall my largest parrot.
Most surprising behavior: Will move anything in the tank at any time. Late at night I hear the glass marbles cracking as he moves them around. He once lifted a weighted sponge filter and placed it on top of his canister house. Pushed a 6" boulder.
Decorating style: Hot mess. Every day his tank looks different. Plants ripped up, then neatly placed in the corner. Rocks moved, marbles piled up or scattered randomly. Vines pulled everywhere or pushed against the bottom. KONG likes a chaotic, raggedy mess of a tank. He makes 'free form' walls of piled up plants. Sometimes he replants them in the sand!
************
BOSS (male)
Color: Blood red orange, the only parrot with the 'true' color
Body shape: Massive, thick and chunky
Cheeks: Chubby cheeks
Eyes: gold rimmed with red flecks
Temperament: My most laid back parrot. Easy come, easy go. Boss is moderately aggressive but if a fish matches his aggression he tends to back off. Clever and tactical, he fights a fish when its to his advantage. Knows how to make his bulk a hard target to attack by doing body rolls and headstanding. Is only aggressive when defending a specific area.
Attitude: An observer. Loves to watch everything and will cruise around briefly before settling back in his area. My least active parrot overall. Not a finger follower. Will 'greet' you by drifting forward and staring. He's the only parrot that greeted me in this manner at the time of purchase. When his curiosity is satisfied about something he drifts back into the foilage. Loves to peep and hide. Not bothered by cameras at all, a full flash doesn't phase him a bit. He adapts the best to change and seems totally unaffected by situations that make other fish flighty or aggressive. Knows how to 'watch his back' when things get dicey.
Size: Inch for inch, my most massive parrot. Well named "Sumo ". Purchased at 5". A blocky stump end to end. Now 6" - 7".
Most surprising behavior: Like KONG, BOSS has impressive strength feats, such as pushing back my 11" Oscar Brick head to head. He'll chase the Severum over to the Oscar on purpose. However, as the Oscar is still growing their disputes are now next to nil.
Decorating style: Mild. Boss only moves things that annoy or 'crowd' him. He doesn't like red plants and will pull them up. If he's satisfied with a location he'll leave it be. Has been known to 'block' other fish by moving plants into their access areas.
*************
PATCH (female)
Color: Flourescent Hot Pink, goes nearly white when laying eggs
Body shape: Muscular, thick oval shape
Cheeks: Grandma cheeks
Eyes: enormous irises, gold rimmed with bright pink 'lids'
Temperament: How aggressive is she? She sliced up KONG, my alpha male parrot when he tried to bully her by nudging and pushing (Patch was full of eggs at the time). She's the reason I have multiple tanks because this set off a round of fighting with BOSS and KONG. Attitude with the teeth to back it up. She had Kong backed into a corner with two split lips and a black snout. High energy, has 'dive bomb' attacks when she goes after a perceived threat. Will glass bang when laying eggs and will leap from the water to bite. Like KONG, she hates the siphon hose and nets with a passion. Has bitten a hole in one of her nets. Doesn't back down from anything. If she does it isn't for long. Had her in a temporary tank with TANGO and she ran him in circles right away. I have to remove her entirely when cleaning her tank. Originally she liked BOSS but he wasn't dominant enough so she attacked him. She never liked KONG...he was too aggressive towards her (and she attacked him too). Now that BOSS is much larger I wonder if she would attack him the same way.
Attitude: A showoff that loves attention. The minute you enter the room she comes out and 'fan dances'. Chases fingers like she wants to bite them off. Sometimes does flips and always swims with attitude. At one time she waited for you to drop pellets in her mouth...she wouldn't fetch them at all! Now she goes after her food. An observer like BOSS. Very interactive.
Size: 6" purchase size, now 6-7" inches. Likely would grow even more without the insane egg production. She lays every 2 weeks like clockwork. Originally it was once a month. Her current batch of eggs are actually larger in size than previous! I don't know what that means.
Most surprising behavior: Has her own impressive strength feat. She pushed her 3lb canister home into the corner once. She's also ripped plant stems from the stone base. Currently she likes to pull stems and leaves into a hammock that she floats under. Looks like she's wearing a hat!
Decorating style: Conservative. When she gets something the way she likes it she leaves it alone. Tends to bunch plants together. Has the most orderly tank of all the parrots.
**Pics are elsewhere, no need to include them here!
How they are alike: intelligent, show complex behaviors, interactive and attentive
How they aren't alike: Two are extrovert (Kong, Patch), two introvert (Boss, Tango). As time goes on I discover different nuances of their personalities and tendencies. It's pretty cool.
TANGO (male)
Color: pale orange, pink undertones with a darker orange patch on head.
Body shape: Thick coin shape, "Yuan Bao"
Cheeks: Heart shaped
Eyes: "double dot"
Temperament: Skittish, curious, high energy, fiesty, ambitious. Worked his way up the heirarchy in a week before I separated him into his own tank. Caused problems with Boss. Camera shy, quick to dart and hide. A nervous fish but recovers quickly when he knows you.
Attitude: Very personable. Almost Oscar like, will take pellets from your hand. TANGO patiently waits while you clean his tank. Follows the finger.
Size: growing quickly, may have the genetics to be huge...purchased at 5" 3 months ago and already rivals the girth of my other parrots. Approximately 5+" ~ 6".
Most surprising behavior: When in quarantine with the catfish, TANGO pushed the catfish into a corner then placed plants around to box the catfish in. He deliberately chased the catfish under a filter then left him alone.
Decorating style: Does "fortress type" decorating and makes walls of plants, separating the floor into partitions. He recently tore leaves out of the stone base of a large fake plant.
************
KONG (male)
Color: medium deep orange, with frosty orange undertones based on mood
Body shape: Muscular, long triangular shape
Cheeks: Baby cheeks
Eyes: gold rimmed
Temperament: A bully with kamikaze aggression. Adapts well to change and rarely intimidates. Extreme high energy. Very calm as long as you don't enter his tank. Most physically active parrot. Total alpha, loves to fight. Hates nets and siphons. Best description is a red devil with a parrot's body. Gets hyper aggressive and glass bangs when you clean Patch's tank...she's the girlfriend that can't be in the same tank with him.
Attitude: Oddly enough, friendly and curious. If you come near he races up to see. He'll also settle in the corner next to you. But don't put your hand in the water, he attacks. I have to cover him with a net to clean his tank. He's not a finger follower at all.
Size: had recent growth spurt, may have the genetics to be huge, much like TANGO...purchased at 6" last year. Currently 7+" inches and overall my largest parrot.
Most surprising behavior: Will move anything in the tank at any time. Late at night I hear the glass marbles cracking as he moves them around. He once lifted a weighted sponge filter and placed it on top of his canister house. Pushed a 6" boulder.
Decorating style: Hot mess. Every day his tank looks different. Plants ripped up, then neatly placed in the corner. Rocks moved, marbles piled up or scattered randomly. Vines pulled everywhere or pushed against the bottom. KONG likes a chaotic, raggedy mess of a tank. He makes 'free form' walls of piled up plants. Sometimes he replants them in the sand!
************
BOSS (male)
Color: Blood red orange, the only parrot with the 'true' color
Body shape: Massive, thick and chunky
Cheeks: Chubby cheeks
Eyes: gold rimmed with red flecks
Temperament: My most laid back parrot. Easy come, easy go. Boss is moderately aggressive but if a fish matches his aggression he tends to back off. Clever and tactical, he fights a fish when its to his advantage. Knows how to make his bulk a hard target to attack by doing body rolls and headstanding. Is only aggressive when defending a specific area.
Attitude: An observer. Loves to watch everything and will cruise around briefly before settling back in his area. My least active parrot overall. Not a finger follower. Will 'greet' you by drifting forward and staring. He's the only parrot that greeted me in this manner at the time of purchase. When his curiosity is satisfied about something he drifts back into the foilage. Loves to peep and hide. Not bothered by cameras at all, a full flash doesn't phase him a bit. He adapts the best to change and seems totally unaffected by situations that make other fish flighty or aggressive. Knows how to 'watch his back' when things get dicey.
Size: Inch for inch, my most massive parrot. Well named "Sumo ". Purchased at 5". A blocky stump end to end. Now 6" - 7".
Most surprising behavior: Like KONG, BOSS has impressive strength feats, such as pushing back my 11" Oscar Brick head to head. He'll chase the Severum over to the Oscar on purpose. However, as the Oscar is still growing their disputes are now next to nil.
Decorating style: Mild. Boss only moves things that annoy or 'crowd' him. He doesn't like red plants and will pull them up. If he's satisfied with a location he'll leave it be. Has been known to 'block' other fish by moving plants into their access areas.
*************
PATCH (female)
Color: Flourescent Hot Pink, goes nearly white when laying eggs
Body shape: Muscular, thick oval shape
Cheeks: Grandma cheeks
Eyes: enormous irises, gold rimmed with bright pink 'lids'
Temperament: How aggressive is she? She sliced up KONG, my alpha male parrot when he tried to bully her by nudging and pushing (Patch was full of eggs at the time). She's the reason I have multiple tanks because this set off a round of fighting with BOSS and KONG. Attitude with the teeth to back it up. She had Kong backed into a corner with two split lips and a black snout. High energy, has 'dive bomb' attacks when she goes after a perceived threat. Will glass bang when laying eggs and will leap from the water to bite. Like KONG, she hates the siphon hose and nets with a passion. Has bitten a hole in one of her nets. Doesn't back down from anything. If she does it isn't for long. Had her in a temporary tank with TANGO and she ran him in circles right away. I have to remove her entirely when cleaning her tank. Originally she liked BOSS but he wasn't dominant enough so she attacked him. She never liked KONG...he was too aggressive towards her (and she attacked him too). Now that BOSS is much larger I wonder if she would attack him the same way.
Attitude: A showoff that loves attention. The minute you enter the room she comes out and 'fan dances'. Chases fingers like she wants to bite them off. Sometimes does flips and always swims with attitude. At one time she waited for you to drop pellets in her mouth...she wouldn't fetch them at all! Now she goes after her food. An observer like BOSS. Very interactive.
Size: 6" purchase size, now 6-7" inches. Likely would grow even more without the insane egg production. She lays every 2 weeks like clockwork. Originally it was once a month. Her current batch of eggs are actually larger in size than previous! I don't know what that means.
Most surprising behavior: Has her own impressive strength feat. She pushed her 3lb canister home into the corner once. She's also ripped plant stems from the stone base. Currently she likes to pull stems and leaves into a hammock that she floats under. Looks like she's wearing a hat!
Decorating style: Conservative. When she gets something the way she likes it she leaves it alone. Tends to bunch plants together. Has the most orderly tank of all the parrots.
**Pics are elsewhere, no need to include them here!
