Blood Parrot tankmates in 75g

[jcarr71]

My tank finally cycled and I picked up my first two parrots! I'll add two more in a week or so after I make sure the first real bioload is being handled. After that, I plan on stopping at four. Then I have decisions to make. I filter with a Rena XP3 and an Aquaclear 110, so what else could I add? I'll break it down in number questions for ease in answering. Thanks in advance!

1) Severums. When I google this, I find severums as the only consistent answer. I'm afraid to add two though as I don't really want them to pair up. If I add one severum, will it be stressed? Are they a social fish?

2) How would smaller cichlids do if I got them at adult size? I've wanted to keep keyholes, but I'm guessing they are too passive. What about a more aggressive smaller cichlid like firemouths or kribs?

3) Any other of the somewhat larger cichlids that are passive enough to live with the group or is it basically severums or bust in that department?

4) Giving a base of a 75g with a sand substrate and built for hiding places while filtered with a Rena XP3 and AC110, how would you stock it if four blood parrots were a must? Be creative and give me ideas!

Thanks!

[Lady Hobbs]

If you don't want cichlids, you can go with Silver Dollars or any of the larger tetra's. Swordtails, platies, etc, all would work.

Not sure about firemouths as mine didn't get along with the parrots but only because the parrots were adults and they weren't raised together.

[jcarr71]

I do want cichlids. But you're saying community fish will be tolerated by these guys?

[Lady Hobbs]

Yes. I also added to the last post that you missed.

[jcarr71]

Who attacked who on the firemouth front? The parrots bully them?

[Lady Hobbs]

The parrots can't do beans because they can't bite but they don't know that. The firemouths grabbed right ahold of the parrots lips and held on. But had they been raised together, this would have been no issue. They are both docile.

You do know with firemouths you will still have a spawn and babies? You could get one severum and a few Silver Dollars, perhaps?

[Ashley]

I had my parrot with my platies and gourami and he would chase the little fish, push them with his mouth up to the tank corner and kill them by smashing them against the glass. However. that was just my personal experience. When I had him, I noticed dead/stressed fish like crazy. When he was smaller, everything was fine, it was when the parrot started to get bigger that his personality changed. Maybe pick something not too small to go with them

[jcarr71]

I think I am going to attempt the following:

4 Parrots
1 Severum
1 L18 Pleco
2 Keyhole Cichlids

I have an empty 33g flatback if the keyholes get bullied.

The two parrots I have have settled in nicely and I am worried about how they will react to invaders, so I think I'm going to move an additional filter over from another tank to handle the initial load and add them at all once to hopefully disperse any aggression. I can get the keyholes at 3" and the severum at a quoted 4-5", but the blood parrots I am going to add, the other two, are only 2" whereas my two already in the tank are 5" so they are a concern. Either way I have the aforementioned flatback and even a 29g that is currently housing mice that I could use in emergency if I need to rethink this.

Am I walking into a disaster or do you guys think I have enough safeguards to attempt this?

[Ashley]

I think it sounds good. Nice sized fish to go together

[Lady Hobbs]

What Ashleys experience was is not even near anything I have seen. I've had 8 and the most I've seen is bumping one another with their mouth. More "touching" than anything. I've never seen one body slam another fish to death.

I think your fish will do just fine. I would actually be more concerned with a 5" severum and 2" young parrots but think that will go OK, too, especially adding them all at once.

[Red]

Dont put the keyholes in there. I dont know about the parrots, but the severum will beat the heck out of them when fighting for there spot.

EDIT: Keyholes may be a cichlid, but they have enough fight in them to be a gourami. If you want any type of gourami, the only one I say staying up with the growth and meanness of the severum is a pink kissing gourami.