Small Jellybean Parrot Cichlids (semi-lengthy)
 

Hello . . . :)

Today I went to the LFS to get a few fish for my newly setup 55. As I was
perusing my choices (not sure which way I wanted to go with this tank) I
found some small "jellybean" parrot cichlids. A few tanks down, there was
another tank with much larger, brightly colored "jellybeans".

I spoke with the sales attendant, who told me how the bigger ones were
brighter in color because they were "dyed" and explained the process to me .
.. . I was shocked to say the least. I thought this type of fish was very
cute, but there was no way I was going to purchase a fish that had gone
through that process.

When I asked him about the "small" ones (they were about the size of maybe a
..50 piece) - asking why they weren't as brightly colored as the larger ones
he told me "those parrots had been raised in the store" from a spawning of
the (larger ones) already there. They are not colored in the manner of
"Easter eggs" as were the bigger ones, they are more of a lightish/pastel
color . .. one is pinkish/peachish, one is yellowish and the other is
whitish with a bit of blue along the dorsal fin. So, figuring they hadn't
been exposed to the horrid "dying" process, I bought all three of them. :)

After arriving home and placing them into the tank I started researching
them. I am having a very hard time finding information on this type of fish.
I am however finding a lot of postings against these "hybrids". :(

So I guess I'm asking . . . did I make a bad decision in buying these fish?

Also, I was told that I could only have other cichlids in the tank with
these fish or a pleco. Now I know I've read before of people keeping (some
types) of cichlids with other types of fish . . . any suggestions on which
other types I can keep with them?

How large with these fish become? I was told four inches max, but after
research online I've read eight inches and sizes in between.

Are these the fish that as they get older won't be able to close their
mouths? (As I've mentioned I've been doing online reading and came across
something that mentioned this but am not sure it was in regard to these
fish).

Is there any way to "sex" these fish, I'm really curious as to whether I
have two males/one female, one male/two females, three females or three
males.

Many, Many Thanks in Advance & Best Regards,

~*~ Vosklady ~*~

Small Jellybean Parrot Cichlids (semi-lengthy)
 

Midposted for clarity....


"~*~ Vosklady ~*~" wrote in message
...
Hello . . . :)

Today I went to the LFS to get a few fish for my newly setup 55. As I was
perusing my choices (not sure which way I wanted to go with this tank) I
found some small "jellybean" parrot cichlids. A few tanks down, there was
another tank with much larger, brightly colored "jellybeans".

I spoke with the sales attendant, who told me how the bigger ones were
brighter in color because they were "dyed" and explained the process to me
..
. . I was shocked to say the least. I thought this type of fish was very
cute, but there was no way I was going to purchase a fish that had gone
through that process.

When I asked him about the "small" ones (they were about the size of maybe
a
.50 piece) - asking why they weren't as brightly colored as the larger
ones
he told me "those parrots had been raised in the store" from a spawning of
the (larger ones) already there. They are not colored in the manner of
"Easter eggs" as were the bigger ones, they are more of a lightish/pastel
color . .. one is pinkish/peachish, one is yellowish and the other is
whitish with a bit of blue along the dorsal fin. So, figuring they hadn't
been exposed to the horrid "dying" process, I bought all three of them. :)


I have been reading that some parrots have managed to successfuly breed, but
I would almost bet money that the fish you have are still dyed. The natural
color of a normal (not Jellybean or Gumdrop) parrot is a pinkish/peach but I
have seen Jellybeans that color as well. My biology isn't the best in the
world, but to my knowledge the color from dying will not be passed to
offspring as it is not a genetic alteration. If anyone knows any
differently, please feel free to correct me. :)


After arriving home and placing them into the tank I started researching
them. I am having a very hard time finding information on this type of
fish.
I am however finding a lot of postings against these "hybrids". :(

So I guess I'm asking . . . did I make a bad decision in buying these
fish?

My personal opinion.. no. (others may disagree..) I have four of them. Two
are Jellybeans (didn't know about the dying when I bought them), and the
other two are true-color parrots. As juveniles, parrots are very dark; their
body is a dark gray/brown with silver-ish tiger stripes and they have an
iridescent blue/green mark near the tail. One of them still has that
coloring but the other is about half dark and half pinkish. I've posted a
good site for info before but don't have it handy now..


Also, I was told that I could only have other cichlids in the tank with
these fish or a pleco. Now I know I've read before of people keeping (some
types) of cichlids with other types of fish . . . any suggestions on
which
other types I can keep with them?


I have several different types of fish with mine.
2 Bala Sharks
1 Rainbow Shark
2 Tiger Barbs
1 Geophagus Jurupari

I have had tetras with them in the past as well with no problems.


How large with these fish become? I was told four inches max, but after
research online I've read eight inches and sizes in between.


It depends. I've read that the dyed fish generally won't grow larger than
4-5 inches. My Jellybeans are almost at that now, so I can't say if they'll
get larger. My other two parrots are still immature but I've read that they
may get to be much larger. ::shrug:: Your guess is as good as mine on that
one..


Are these the fish that as they get older won't be able to close their
mouths? (As I've mentioned I've been doing online reading and came across
something that mentioned this but am not sure it was in regard to these
fish).


There are exceptions but as a general rule, parrots are not able to close
their mouths. It isn't harmful to them at all and if there is any agression
it makes their tank-mates safer. Mine have never had any problems eating.


Is there any way to "sex" these fish, I'm really curious as to whether I
have two males/one female, one male/two females, three females or three
males.


Can't help you with this one.... If you find out how, let me know.. :)


Many, Many Thanks in Advance & Best Regards,

~*~ Vosklady ~*~





Mar
------------------------------------------------
"I meant," said Ipslore, bitterly,"what is there in this world that makes
living worthwhile?"

Death thought about it.
"Cats," he said eventually, "Cats are nice."

-Terry Pratchett, 'Sourcery'

Small Jellybean Parrot Cichlids (semi-lengthy)
 

After arriving home and placing them into the tank I started researching
them. I am having a very hard time finding information on this type of
fish.
I am however finding a lot of postings against these "hybrids". :(

So I guess I'm asking . . . did I make a bad decision in buying these
fish?

My personal opinion.. no. (others may disagree..) I have four of them. Two
are Jellybeans (didn't know about the dying when I bought them), and the
other two are true-color parrots. As juveniles, parrots are very dark;
their
body is a dark gray/brown with silver-ish tiger stripes and they have an
iridescent blue/green mark near the tail. One of them still has that
coloring but the other is about half dark and half pinkish. I've posted a
good site for info before but don't have it handy now..


Found it! http://geocities.com/parrotcichlid/main.html

Mar

Small Jellybean Parrot Cichlids (semi-lengthy)
 

"MarAzul" wrote in message
news:5p%Zb.8167$C21.5187@fed1read07...
After arriving home and placing them into the tank I started
researching
them. I am having a very hard time finding information on this type of
fish.
I am however finding a lot of postings against these "hybrids". :(

So I guess I'm asking . . . did I make a bad decision in buying these
fish?

My personal opinion.. no. (others may disagree..) I have four of them.
Two
are Jellybeans (didn't know about the dying when I bought them), and the
other two are true-color parrots. As juveniles, parrots are very dark;
their
body is a dark gray/brown with silver-ish tiger stripes and they have an
iridescent blue/green mark near the tail. One of them still has that
coloring but the other is about half dark and half pinkish. I've posted
a
good site for info before but don't have it handy now..


Found it! http://geocities.com/parrotcichlid/main.html

Mar


Hi Mar . . . :)

Thanks so much for all the information, it's truly appreciated and a great
help! :)

Best Regards,

~*~ Vosklady ~*~

Small Jellybean Parrot Cichlids (semi-lengthy)
 

"MarAzul" wrote in message
news:5p%Zb.8167$C21.5187@fed1read07...
After arriving home and placing them into the tank I started
researching
them. I am having a very hard time finding information on this type of
fish.
I am however finding a lot of postings against these "hybrids". :(

So I guess I'm asking . . . did I make a bad decision in buying these
fish?

My personal opinion.. no. (others may disagree..) I have four of them.
Two
are Jellybeans (didn't know about the dying when I bought them), and the
other two are true-color parrots. As juveniles, parrots are very dark;
their
body is a dark gray/brown with silver-ish tiger stripes and they have an
iridescent blue/green mark near the tail. One of them still has that
coloring but the other is about half dark and half pinkish. I've posted
a
good site for info before but don't have it handy now..


Found it! http://geocities.com/parrotcichlid/main.html

Mar

Hi Mar . . . :)

Thanks so much for all the information, it's truly appreciated and a great
help! :)

Best Regards,

~*~ Vosklady ~*~

(apologies if this is double posted, my newserver just burped)

Small Jellybean Parrot Cichlids (semi-lengthy)
 

"~*~ Vosklady ~*~" wrote in message
...
Hello . . . :)

Today I went to the LFS to get a few fish for my newly setup 55. As I
was
perusing my choices (not sure which way I wanted to go with this tank)
I
found some small "jellybean" parrot cichlids. A few tanks down, there
was
another tank with much larger, brightly colored "jellybeans".

I spoke with the sales attendant, who told me how the bigger ones were
brighter in color because they were "dyed" and explained the process to
me .
. . I was shocked to say the least. I thought this type of fish was
very
cute, but there was no way I was going to purchase a fish that had gone
through that process.

When I asked him about the "small" ones (they were about the size of
maybe a
.50 piece) - asking why they weren't as brightly colored as the larger
ones
he told me "those parrots had been raised in the store" from a spawning
of
the (larger ones) already there. They are not colored in the manner of
"Easter eggs" as were the bigger ones, they are more of a
lightish/pastel
color . .. one is pinkish/peachish, one is yellowish and the other is
whitish with a bit of blue along the dorsal fin. So, figuring they
hadn't
been exposed to the horrid "dying" process, I bought all three of them.
:)

After arriving home and placing them into the tank I started
researching
them. I am having a very hard time finding information on this type of
fish.
I am however finding a lot of postings against these "hybrids". :(

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/gparrot.html
http://www.geocities.com/parrotcichlid/general.html
http://malawicichlids.com/mw01013.htm
http://cichlidresearch.com/parrot.html
http://cichlidresearch.com/hybrids.html
http://bloodparrot.aquariahobbyist.c.../ikonboard.cgi

My bookmarks, as they were many months ago, so some might be 404.

So I guess I'm asking . . . did I make a bad decision in buying these
fish?

'Bad' is a subjective term. Will you have trouble researching them -
yes. Can you get them to coexist with other fish - sure.

One of the problems with researching them is they don't have a lineage
you can look at. They are a cross between 2 fish, possibly the Red Devil
& Severum. These two fish have very different personalities, so which
one the fry will take after is a bit of a gamble.

Also, I was told that I could only have other cichlids in the tank with
these fish or a pleco. Now I know I've read before of people keeping
(some
types) of cichlids with other types of fish . . . any suggestions on
which
other types I can keep with them?

If they have a good disposition, they will often leave smaller faster
fish alone. If they have a bad disposition, then equal to larger sized
fish would not be safe.

How large with these fish become? I was told four inches max, but after
research online I've read eight inches and sizes in between.

The lineage problem again. You can expect 5" easily.

Are these the fish that as they get older won't be able to close their
mouths? (As I've mentioned I've been doing online reading and came
across
something that mentioned this but am not sure it was in regard to these
fish).

They can't close the front of their mouth, but the teeth are in the back.
I don't know if the teeth can close. Don't give them anything too big
that they would need to chew smaller, if you are worried about it.

Is there any way to "sex" these fish, I'm really curious as to whether
I
have two males/one female, one male/two females, three females or three
males.

With either lineage, the male typically has a longer dorsal & anal fin,
but this is not easily evident until much older, and when compared to
females of the same age. The thickness of the ovipositor during spawning
is a better indicator.

NetMax

Many, Many Thanks in Advance & Best Regards,

~*~ Vosklady ~*~

A Few More Questions WAS Small Jellybean Parrot Cichlids (semi-lengthy)
 

Hello . . . :)

I've been reading on and off all day regarding my new little friends. What
other types of cichlids would go well with them?

I'm leaning toward some pink convicts but am not sure, any thoughts?

MTIA . . .

Regards,

~*~ Vosklady ~*~

Small Jellybean Parrot Cichlids (semi-lengthy)
 

"NetMax" wrote in message
...

"~*~ Vosklady ~*~" wrote in message
...
Hello . . . :)

Today I went to the LFS to get a few fish for my newly setup 55. As I
was
perusing my choices (not sure which way I wanted to go with this tank)
I
found some small "jellybean" parrot cichlids. A few tanks down, there
was
another tank with much larger, brightly colored "jellybeans".

I spoke with the sales attendant, who told me how the bigger ones were
brighter in color because they were "dyed" and explained the process to
me .
. . I was shocked to say the least. I thought this type of fish was
very
cute, but there was no way I was going to purchase a fish that had gone
through that process.

When I asked him about the "small" ones (they were about the size of
maybe a
.50 piece) - asking why they weren't as brightly colored as the larger
ones
he told me "those parrots had been raised in the store" from a spawning
of
the (larger ones) already there. They are not colored in the manner of
"Easter eggs" as were the bigger ones, they are more of a
lightish/pastel
color . .. one is pinkish/peachish, one is yellowish and the other is
whitish with a bit of blue along the dorsal fin. So, figuring they
hadn't
been exposed to the horrid "dying" process, I bought all three of them.
:)

After arriving home and placing them into the tank I started
researching
them. I am having a very hard time finding information on this type of
fish.
I am however finding a lot of postings against these "hybrids". :(

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/gparrot.html
http://www.geocities.com/parrotcichlid/general.html
http://malawicichlids.com/mw01013.htm
http://cichlidresearch.com/parrot.html
http://cichlidresearch.com/hybrids.html
http://bloodparrot.aquariahobbyist.c.../ikonboard.cgi

My bookmarks, as they were many months ago, so some might be 404.

So I guess I'm asking . . . did I make a bad decision in buying these
fish?

'Bad' is a subjective term. Will you have trouble researching them -
yes. Can you get them to coexist with other fish - sure.

One of the problems with researching them is they don't have a lineage
you can look at. They are a cross between 2 fish, possibly the Red Devil
& Severum. These two fish have very different personalities, so which
one the fry will take after is a bit of a gamble.

Also, I was told that I could only have other cichlids in the tank with
these fish or a pleco. Now I know I've read before of people keeping
(some
types) of cichlids with other types of fish . . . any suggestions on
which
other types I can keep with them?

If they have a good disposition, they will often leave smaller faster
fish alone. If they have a bad disposition, then equal to larger sized
fish would not be safe.

How large with these fish become? I was told four inches max, but after
research online I've read eight inches and sizes in between.

The lineage problem again. You can expect 5" easily.

Are these the fish that as they get older won't be able to close their
mouths? (As I've mentioned I've been doing online reading and came
across
something that mentioned this but am not sure it was in regard to these
fish).

They can't close the front of their mouth, but the teeth are in the back.
I don't know if the teeth can close. Don't give them anything too big
that they would need to chew smaller, if you are worried about it.

Is there any way to "sex" these fish, I'm really curious as to whether
I
have two males/one female, one male/two females, three females or three
males.

With either lineage, the male typically has a longer dorsal & anal fin,
but this is not easily evident until much older, and when compared to
females of the same age. The thickness of the ovipositor during spawning
is a better indicator.

NetMax

Many, Many Thanks in Advance & Best Regards,

~*~ Vosklady ~*~


Thanks so much for your reply Max . . . it's appreciated. :)

Looking through some various pictures of cichlids on the net today, I found
one of a pink convict that looks very similar to one of the three I bought
yesterday. If you look at this page, it's the left one on the very top row.
One of the three I bought yesterday (now known as "Frank" as the same
pinkish spots near his gills. The only difference in coloration between
Frank and this picture is he's got some blue up along the bottom of his
dorsal fin and in his dorsal, pectoral and anal fins.

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/galle...s/convict.html

In retrospect, I remember the guy who checked me out at the LFS yesterday
mentioning that the sales assistant who helped me was "new" . . . hopefully
he knew what he was talking about. I asked him quite a few questions, he
seemed to know the answers to most, but now I'm wondering if he really knew
what he was talking about (after seeing the picture mentioned in the URL
above).

I'll try to get some pictures my new friends and post them somewhere on the
web if anyone is interested.

Many Thanks Again . . .

Regards,

~*~ Vosklady ~*~

Small Jellybean Parrot Cichlids (semi-lengthy)
 

"~*~ Vosklady ~*~" wrote in message
...
"NetMax" wrote in message
...

"~*~ Vosklady ~*~" wrote in message
...
Hello . . . :)

Today I went to the LFS to get a few fish for my newly setup 55. As I
was
perusing my choices (not sure which way I wanted to go with this tank)
I
found some small "jellybean" parrot cichlids. A few tanks down, there
was
another tank with much larger, brightly colored "jellybeans".

I spoke with the sales attendant, who told me how the bigger ones were
brighter in color because they were "dyed" and explained the process
to
me .
. . I was shocked to say the least. I thought this type of fish was
very
cute, but there was no way I was going to purchase a fish that had
gone
through that process.

When I asked him about the "small" ones (they were about the size of
maybe a
.50 piece) - asking why they weren't as brightly colored as the larger
ones
he told me "those parrots had been raised in the store" from a
spawning
of
the (larger ones) already there. They are not colored in the manner of
"Easter eggs" as were the bigger ones, they are more of a
lightish/pastel
color . .. one is pinkish/peachish, one is yellowish and the other is
whitish with a bit of blue along the dorsal fin. So, figuring they
hadn't
been exposed to the horrid "dying" process, I bought all three of
them.
:)

After arriving home and placing them into the tank I started
researching
them. I am having a very hard time finding information on this type of
fish.
I am however finding a lot of postings against these "hybrids". :(

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/gparrot.html
http://www.geocities.com/parrotcichlid/general.html
http://malawicichlids.com/mw01013.htm
http://cichlidresearch.com/parrot.html
http://cichlidresearch.com/hybrids.html
http://bloodparrot.aquariahobbyist.c.../ikonboard.cgi

My bookmarks, as they were many months ago, so some might be 404.

So I guess I'm asking . . . did I make a bad decision in buying these
fish?

'Bad' is a subjective term. Will you have trouble researching them -
yes. Can you get them to coexist with other fish - sure.

One of the problems with researching them is they don't have a lineage
you can look at. They are a cross between 2 fish, possibly the Red
Devil
& Severum. These two fish have very different personalities, so which
one the fry will take after is a bit of a gamble.

Also, I was told that I could only have other cichlids in the tank
with
these fish or a pleco. Now I know I've read before of people keeping
(some
types) of cichlids with other types of fish . . . any suggestions on
which
other types I can keep with them?

If they have a good disposition, they will often leave smaller faster
fish alone. If they have a bad disposition, then equal to larger sized
fish would not be safe.

How large with these fish become? I was told four inches max, but
after
research online I've read eight inches and sizes in between.

The lineage problem again. You can expect 5" easily.

Are these the fish that as they get older won't be able to close their
mouths? (As I've mentioned I've been doing online reading and came
across
something that mentioned this but am not sure it was in regard to
these
fish).

They can't close the front of their mouth, but the teeth are in the
back.
I don't know if the teeth can close. Don't give them anything too big
that they would need to chew smaller, if you are worried about it.

Is there any way to "sex" these fish, I'm really curious as to whether
I
have two males/one female, one male/two females, three females or
three
males.

With either lineage, the male typically has a longer dorsal & anal fin,
but this is not easily evident until much older, and when compared to
females of the same age. The thickness of the ovipositor during
spawning
is a better indicator.

NetMax

Many, Many Thanks in Advance & Best Regards,

~*~ Vosklady ~*~


Thanks so much for your reply Max . . . it's appreciated. :)

Looking through some various pictures of cichlids on the net today, I
found
one of a pink convict that looks very similar to one of the three I bought
yesterday. If you look at this page, it's the left one on the very top
row.
One of the three I bought yesterday (now known as "Frank" as the same
pinkish spots near his gills. The only difference in coloration between
Frank and this picture is he's got some blue up along the bottom of his
dorsal fin and in his dorsal, pectoral and anal fins.

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/galle...s/convict.html

In retrospect, I remember the guy who checked me out at the LFS yesterday
mentioning that the sales assistant who helped me was "new" . . .
hopefully
he knew what he was talking about. I asked him quite a few questions, he
seemed to know the answers to most, but now I'm wondering if he really
knew
what he was talking about (after seeing the picture mentioned in the URL
above).

I'll try to get some pictures my new friends and post them somewhere on
the
web if anyone is interested.

Many Thanks Again . . .

Regards,

~*~ Vosklady ~*~


Also . . . .

On must closer inspection of the other two new "jellybeans", they also have
the pinkish spots near the gills.

~*~ Vosklady ~*~

A Few More Questions WAS Small Jellybean Parrot Cichlids (semi-lengthy)
 

"~*~ Vosklady ~*~" wrote in message
...
Hello . . . :)

I've been reading on and off all day regarding my new little friends. What
other types of cichlids would go well with them?

I'm leaning toward some pink convicts but am not sure, any thoughts?

MTIA . . .

Regards,

~*~ Vosklady ~*~



I'm not really a cichlid person but I would imagine you could house parrots
with anything that;s not too aggressive.. Although a friend of mine did have
hers with some Oscars with no problems. Even when the Oscars got huge the
parrots still chased them around and would headbutt them.
The Geophagus Jurupari I have with mine is a cichlid and I've had no
probs...

Mar
------------------------------------------------
"I meant," said Ipslore, bitterly,"what is there in this world that makes
living worthwhile?"

Death thought about it.
"Cats," he said eventually, "Cats are nice."

-Terry Pratchett, 'Sourcery'