Natural Parrot Cichlid (Hybrid)

Choose the Natural Parrot Cichlid: an undyed hybrid in its own colours

The Natural Parrot Cichlid is a parrot cichlid exactly as it grew: no dye, no injected colour, no tattoo and no cut fins. Our photographs show the natural grey colouring, a silver-grey body with a blue sheen and broad black vertical bars, together with the rounded parrot profile, a large eye and the small, pursed mouth. It is a sociable, inquisitive fish that comes to the front of the tank at feeding time, and it makes a characterful centrepiece for a large aquarium of robust, peaceful fish.

"Natural" is the important word. Parrot cichlids are among the most heavily modified fish in the hobby, and many of the unusual colours and patterned fish you may have seen elsewhere are the result of dye or tattooing. A natural parrot carries only the colours that breeding has given it, and those colours can change as it grows.

Read the colour honestly

Put together, the sources explain why a natural parrot may be silver-grey and barred when young and why some individuals later turn yellow, apricot or red while others stay grey. We cannot predict how each fish will colour, and we will not add colour to make it look finished. If you want the orange colour from the start, see our Orange Blood Parrot Cichlid or the Yellow Parrot Cichlid.

Understand where parrot cichlids come from

The parrot cichlid is a man-made hybrid, not a wild species. Wikipedia records that it was first bred in Taiwan around 1986, and Practical Fishkeeping places its first appearance in the late 1980s. Nobody has published the exact parents, and the suggestions differ:

• the Midas cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellus) crossed with Vieja melanurus (Wikipedia);
• a red devil or Midas cichlid crossed with convict cichlids, severums or quetzals, possibly involving more than two fish (Matt Clarke, Practical Fishkeeping);
• the Midas cichlid crossed with the golden severum (Jeremy Gay, Practical Fishkeeping).

Our Natural Parrot is labelled in the trade as an Amatitlania hybrid. Amatitlania is the convict cichlid's genus, so the label points to the convict ancestry that Matt Clarke suggests, and Wikipedia adds that parrots are sometimes crossed again with convicts. Because a hybrid has no species name, we list it simply as a hybrid parrot cichlid. It should not be confused with the true parrot cichlid, Hoplarchus psittacus, a large silvery-green fish from the Amazon.

Weigh the welfare facts

• Mouth: a beak-shaped mouth with only a narrow vertical opening that cannot fully close; the fish crushes food with its throat teeth (Wikipedia).
• Body: a shortened body with compressed vertebrae; some fish have a deformed swim bladder that makes them swim awkwardly (Wikipedia).
• Breeding: males are generally infertile, although most females are fertile (Wikipedia).
• Opinion: Seriously Fish calls hybrids such as the parrot cichlid "abhorrent 'sport' fish", while Jeremy Gay found his own parrot hardy, long-lived and highly intelligent.

We think buyers should know all of this. A natural parrot kept well can live a long, active life, but it depends on its keeper for easy food, calm company and clean water.

Know exactly what you receive

• One live Natural Parrot Cichlid per purchase, in one standard size, supplied as a young fish with most of its growing still to do.
• The fish is not sexed; parrots show few outward differences between males and females.
• Our photographs show the colour form, not the individual. Natural parrots vary in shade, in the strength of the bars and in how their colour develops with age.
• Tropical Fish Co does not sell dyed, injected, tattooed or tail-cut fish.
• Delivery days and our Live Arrival Guarantee are on our delivery page.

Expect the look to change as it grows

Colour in parrot cichlids is not fixed. Matt Clarke notes that red forms of Central American cichlids such as red devils and Midas cichlids can pale with age, and Seriously Fish describes young Midas cichlids starting grey before they colour. Enjoy the fish for what it is now, and expect it to look a little different in a year.

Give it room for a 15–20 cm adult and a 15-year life

Sources agree that a parrot outgrows small tanks. Matt Clarke gives about 15 cm, sometimes a little more with space; Jeremy Gay has seen rehomed parrots over 20 cm; Wikipedia gives up to 20 cm and a lifespan of 10 to 15 years. Plan for a 20 cm fish from the start.

Pick the tank for your plan

Our stocking calculator helps you check the whole plan, adult sizes included, before you buy.

Build a safe, open layout

There is no wild habitat to copy for a hybrid, so build for the fish's body. Leave a wide stretch of open water at the front, where a short-bodied swimmer can turn easily, and put the décor at the back and sides. Use sand or fine, rounded gravel; OATA notes that cichlids dig and sift, and a parrot's narrow mouth can trap a pebble. Smooth rocks, caves and wood give it places to retreat to, and artificial or tough plants survive the digging that OATA warns about.

Tick off OATA's shopping list

OATA also advises placing the aquarium away from draughts, heat sources, direct sunlight, loud noise and vibration.

Hold the water in a stable, slightly alkaline band

The sources overlap at 24–27°C, pH 7.0–8.0 and moderately hard water. Waste must stay at zero ammonia and zero nitrite, with nitrate no more than 20 mg per litre above your tap water (OATA).

Test your tap water before the fish arrives

UK tap water ranges from very soft to very hard depending on the region. Many areas supply hard, alkaline water, which parrots tolerate well, but check pH, GH and KH yourself rather than guessing. Use a conditioner on every refill to remove chlorine and chloramine. Our water parameter matcher shows how your readings compare with the fish's needs.

Keep a messy eater's tank clean

Wikipedia describes parrots as voracious eaters that leave a lot of debris, and it recommends high-volume filtration and frequent cleaning of the substrate. OATA's routine fits well: test the water weekly, change about 25% each week while siphoning waste from the substrate, and clean filter media only in water taken from the aquarium so the beneficial bacteria survive.

Work to a simple rhythm

Our cichlid care guide covers the same routine for other large cichlids.

Feed for a mouth that cannot close

A parrot cannot grab and bite like other cichlids. Wikipedia explains that it crushes food with the muscles and teeth of its throat, which makes it harder to feed and can leave it short of food, and that some foods are made specially for it. Matt Clarke lists flakes, pellets and frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp and mysis as accepted foods; OATA recommends cichlid pellets or granules as the base, once a day, only as much as is eaten in a few minutes.

Small, light granules such as our Red Parrot Granulat or the Cichlid Omnivore Small Pellet suit the narrow mouth, and a frozen cichlid mix adds variety.

Plan a week of meals

Introduce it the careful way

OATA's advice starts in the shop: never buy a fish from a tank that also holds sick fish, because carriers may show no symptoms, and look for clear eyes, whole fins, intact scales and steady breathing. At home, add the parrot only to a mature aquarium with zero ammonia and nitrite. Switch off the lights, float the sealed bag for about 10 minutes, add small amounts of aquarium water over up to 20 minutes, then net the fish across without the bag water. Our guide to acclimatising new fish shows each step.

Watch closely for the first week

• Keep the lights low on the first day and offer the first small meal the next day.
• Test ammonia and nitrite during the week, as OATA advises after adding fish.
• Watch feeding: make sure the newcomer eats and is not pushed away.

Pick companions by size and feeding speed

Wikipedia describes the parrot as semi-aggressive, able to hold its own and ready to eat any fish that fits in its mouth. Two things decide whether a companion works: it must be too big to swallow, and it must not beat the parrot to every meal. Matt Clarke suggests medium to large peaceful fish, robust barbs, catfish, loaches and the smaller Central American cichlids, and advises against a community of small fish. Jeremy Gay lists angelfish, silver dollars, tinfoil barbs, convicts, severums, jewel cichlids and catfish as common companions, and warns against Malawi cichlids.

Screen each companion

From our range, the Spotted Silver Dollar, the Gold Severum, the Freshwater Angelfish and the Clown Loach are worth considering; check each one's adult size and needs on its own page. A white parrot such as the Platinum Parrot Cichlid needs exactly the same care. Our tank mate checker flags clashes before you buy.

Spot trouble early

OATA's list of warning signs applies here: changes in swimming, colour, temperament, breathing, appearance, condition or appetite, plus clamped fins, flicking against décor and shimmying. Because natural parrots change colour slowly as they grow, a sudden change over a day or two is the thing to notice, not gradual paling.

Act on what you see

Treat spawning as behaviour, not breeding

Parrots often pair up and spawn. Like their parent species they clean a hard surface, lay their eggs and guard them, and Jeremy Gay describes hundreds of sticky eggs being laid. Wikipedia says males are generally infertile, although successful breeding has occurred and most females are fertile; Jeremy Gay has never seen parrot eggs hatch. Remove eggs once they turn white, expect a guarding pair to be more defensive, and never try to cross a parrot with another cichlid or release one into the wild.

Curious about the other famous man-made cichlid? Our flowerhorn guide explains a hybrid with very different needs, and every parrot colour we stock is grouped on our hybrid parrot cichlids page, part of the South American cichlids category and our wider South American cichlids shop.

Answer Natural Parrot Cichlid buying questions

What does "natural" mean on a parrot cichlid?

It means the colour is the fish's own. Nothing has been injected, painted, tattooed or cut. Wikipedia lists red, yellow and grey as the natural colours of parrot cichlids, and Practical Fishkeeping's Jeremy Gay names apricot and, more rarely, olive as the undyed forms.

Will my grey Natural Parrot Cichlid turn orange?

It may, but we cannot promise it. In the Midas cichlid, one of the suggested parents, Seriously Fish says the young are plain greyish at first and start to change colour at about 5–6 cm. Some parrots keep their grey colouring, others turn yellow, apricot or red, and each fish is different.

Why is it called an Amatitlania hybrid?

Amatitlania is the genus of the convict cichlid. The label links this fish to convict ancestry, which fits Matt Clarke's list of suggested parrot crosses in Practical Fishkeeping. The exact parents of parrot cichlids have never been published, so the hybrid has no species name of its own.

Is a Natural Parrot Cichlid the same as a blood parrot?

It belongs to the same group of man-made parrot hybrids, often called blood parrots. "Natural" describes its undyed colour, not a separate kind of fish, and its care is the same as for other parrots.

How big does it grow and how long does it live?

Plan for 15–20 cm. Practical Fishkeeping gives about 15 cm, sometimes a little more; Wikipedia gives up to 20 cm and a lifespan of 10 to 15 years.

What size aquarium do I need?

At least 120 cm long. Wikipedia suggests about 208 litres for one parrot plus about 76 litres for each extra fish, and OATA recommends at least 300 litres for American cichlids over 15 cm.

Which fish can live with it?

Medium to large, peaceful but robust fish that cannot be swallowed and do not race it to every meal: silver dollars, robust catfish and loaches, angelfish, severums and the calmer Central American cichlids. Avoid small tetras, shrimp and Malawi mbuna.

What exactly do I receive?

One live Natural Parrot Cichlid per purchase, in one standard size, unsexed. The photographs show the colour form, not the individual fish you will receive.

Consult the care references

• Wikipedia: Blood parrot cichlid — origin in Taiwan around 1986, suggested parents, mouth and other deformities, natural colours, dyeing, fertility, adult size, lifespan, aquarium size, feeding and behaviour.
• Practical Fishkeeping: Parrot cichlids — to be cherished or avoided? — Jeremy Gay on the undyed apricot and olive forms, dyeing, aquarium length, water values, feeding, tank mates, infertile eggs and why hybrids must never be released.
• Practical Fishkeeping: Frequently asked questions on parrot cichlids — Matt Clarke on the hybrid origin, suggested parent crosses, the beak-like mouth, adult size, dyed and heart-shaped parrots, water, feeding, tank mates and breeding.
• Seriously Fish: Amphilophus citrinellus (Midas cichlid) — the Midas cichlid, a suggested parent: colour change in young fish, man-made colour varieties and its view of parrot cichlids.
• OATA: How to look after American cichlids — UK guidance for American cichlids: water quality, tank size, set-up, maintenance, feeding, compatibility, introduction and health signs.
• Tropical Fish Co delivery policy — current dispatch days and Live Arrival Guarantee terms.