Aggressive Parrot Cichlid

I couldn't find a section for parrot chiclids, but if there is one, please move this thread to that section.

I have 2 king kong parrots (4 inches each), 1 oscar (4 inch), 1 arrowana (11 inches), and two catfish (6 inch and 4 inch) in a 125 gallon tank.

One of the parrots is extremely aggressive and attacks every fish in the tank except the Arrowana. Almost all the fins of all my fish are somewhat torn. Whenever it fought, I would catch it and put it into a breeder box and leave it in there for 2 hours to as long as 2 days. I was told that this might work.. but it didn't...

I currently have the parrot separated in another tank that's only about 15 gallons. I am not quite sure how to train the parrot to stop attacking and I really don't want to return this fish to the pet store as it is extremely beautiful (very vibrant red). I don't want to divide my six foot tank either as it will reduce swimming space for my arrowana. Anyone have any suggestions??

Also, is there a difference between king kong parrots and normal ones? for example, do king kong parrots grow larger?

 

Your problems are probably due to the tank being massively overstocked. For all of those fish you would really need something in the 500gal+ range I think. you can't train fish to not pick on other fish so that simply isn't going to happen. The only option I see is to get a custom built tank of a more appropriate size or to get rid of some of your fish.

 

Good morning,

I have moved your thread to the Hybrid/Parrot Cichlid section of the forum.

The King Kong Bloody Parrot is supposed to more "humpy and lumpy" (according to the link below), than the common Bloody Parrot. Personally I've never seen the difference. Just different names. They are also called Purple Parrots (don't know why they surely aren't purple).
https://cichlidworld.net/king_kong_purple_parrot.htm

Aggression is just a fact of life for these fish. Remember they are cichlids after all

Separating your Bloody Parrot will not help his aggression as you've discovered. There isn't any way for you to change their nature. Too, moving your fish around is going to cause more stress than anything.

My largest Bloody Parrot is 9x6.5 inches. The only time I see aggression is during spawning and when a new fish is added. Maybe you could have a species only tank? Once they have their mind set on terrorizing the tank there isn't much you can do to stop it.

Please keep us posted. Nutters idea of a larger tank is a good one!

Best of luck
Ken

 

No matter how beautiful a fish may be, if we can't house them properly, we really shouldn't have them. Hard to resist, I know.

I agree that you really need a much larger tank for your current stock.

 

Good morning,

I have moved your thread to the Hybrid/Parrot Cichlid section of the forum.

The King Kong Bloody Parrot is supposed to more "humpy and lumpy" (according to the link below), than the common Bloody Parrot. Personally I've never seen the difference. Just different names. They are also called Purple Parrots (don't know why they surely aren't purple).
https://cichlidworld.net/king_kong_purple_parrot.htm

Aggression is just a fact of life for these fish. Remember they are cichlids after all

Separating your Bloody Parrot will not help his aggression as you've discovered. There isn't any way for you to change their nature. Too, moving your fish around is going to cause more stress than anything.

My largest Bloody Parrot is 9x6.5 inches. The only time I see aggression is during spawning and when a new fish is added. Maybe you could have a species only tank? Once they have their mind set on terrorizing the tank there isn't much you can do to stop it.

Please keep us posted. Nutters idea of a larger tank is a good one!

Best of luck
Ken

Thanks for moving my thread and providing some inisght on king kong parrots. I really can't tell the difference between the normal ones either.. haha.

It seems like the consensus is to get a larger tank. Unfortunately, I don't have the money for it. Before I got the parrots, my tank looked rather empty. This is why I've decided to purchase the parrots. The plan was to give away the oscar or parrots when they grow larger.

It's weird how only one of the parrots is aggressive. It attacks even the other parrot. I got the idea of conditioning the fish from a LFS. So I thought I'd give it a shot. I guess I'll have to get rid of the parrot. = /

Also, I notice that at local fish stores, they are able to hold a lot of fish in a much smaller sized tank. What is the difference between that and at home? Do they have much better filtration systems? Why would that matter if the fish is not provided enough room? Is it because it's only for the short-term?

 

Good morning,

Well, I hate that you may have to part with it but I understand. These fish usually do better in pairs or multiples. If you do decide to return it, I would consider returning them both and not having a single Parrot by himself. The decision is yours of course

Best wishes!
Ken

 

Hi, what is the impact of keeping only one? I initially purchased two so that they can accompany each other. Right now, the parrot appears to be getting along well with the oscar.

 

aww poor things ....as we suggested in your other thread there's just not enough space for these fish and for the parrots to be the aggressors right now, that's a start to some more issues as they all mature ...and fish stores severely overstock their tanks with most always the wrong fish, as they don't stay in the store long enough usually to have to worry...they come and go daily where as yours will not....

 

aww poor things ....as we suggested in your other thread there's just not enough space for these fish and for the parrots to be the aggressors right now, that's a start to some more issues as they all mature ...and fish stores severely overstock their tanks with most always the wrong fish, as they don't stay in the store long enough usually to have to worry...they come and go daily where as yours will not....

HI Shawnie,

With regards to the crstyal clear water thread, I realized that I might have started another bacterial bloom. I recently cleaned my canister filter and used tap water and thoroughly rinsed out all the debris. I must have also killed all the good bacteria. In addition, I changed a couple of media.

I've been advised to change one media at a time and also use tank water to clean the canister filter. Also, I've increased the amount of biological media o increase the amount of good bacteria. Hopefully this will do the trick.

With regards to overstocking, I really didn't think that my tank was overstocked. A friend of mine has the exact same tank as mine with the exact same filter but even a higher stocking including 1 arrowana, 1 parrot, four clown loaches, 3 or 4 tinfoil barbs I think, and a severum. His fish are much larger in size than mine as well.

My tank seemed rather empty with only one arrowana, one oscar and two catfish. = / I just couldn't help myself but get a parrot especially since they were fairly cheap.

 

With regards to overstocking, I really didn't think that my tank was overstocked. A friend of mine has the exact same tank as mine with the exact same filter but even a higher stocking including 1 arrowana, 1 parrot, four clown loaches, 3 or 4 tinfoil barbs I think, and a severum. His fish are much larger in size than mine as well.

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Your friends tank is over stocked also When all those fish are full grown their going to be packed in like sardines. Those are all fish that are going to be huge.

We hate to tell people their tanks are overstocked but what's best for the fish is what we address. Sorry
Carol

 

Hi, what is the impact of keeping only one? I initially purchased two so that they can accompany each other. Right now, the parrot appears to be getting along well with the oscar.

Just as bettas prefer to be alone, parrots prefer to be with their own kind. One of the fascinating things about fishkeeping is that the window of opportunity to learn an astounding amount about the fish you're attracted to is always open. Take advantage of that window.

The folks here are incredibly knowledgeable about fishkeeping, in general. Then, you have folks like Ken who have very specified knowledge about the species in question. I try to be a sponge around Ken, because I have parrots and he's already done the research. Lean up against him (and the others here) and you're bound to walk, or is that swim, away with a head full of stuff you never knew before.

 

Hi, what is the impact of keeping only one? I initially purchased two so that they can accompany each other. Right now, the parrot appears to be getting along well with the oscar.

I've had my remaining parrot for about 7 years now. He spent about 4 of those years with another parrot, but I lost the first one a few years ago. I didn't notice any difference in behavior, no sulking or changes in appetite, etc. I've noticed lots of folks around here saying that they prefer the company of other parrots, but that hasn't been my experience at all. JME.