Sweet Heart Parrot

Question
We really can't find anymore about this kind of fish. I am trying to breed them and don't know that much about them. Do they lay eggs which I think they do? When do they have their breeding season? Please try to find out more about  these kind of fish. I look on the computer and they don't know what we are talking about.
Thank you
Patrick Doyle

Answer
Hi Patrick,
Sweet heart Parrot fish are actually normal parrot fish that have been dyed with a special dye which is actually quite cruel to the poor fish and usually fades with time.

To understand your Sweet Heart Parrots, All you need to do is read up on the Parrot fish.

Parrot fish is in fact a hybrid. Nobody -really- knows what the cross is made up of but most sources claim it is a cross from the red devil cichlid and Gold severum.

These are wonderful fish. But many people have very bad opinions about hybrid species such as Parrot fish. They say breeders shouldn't fool around with nature and some people criticize it as being cruel because parrot fish have quite deformed bodies.

Parrot fish grow up to 6 inches, sometimes more. It all depends upon the individual fish. They need a 30-gallon tank  minimum. They can thrive in most water conditions as long as the tank is cycled and it gets plenty of frequent water changes. Temperatures of around 76-80F are fine. Parrot fish get along well with most all fish, sometimes they will try to eat tiny fish like neons. But they aren't very fast and their unique shaped mouths mean they cannot really truly hunt or bite fish. Most community fish get along well with them.

Feed them variety with a staple of high quality cichlid pellets and flakes. Make sure to pre-soak the pellets.
You can supplement with softened shrimp pellets, algae wafers, and all manner of frozen and freeze dried foods. Zucchini and peas are also taken.

As for breeding, these fish are often usually Sterile and they cannot reproduce. They can lay eggs and go through the whole ritual of spawning. But the eggs may not hatch. Although sometimes in a great while, some people have had a surprise successful spawning with their parrots.

Read this article for more about Parrot fish and the possibility of breeding them...

http://www.geocities.com/parrotcichlid/breeding.html

Best wishes and I hope this helps!
Karen~