Parrot cichlid

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Male parrot cichlid

The parrot cichlid , Red Parrot (Bloodparrot, Bloody Parrot), Parrot cichlide, sometimes also called parrot perch, is a round, high-backed, deformed fish with a peculiar, almost beak-like mouth and a head with large eyes that is often clearly distinguishable from the body. In the opinion of experts within the meaning of Section 11b Animal Welfare Act , it is classified as torture breeding .

description

Parrot cichlids in the aquarium
Parrot cichlids

With the parrot (s) cichlid - Hoplarchus psittacus  - the parrot cichlid  has nothing to do with. It is also not related to the parrot fish of the Scaridae family. The fish's small, almost beak-like mouth, which in most cases can no longer close properly, was the inspiration behind the name.

Colored parrot cichlids

In the meantime, parrot cichlids are available in stores not only in a strong orange color, but in all possible color variations. The color is injected into the fish or changed by other methods, for example hormone treatment. Acrylic paints have been injected into their body cavities with needles since the 1980s. Over time, the color in the aquarium will fade again. This approach is questionable for animal welfare reasons.

The deformations of the animals are differently pronounced. The fish with the trade name "Red Parrot no tail" lacks the entire caudal stem including the tail root and the caudal fin. Tattooed animals are also on sale. The animals are tattooed with so-called dye lasers, from the lucky symbol to the Chinese New Year's wish to the advertising slogan, whatever the customer demands. It can be assumed that this treatment is extremely painful and also completely unnecessary. The parrot cichlid called "Purple Red Heart Parrot" was bred in the shape of a heart.

Parrot cichlids
Parrot cichlid

Parrot cichlids grow to around 20-25 cm and need appropriate tanks. They eat most of the commercially available food and have no special requirements for water and temperature.

If the parrot cichlid is kept together with other cichlids, its cichlid nature comes to light, but it loses out against more aggressive conspecifics due to its various handicaps. Compared to smaller cichlids, the parrot cichlid behaves in a territorial manner, but rather peacefully.

origin

Most of the commercially available cultivars come from Asia. It is assumed that these torture breeding hybrids are a stunted form of the lemon cichlid ( A. citrinellum ) or a hybrid of lemon cichlid and Vieja synspila , Heros severus , Amphilophus labiatus and some other species.

The parrot cichlid was mentioned and illustrated in the March 1992 issue of the American magazine Tropical Fish Hobbyist as a hybrid produced in Singapore.

The breeding company Taikong Aquatic Live (Taiwan), on the other hand, lists the two Central American species A. citrinellum and Vieja synspila as starting forms in their 2000/2001 catalog . Twelve different variants of the parrot cichlid are shown in the 2011 online catalog.

However, Hanneman (2000) gives arguments that cannot be dismissed out of hand, suggesting that the parrot cichlid is probably not due to a cross between different species, but rather a mutation of Amphilophus labiatus . It is also alleged that the breeder, for commercial reasons, deliberately circulated false information about its real origin in order to mislead competitors in the offspring.

Male fish are sterile and the eggs are not fertilized. Breeders try to get rid of this condition by giving them hormones.

The reproduction of the parrot cichlid with a true-breeding pair of this hybrid breeding form has not yet succeeded due to recessive lethal factors. Successful “further breeding” was only possible with mixed heirloom individuals, which were created by backcrossing with one of the animals of origin.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Qualzucht ( Memento of the original from December 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 1.8 MB). Retrieved June 4, 2011. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.zzf.de
  2. ↑ Fish catchment station: Qualzuchten - Examples . Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  3. ↑ Parrot (s) cichlid on Fishbase.org (English)
  4. ↑ Hybrid man made parrot cichlid . Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  5. ↑ torment breeding . Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  6. ↑ a b Hans Gonella: Tattooed fish . Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  7. ↑ a b Aquaristik: Qualzucht (PDF; 345 kB). Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  8. ↑ AFP / nj: Tattooed fish are bestsellers in China ( Memento of the original from February 17, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dnews.de archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: Dnews. August 13, 2009. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  9. ↑ AFP: Tattooed fish as a lucky charm . In: FAZ.NET. March 19, 2009. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  10. ↑ Dnews ( Memento of the original from February 17, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved June 25, 2011. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dnews.de
  11. ↑ Fishlink worldwide ( Memento of the original from June 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved June 4, 2011. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.fishlinkworldwide.com
  12. ↑ Description . Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  13. ↑ List of ornamental fish . Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  14. ↑ Azoo  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved June 4, 2011.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.azoo.com.tw  
  15. ↑ a b Wolfgang Staeck: On the definition of torture breeding - the so-called parrot cichlid . In: DCG-Informations Nr. 9 September 2002 ", pp. 209-215. Republished in: Aquaterralev. Retrieved on June 25, 2011.
  16. ↑ Aqua Friend ( Memento of 16 May 2006 at the Internet Archive ). Retrieved June 4, 2011.

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Web links

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