Large Blood Parrot with smaller Blood Parrot's ?

[momjtac]

I need some advice please....

I adopted a very large Blood Parrot, everything that I was reading and watching said that they do better with more than being by themselves in the tank. When I got him, I put him in a 55 gal. tank so there is a lot of room, I purchased 2 new ones that are about 3 or 4 inches long and the store owner said there would not be any issue but there is. I have one hiding behind the sponge filter and the other has crammed itself into the driftwood. MP (Money Pit the large fish name) will not allow them to move. Without buying anymore tanks how do I help the smaller fish? I try to distract MP but that does not last long if one of the other newbies move, and I cannot stand in front of the tank 24 - 7.

Am I over thinking this, and does it just need time? I am really concerned about the 1 that has itself crammed into the driftwood. I only put them in last night. 

Any insight help is greatly apricated. Pictures are attached. 

Thank you

Noel 

 

 

[Wrencher_Scott]

I think it is way to soon to worry. Give them some time.

[momjtac]

Thank you I am really really new to this and I jumped in with both feet, but I want so much to be successful with them

[H.K.Luterman]

Make sure you give all of the blood parrots lots of caves, so they each can stake out a little territory to feel safe in. 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

1. They are cichlids and by nature aggressive. One day nice and next down right homicidal. This is normal behavior. The LFS dude was FOS. They have really small mouths so the aggression is usually bodying up to the other fish almost like "ramming speed" and they nail the other one. 

2. Cichlids like a hierarchy like many animals, alpha, beta both for males and females. When you don't introduce them all together it can make things hard for them to sort things out. 

3. When one animal has decided on which part of the tank is theirs's (and some choose the whole tank) others often suffer due to that. 

A couple ways to handle the aggression -

1. dithers - these are essentially target fish that the parrots can target instead of each other. Buenos Aires and Columbian Red/Blue tetras come to mind as good with larger cichlids, you'll need 7 or so for them to feel comfortable and school/shoal. 

2. Rearrange the tank, Moneypit has boundaries and borders he is not letting the fish cross so change the borders. Add some new caves and places for the other fish to hide, Add some large fake plants or just large real plants to block sight lines. 

3. Lower the temp - hotter the hotter the temper. If you put them down around 72-74 sometimes they chill a little more.  

Good luck, This is really hard. If you end up pulling them out and really want tankmates sometimes putting a different type of cichlid in helps - Electric Blue Acaras, Severums, larger Geophagus, Jack Dempseys, Rainbow cichlids, Convict, Nicaraguans, Firemouth, I have even seen them with Green Terrors but that's hard at 55 g. Some cichlids who've been on their own for awhile will never accept tankmates. 

[H.K.Luterman]

I agree with everything @Beardedbillygoat1975 has said! Just a warning though... basically anything you add to that tank is going to have to be a "wait and see" if things work out. Have a backup plan. My blood parrot is very aggressive, and bites me hard enough to draw blood sometimes (and she has the weird mouth). She does ok with my senegal bichirs and ctenopoma, although she's very bossy and pushes them around, but she constantly went after my electric blue acara. I had to move him out to another tank.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

Every cichlid is truly an individual, absolutely agree @H.K.Luterman!