Bubblegum Parots?

My wife came home with 3 Bubblegum Parot fish... I think they are that
crossbreed using red-devils and something else. Very oddly shaped.

Anyway... I can't seem to really find much information on these fish.
Am I searching on the wrong name? I searched Google for Parot Fish
and Bubblgum Parot Fish... only got returns on the Parot Fish search.

These are supposedly a smaller fish than what I can find info on.
They also look like they may have been dyed or colored in some way.
Bright blue, Red and Lemon Yellow...

I want to treat these guys as well as I can but I currently have
community tanks... Gourami's, Tetra's etc (75 gal).. I have two tanks
with Angels, Cardinals, and Platys (1 55gal, 1 29gal), one Quarintine
tank(10gal) and 2 Tanks that are currently cycling using fishless as
suggested from these newsgroups.

My community and Quarintine tanks are all at 80 degrees Farenheit.
All tanks currently at 7.2-7.4 Ph, 20dGH and around 8-12kH. (varies
according to well water conditions) I try to keep water buffered to
the same level at all times. When adding water during water changes I
measure current well water conditions and current tank conditions and
make adjustments as necessary to keep it as close to even as possible.

0 amonnia
0 nitrites
? Nitrates (waiting on delivery of new nitrate test kit)

the 75gal and the 55 gal are both planted aquaria, the 75 more
heavily. DIY co2 on 75. Approx 125 watts Florescent with daylight and
warm white mix)

Not enough plants or lights on 55 (only 40watts) so no CO2 here.

29 Gallon same water conditions as 55.

Anyway. Where should I place these guys (Parot? Cichlids)? Should
they go into their own tank or will a community tank be sufficient?
Do they need harder or software water?
is ph 7.2-7.4 too high or too low?
Water hard or soft?

Thanks in advance if anyone is familiar with these guys...

On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 09:11:59 -0500, jp wrote:

My wife came home with 3 Bubblegum Parot fish... I think they are that
crossbreed using red-devils and something else. Very oddly shaped.

Anyway... I can't seem to really find much information on these fish.
Am I searching on the wrong name? I searched Google for Parot Fish
and Bubblgum Parot Fish... only got returns on the Parot Fish search.

These are supposedly a smaller fish than what I can find info on.
They also look like they may have been dyed or colored in some way.
Bright blue, Red and Lemon Yellow...

I want to treat these guys as well as I can but I currently have
community tanks... Gourami's, Tetra's etc (75 gal).. I have two tanks
with Angels, Cardinals, and Platys (1 55gal, 1 29gal), one Quarintine
tank(10gal) and 2 Tanks that are currently cycling using fishless as
suggested from these newsgroups.

My community and Quarintine tanks are all at 80 degrees Farenheit.
All tanks currently at 7.2-7.4 Ph, 20dGH and around 8-12kH. (varies
according to well water conditions) I try to keep water buffered to
the same level at all times. When adding water during water changes I
measure current well water conditions and current tank conditions and
make adjustments as necessary to keep it as close to even as possible.

0 amonnia
0 nitrites
? Nitrates (waiting on delivery of new nitrate test kit)

the 75gal and the 55 gal are both planted aquaria, the 75 more
heavily. DIY co2 on 75. Approx 125 watts Florescent with daylight and
warm white mix)

Not enough plants or lights on 55 (only 40watts) so no CO2 here.

29 Gallon same water conditions as 55.

Anyway. Where should I place these guys (Parot? Cichlids)? Should
they go into their own tank or will a community tank be sufficient?
Do they need harder or software water?
is ph 7.2-7.4 too high or too low?
Water hard or soft?

Thanks in advance if anyone is familiar with these guys...


I searched " parrot cichlid " on google and got 13,000 web sites.

Spelling is everything with search engines

Around here they're called jellybeans
"jp" wrote in message
...
My wife came home with 3 Bubblegum Parot fish... I think they are that
crossbreed using red-devils and something else. Very oddly shaped.

Anyway... I can't seem to really find much information on these fish.
Am I searching on the wrong name? I searched Google for Parot Fish
and Bubblgum Parot Fish... only got returns on the Parot Fish search.

These are supposedly a smaller fish than what I can find info on.
They also look like they may have been dyed or colored in some way.
Bright blue, Red and Lemon Yellow...

I want to treat these guys as well as I can but I currently have
community tanks... Gourami's, Tetra's etc (75 gal).. I have two tanks
with Angels, Cardinals, and Platys (1 55gal, 1 29gal), one Quarintine
tank(10gal) and 2 Tanks that are currently cycling using fishless as
suggested from these newsgroups.

My community and Quarintine tanks are all at 80 degrees Farenheit.
All tanks currently at 7.2-7.4 Ph, 20dGH and around 8-12kH. (varies
according to well water conditions) I try to keep water buffered to
the same level at all times. When adding water during water changes I
measure current well water conditions and current tank conditions and
make adjustments as necessary to keep it as close to even as possible.

0 amonnia
0 nitrites
? Nitrates (waiting on delivery of new nitrate test kit)

the 75gal and the 55 gal are both planted aquaria, the 75 more
heavily. DIY co2 on 75. Approx 125 watts Florescent with daylight and
warm white mix)

Not enough plants or lights on 55 (only 40watts) so no CO2 here.

29 Gallon same water conditions as 55.

Anyway. Where should I place these guys (Parot? Cichlids)? Should
they go into their own tank or will a community tank be sufficient?
Do they need harder or software water?
is ph 7.2-7.4 too high or too low?
Water hard or soft?

Thanks in advance if anyone is familiar with these guys...

I would take then back...

Tim

"Cal Fornia" wrote in message
news:t8wQb.26998$rh5.8056@okepread04...
Around here they're called jellybeans
"jp" wrote in message
...
My wife came home with 3 Bubblegum Parot fish... I think they are that
crossbreed using red-devils and something else. Very oddly shaped.

Anyway... I can't seem to really find much information on these fish.
Am I searching on the wrong name? I searched Google for Parot Fish
and Bubblgum Parot Fish... only got returns on the Parot Fish search.

These are supposedly a smaller fish than what I can find info on.
They also look like they may have been dyed or colored in some way.
Bright blue, Red and Lemon Yellow...

I want to treat these guys as well as I can but I currently have
community tanks... Gourami's, Tetra's etc (75 gal).. I have two tanks
with Angels, Cardinals, and Platys (1 55gal, 1 29gal), one Quarintine
tank(10gal) and 2 Tanks that are currently cycling using fishless as
suggested from these newsgroups.

My community and Quarintine tanks are all at 80 degrees Farenheit.
All tanks currently at 7.2-7.4 Ph, 20dGH and around 8-12kH. (varies
according to well water conditions) I try to keep water buffered to
the same level at all times. When adding water during water changes I
measure current well water conditions and current tank conditions and
make adjustments as necessary to keep it as close to even as possible.

0 amonnia
0 nitrites
? Nitrates (waiting on delivery of new nitrate test kit)

the 75gal and the 55 gal are both planted aquaria, the 75 more
heavily. DIY co2 on 75. Approx 125 watts Florescent with daylight and
warm white mix)

Not enough plants or lights on 55 (only 40watts) so no CO2 here.

29 Gallon same water conditions as 55.

Anyway. Where should I place these guys (Parot? Cichlids)? Should
they go into their own tank or will a community tank be sufficient?
Do they need harder or software water?
is ph 7.2-7.4 too high or too low?
Water hard or soft?

Thanks in advance if anyone is familiar with these guys...

Parrot cichlids are tough to find info on. Most people who dedicate time to
cichlid sites have little tolerance for hybrids and are quick to tell you so.
When someone comes along and does put out useful information, they're flooded
with angry emails about how evil hybrids are. As suggested, try searches on
Parrot Cichlids or Blood Parrots. You can also try posting questions in some of
the forums. Your pH of 7.2 - 7.4 sounds about right for them although it may be
a little on the high side. It's hard to say one way or another as I believe
they're a cross between a South American and Central American cichlid. Possibly
a severum and a red devil, although I think that's open to debate. Here's a
couple links for ya.
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/ci...loodparrot.htm
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/gparrot.html Not as informative but interesting
to see conflicting points of view.
http://parrotcichlid.com/ An informative site lacking negativity.

I do believe that the jelly bean parrots, being typically dyed, recieve the most
criticism. I think they're also more aggressive than blood parrots and are often
infertile. This may be either from the cross breeding or from the dying process.
Good luck on the info hunt.
Amateur
www.amateurcichlids.com (Lacking in any information on blood parrots. )

maybe it's because they are par(r)ots, not parots....

--
RedForeman ©®



"jp" wrote in message
...
My wife came home with 3 Bubblegum Parot fish... I think they are that
crossbreed using red-devils and something else. Very oddly shaped.

Anyway... I can't seem to really find much information on these fish.
Am I searching on the wrong name? I searched Google for Parot Fish
and Bubblgum Parot Fish... only got returns on the Parot Fish search.

These are supposedly a smaller fish than what I can find info on.
They also look like they may have been dyed or colored in some way.
Bright blue, Red and Lemon Yellow...

I want to treat these guys as well as I can but I currently have
community tanks... Gourami's, Tetra's etc (75 gal).. I have two tanks
with Angels, Cardinals, and Platys (1 55gal, 1 29gal), one Quarintine
tank(10gal) and 2 Tanks that are currently cycling using fishless as
suggested from these newsgroups.

My community and Quarintine tanks are all at 80 degrees Farenheit.
All tanks currently at 7.2-7.4 Ph, 20dGH and around 8-12kH. (varies
according to well water conditions) I try to keep water buffered to
the same level at all times. When adding water during water changes I
measure current well water conditions and current tank conditions and
make adjustments as necessary to keep it as close to even as possible.

0 amonnia
0 nitrites
? Nitrates (waiting on delivery of new nitrate test kit)

the 75gal and the 55 gal are both planted aquaria, the 75 more
heavily. DIY co2 on 75. Approx 125 watts Florescent with daylight and
warm white mix)

Not enough plants or lights on 55 (only 40watts) so no CO2 here.

29 Gallon same water conditions as 55.

Anyway. Where should I place these guys (Parot? Cichlids)? Should
they go into their own tank or will a community tank be sufficient?
Do they need harder or software water?
is ph 7.2-7.4 too high or too low?
Water hard or soft?

Thanks in advance if anyone is familiar with these guys...

jp wrote:
My wife came home with 3 Bubblegum Parot fish... I think they are that
crossbreed using red-devils and something else. Very oddly shaped.

Anyway... I can't seem to really find much information on these fish.
Am I searching on the wrong name? I searched Google for Parot Fish
and Bubblgum Parot Fish... only got returns on the Parot Fish search.

These are supposedly a smaller fish than what I can find info on.
They also look like they may have been dyed or colored in some way.
Bright blue, Red and Lemon Yellow...

I think the other posters have missed the most vital part of the above
passage... your wife's impulse buying. If you intend to get anywhere in
the aquarium hobby, you need to educate her about how unwise it is to
impulse buy fish that you know nothing about. In this case, perhaps a
horror story about the background of these fish will enlighten her
(perhaps not but it's worth a shot)....

The parrot cichlid is part of a whole complex of hybrid and mutilated
cichlids being produced by fish farms (Asian farms seem to be more prone
to this as they mutilate fish to resemble Asian good luck symbols/colors).
The parrot cichlid is a hybrid, as you have guessed, which suffers many
physical deformities as a result of the hybridization. The spine typically
is bent in several places. The mouth structure typically cannot function
fully, often being stuck fully or partially open. They are often called
the "frankestein fish" by hobbyists because of their gross physical
deformities.

To make matters worse, the ones you are referring to have been dyed bright
colors to make them more "appealing". Now, the dying process varies
depending on the dye affect, but I'm going to assume this is an overall
dye instead of an injected dye. This was first seen with various types of
painted glassfish. From what I have read, this type of dying process is
very harmful to the fish. They are subjected to chemicals which remove
their slime coat in order to be dyed. Many often die in the process and
those which survive typically have a very short lifespan. This is most
likely due to the removal of the slime coat (a fish's first defense
against stress/disease) and then dipping them in vats of chemicals. Ask
your wife how she'd like to have the first layer of her skin removed and
then be put in a room full of chemicals that she's breathing in just to
color her skin neon pink, because that's essentially what happens to these
fish.

Their overall prognosis for a long life is poor and many advocate
boycotting the purchase of such fish to hopefully put an end to the
practice (although this seems unlikely as there will always be impulse
shoppers like your wife who buy them because they're "pretty"). This is
why I believe another poster said you should return them. This might be
your best option, although I would return them with a chastizing nature to
the retailer for even stocking such fish (and somewhat, as domestic
tranquility will allow, to your wife for purchasing them). You might not
even get credit back if they're still alive, but it would at least make a
statement.

If you do decide to keep them, continue on to the next section...

I want to treat these guys as well as I can but I currently have
community tanks... Gourami's, Tetra's etc (75 gal).. I have two tanks
with Angels, Cardinals, and Platys (1 55gal, 1 29gal), one Quarintine
tank(10gal) and 2 Tanks that are currently cycling using fishless as
suggested from these newsgroups.

These fish are cichlids, even if highly deformed ones, which means one can
expect a rather nasty nature in a community tank. While their deformities
may prevent them from actually swallowing the tetras for example, that
does not preclude them from harrassing the other fish to the point of
death. I am also not sure how kind they would be to planted tanks. Again,
the mouth deformities might prevent moving gravel by mouth, but I've also
seen cichlids use their bodies to dig pits in the gravel. Basically, this
points to keeping them in their own tank. You do not mention the size of
the tanks undergoing fishless cycling. One of those might be appropriate
when done cycling, depending on the size.

For now, I would use the quarentine tank and a prophalatic course of
medicated food and slime coating boosting to better their chances of
long-term survival after their horrid treatment. Keep a close eye and a
handy medical cabinet on hand in case they come down with disease anyways
(a strong likelyhood). Prepare yourself for the strong likelyhood that
they may not survive until the other tanks finish cycling given the dying
process they've undergone. Cichlids are more resilient than the tetras
that were dyed in the past, but it still helps to prepare yourself for the
possibility that your best efforts may not save them. I am not trying to
be a doomsayer, just letting you know these fish have experienced far
greater stress than most fish and that makes it far more likely that
they'll get sick and die.

My community and Quarintine tanks are all at 80 degrees Farenheit.
All tanks currently at 7.2-7.4 Ph, 20dGH and around 8-12kH. (varies
according to well water conditions) I try to keep water buffered to
the same level at all times. When adding water during water changes I
measure current well water conditions and current tank conditions and
make adjustments as necessary to keep it as close to even as possible.

Well, being hybrids there is no real natural water conditions for parrot
cichlids, but these water parameters should be okay. Large central/south
american cichlids usually do fine in neutral water conditions. You might
want to have the temp down just a bit to around 76-78F, as that is where
most of my central/south american cichlids were most comfortable at (when
I had these types of cichlids of course, purely rift lake these days).

Pay attention to the gill activity while they are in quarentine. If it
appears they are breathing hard, check the temps and nitrite levels. I'd
imagine their gills have suffered some damage from the dying process and
this will make them more suspectible to oxygen deficiency from high temps
or nitrite poisoning (affects the ability of the blood to transport
oxygen). Aeriation will help the first issue and a mild amount of salt
(and water changes) will help the second.

Intentionally ignored, not missed... :-)

--
RedForeman ©®


"Cichlidiot" wrote in message
...
jp wrote:
My wife came home with 3 Bubblegum Parot fish... I think they are that
crossbreed using red-devils and something else. Very oddly shaped.

Anyway... I can't seem to really find much information on these fish.
Am I searching on the wrong name? I searched Google for Parot Fish
and Bubblgum Parot Fish... only got returns on the Parot Fish search.

These are supposedly a smaller fish than what I can find info on.
They also look like they may have been dyed or colored in some way.
Bright blue, Red and Lemon Yellow...

I think the other posters have missed the most vital part of the above
passage... your wife's impulse buying. If you intend to get anywhere in
the aquarium hobby, you need to educate her about how unwise it is to
impulse buy fish that you know nothing about. In this case, perhaps a
horror story about the background of these fish will enlighten her
(perhaps not but it's worth a shot)....

The parrot cichlid is part of a whole complex of hybrid and mutilated
cichlids being produced by fish farms (Asian farms seem to be more prone
to this as they mutilate fish to resemble Asian good luck symbols/colors).
The parrot cichlid is a hybrid, as you have guessed, which suffers many
physical deformities as a result of the hybridization. The spine typically
is bent in several places. The mouth structure typically cannot function
fully, often being stuck fully or partially open. They are often called
the "frankestein fish" by hobbyists because of their gross physical
deformities.

To make matters worse, the ones you are referring to have been dyed bright
colors to make them more "appealing". Now, the dying process varies
depending on the dye affect, but I'm going to assume this is an overall
dye instead of an injected dye. This was first seen with various types of
painted glassfish. From what I have read, this type of dying process is
very harmful to the fish. They are subjected to chemicals which remove
their slime coat in order to be dyed. Many often die in the process and
those which survive typically have a very short lifespan. This is most
likely due to the removal of the slime coat (a fish's first defense
against stress/disease) and then dipping them in vats of chemicals. Ask
your wife how she'd like to have the first layer of her skin removed and
then be put in a room full of chemicals that she's breathing in just to
color her skin neon pink, because that's essentially what happens to these
fish.

Their overall prognosis for a long life is poor and many advocate
boycotting the purchase of such fish to hopefully put an end to the
practice (although this seems unlikely as there will always be impulse
shoppers like your wife who buy them because they're "pretty"). This is
why I believe another poster said you should return them. This might be
your best option, although I would return them with a chastizing nature to
the retailer for even stocking such fish (and somewhat, as domestic
tranquility will allow, to your wife for purchasing them). You might not
even get credit back if they're still alive, but it would at least make a
statement.

If you do decide to keep them, continue on to the next section...

I want to treat these guys as well as I can but I currently have
community tanks... Gourami's, Tetra's etc (75 gal).. I have two tanks
with Angels, Cardinals, and Platys (1 55gal, 1 29gal), one Quarintine
tank(10gal) and 2 Tanks that are currently cycling using fishless as
suggested from these newsgroups.

These fish are cichlids, even if highly deformed ones, which means one can
expect a rather nasty nature in a community tank. While their deformities
may prevent them from actually swallowing the tetras for example, that
does not preclude them from harrassing the other fish to the point of
death. I am also not sure how kind they would be to planted tanks. Again,
the mouth deformities might prevent moving gravel by mouth, but I've also
seen cichlids use their bodies to dig pits in the gravel. Basically, this
points to keeping them in their own tank. You do not mention the size of
the tanks undergoing fishless cycling. One of those might be appropriate
when done cycling, depending on the size.

For now, I would use the quarentine tank and a prophalatic course of
medicated food and slime coating boosting to better their chances of
long-term survival after their horrid treatment. Keep a close eye and a
handy medical cabinet on hand in case they come down with disease anyways
(a strong likelyhood). Prepare yourself for the strong likelyhood that
they may not survive until the other tanks finish cycling given the dying
process they've undergone. Cichlids are more resilient than the tetras
that were dyed in the past, but it still helps to prepare yourself for the
possibility that your best efforts may not save them. I am not trying to
be a doomsayer, just letting you know these fish have experienced far
greater stress than most fish and that makes it far more likely that
they'll get sick and die.

My community and Quarintine tanks are all at 80 degrees Farenheit.
All tanks currently at 7.2-7.4 Ph, 20dGH and around 8-12kH. (varies
according to well water conditions) I try to keep water buffered to
the same level at all times. When adding water during water changes I
measure current well water conditions and current tank conditions and
make adjustments as necessary to keep it as close to even as possible.

Well, being hybrids there is no real natural water conditions for parrot
cichlids, but these water parameters should be okay. Large central/south
american cichlids usually do fine in neutral water conditions. You might
want to have the temp down just a bit to around 76-78F, as that is where
most of my central/south american cichlids were most comfortable at (when
I had these types of cichlids of course, purely rift lake these days).

Pay attention to the gill activity while they are in quarentine. If it
appears they are breathing hard, check the temps and nitrite levels. I'd
imagine their gills have suffered some damage from the dying process and
this will make them more suspectible to oxygen deficiency from high temps
or nitrite poisoning (affects the ability of the blood to transport
oxygen). Aeriation will help the first issue and a mild amount of salt
(and water changes) will help the second.

"jp" wrote in message
...
My wife came home with 3 Bubblegum Parot fish... I think they are that
crossbreed using red-devils and something else. Very oddly shaped.

Anyway... I can't seem to really find much information on these fish.
Am I searching on the wrong name? I searched Google for Parot Fish
and Bubblgum Parot Fish... only got returns on the Parot Fish search.

These are supposedly a smaller fish than what I can find info on.
They also look like they may have been dyed or colored in some way.
Bright blue, Red and Lemon Yellow...

Thanks in advance if anyone is familiar with these guys...
snip


I've read the other post to this message and I have to say my experience
with Parrots has been all good. I've had a pair for over a year now. They
aren't anymore agressive than the other fish with them (2 Bala Sharks, Tiger
Barbs, Tetras and a Rainbow Shark) and they have had no health problems to
date. I know the controversy surrounding them but despite that I love 'em.
For the OP, this website has a lot of good info on it
http://geocities.com/parrotcichlid/main.html even though it hasn't been
updated in a while. And I'm not sure if this link was posted
http://cichlidresearch.com/hybrids.html but it explains why they are
generally looked down upon in the cichlid community.

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'

I guess it's all relative.

We keep fish in small tanks.. even the big ones are only 6 feet long..
sometimes 8 feet in the rare case some people have a 240 gallon tank at
home. Unless you're raising the smallest of the shell dwellers you're
overcrowding your fish when you compare your tank to the lake or rivers they
live in.

Do you think these fish really like living in little glass boxes their whole
lives? Don't kid yourself, it's not the same as in a huge lake.

So while you may take great care not to crossbreed and would never dream of
buying a fish altered by humans there is a market for them. Just like there
is a market for people who want to keep fish used to having the Amazon river
to swim in. You keep that fish confined to a 75 gallon home aquarium.

I have seen people purchase 10 juvenile fish all from the same spawn. They
raise them to adults and breed them. Those fish are all brothers and
sisters. The fry are all genetically retarded. How about a rant against
that?

So if you're going to preach about being nice to the little fish how about
being nice to all of them?

"Cichlidiot" wrote in message
...
jp wrote:
My wife came home with 3 Bubblegum Parot fish... I think they are that
crossbreed using red-devils and something else. Very oddly shaped.

Anyway... I can't seem to really find much information on these fish.
Am I searching on the wrong name? I searched Google for Parot Fish
and Bubblgum Parot Fish... only got returns on the Parot Fish search.

These are supposedly a smaller fish than what I can find info on.
They also look like they may have been dyed or colored in some way.
Bright blue, Red and Lemon Yellow...

I think the other posters have missed the most vital part of the above
passage... your wife's impulse buying. If you intend to get anywhere in
the aquarium hobby, you need to educate her about how unwise it is to
impulse buy fish that you know nothing about. In this case, perhaps a
horror story about the background of these fish will enlighten her
(perhaps not but it's worth a shot)....

The parrot cichlid is part of a whole complex of hybrid and mutilated
cichlids being produced by fish farms (Asian farms seem to be more prone
to this as they mutilate fish to resemble Asian good luck symbols/colors).
The parrot cichlid is a hybrid, as you have guessed, which suffers many
physical deformities as a result of the hybridization. The spine typically
is bent in several places. The mouth structure typically cannot function
fully, often being stuck fully or partially open. They are often called
the "frankestein fish" by hobbyists because of their gross physical
deformities.

To make matters worse, the ones you are referring to have been dyed bright
colors to make them more "appealing". Now, the dying process varies
depending on the dye affect, but I'm going to assume this is an overall
dye instead of an injected dye. This was first seen with various types of
painted glassfish. From what I have read, this type of dying process is
very harmful to the fish. They are subjected to chemicals which remove
their slime coat in order to be dyed. Many often die in the process and
those which survive typically have a very short lifespan. This is most
likely due to the removal of the slime coat (a fish's first defense
against stress/disease) and then dipping them in vats of chemicals. Ask
your wife how she'd like to have the first layer of her skin removed and
then be put in a room full of chemicals that she's breathing in just to
color her skin neon pink, because that's essentially what happens to these
fish.

Their overall prognosis for a long life is poor and many advocate
boycotting the purchase of such fish to hopefully put an end to the
practice (although this seems unlikely as there will always be impulse
shoppers like your wife who buy them because they're "pretty"). This is
why I believe another poster said you should return them. This might be
your best option, although I would return them with a chastizing nature to
the retailer for even stocking such fish (and somewhat, as domestic
tranquility will allow, to your wife for purchasing them). You might not
even get credit back if they're still alive, but it would at least make a
statement.

If you do decide to keep them, continue on to the next section...

I want to treat these guys as well as I can but I currently have
community tanks... Gourami's, Tetra's etc (75 gal).. I have two tanks
with Angels, Cardinals, and Platys (1 55gal, 1 29gal), one Quarintine
tank(10gal) and 2 Tanks that are currently cycling using fishless as
suggested from these newsgroups.

These fish are cichlids, even if highly deformed ones, which means one can
expect a rather nasty nature in a community tank. While their deformities
may prevent them from actually swallowing the tetras for example, that
does not preclude them from harrassing the other fish to the point of
death. I am also not sure how kind they would be to planted tanks. Again,
the mouth deformities might prevent moving gravel by mouth, but I've also
seen cichlids use their bodies to dig pits in the gravel. Basically, this
points to keeping them in their own tank. You do not mention the size of
the tanks undergoing fishless cycling. One of those might be appropriate
when done cycling, depending on the size.

For now, I would use the quarentine tank and a prophalatic course of
medicated food and slime coating boosting to better their chances of
long-term survival after their horrid treatment. Keep a close eye and a
handy medical cabinet on hand in case they come down with disease anyways
(a strong likelyhood). Prepare yourself for the strong likelyhood that
they may not survive until the other tanks finish cycling given the dying
process they've undergone. Cichlids are more resilient than the tetras
that were dyed in the past, but it still helps to prepare yourself for the
possibility that your best efforts may not save them. I am not trying to
be a doomsayer, just letting you know these fish have experienced far
greater stress than most fish and that makes it far more likely that
they'll get sick and die.

My community and Quarintine tanks are all at 80 degrees Farenheit.
All tanks currently at 7.2-7.4 Ph, 20dGH and around 8-12kH. (varies
according to well water conditions) I try to keep water buffered to
the same level at all times. When adding water during water changes I
measure current well water conditions and current tank conditions and
make adjustments as necessary to keep it as close to even as possible.

Well, being hybrids there is no real natural water conditions for parrot
cichlids, but these water parameters should be okay. Large central/south
american cichlids usually do fine in neutral water conditions. You might
want to have the temp down just a bit to around 76-78F, as that is where
most of my central/south american cichlids were most comfortable at (when
I had these types of cichlids of course, purely rift lake these days).

Pay attention to the gill activity while they are in quarentine. If it
appears they are breathing hard, check the temps and nitrite levels. I'd
imagine their gills have suffered some damage from the dying process and
this will make them more suspectible to oxygen deficiency from high temps
or nitrite poisoning (affects the ability of the blood to transport
oxygen). Aeriation will help the first issue and a mild amount of salt
(and water changes) will help the second.