Aquariumcichlid · freshwater
Blood Parrot Cichlid: adult size, tank size & tankmates
The Blood Parrot Cichlid (hybrid) grows to about 8 in (20.3 cm TL). It needs a tank at least about 55 gallons. It doesn't need a group of its own kind, at 76–80°F.
How big it really gets
Drawn to scale against common tank lengths. Green bars meet the minimum tank length from our sources.
Outgrows most home tanks. Sold at a few cm but grows to about 20 cm (8 in) and needs a large tank.
Will it fit your tank?
Quick facts
- Adult size
- 8 in (20.3 cm TL)
- Minimum tank
- about 55 gallons
- Temperature
- 76–80°F
- pH
- 6.5–7.4
- Hardness
- not stated
- Group size
- 1 (solitary or pair)
- With other fish
- semi-aggressive
- With its own kind
- semi-aggressive
- Swims
- middle of the tank
- Diet
- omnivore
- Care level
- intermediate
- Lifespan
- 10 years
Watch for: eats small fish · eats shrimp · eats snails
Blood Parrot Cichlid tankmates
Checked with the same rules as our tank builder: temperature overlap, pH and hardness, predation and mouth size, fin-nipping and temperament. Tank size is left out here; check it in the builder.
Good tankmates
- Dwarf GouramiNeeds careAdult ~4.2 in · 72–81°F
- Pearl GouramiAdult ~5.7 in · 75–86°F
- BettaNeeds careAdult ~3.3 in · 72–86°F
- AngelfishNeeds careAdult ~7.1 in · 75–86°F
- Bristlenose PlecoAdult ~5.9 in · 70–79°F
- Tiger BarbNeeds careAdult ~2.8 in · 68–79°F
- SwordtailNeeds careAdult ~6.6 in · 61–82°F
- Convict CichlidNeeds careAdult ~7.1 in · 75–82°F
- Three-spot GouramiNeeds careAdult ~7.1 in · 75–86°F
- Electric Blue AcaraNeeds careAdult ~7.1 in · 72–82°F
Use caution
- Cardinal TetraBlood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Cardinal Tetra.
- Harlequin RasboraBlood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Harlequin Rasbora.
- Cherry BarbBlood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Cherry Barb.
- Rummy-nose TetraBlood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Rummy-nose Tetra.
- Black Neon TetraBlood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Black Neon Tetra.
- Glowlight TetraBlood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Glowlight Tetra.
- Lemon TetraBlood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Lemon Tetra.
- GuppyBlood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Guppy.
Avoid
- Neon TetraBlood Parrot Cichlid and Neon Tetra only share 76–77°F. That's a tight window.
- Ember TetraBlood Parrot Cichlid eats small fish, and Ember Tetra only grows to about 0.9 in.
- Chili RasboraBlood Parrot Cichlid eats small fish, and Chili Rasbora only grows to about 0.9 in.
- Celestial Pearl DanioBlood Parrot Cichlid eats small fish, and Celestial Pearl Danio only grows to about 1 in.
- Endler's LivebearerNeeds careBlood Parrot Cichlid eats small fish, and Endler's Livebearer only grows to about 1.2 in.
- German Blue RamNeeds careBlood Parrot Cichlid (76–80°F) and German Blue Ram (81–86°F) need different temperatures.
- Pygmy CoryBlood Parrot Cichlid eats small fish, and Pygmy Cory only grows to about 1.4 in.
- Cherry ShrimpBlood Parrot Cichlid will eat Cherry Shrimp.
All 105 species we checked against the Blood Parrot Cichlid
| Species | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Angelfish | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Bala Shark | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Betta | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Black Skirt Tetra | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Bristlenose Pleco | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Buenos Aires Tetra | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Chinese Algae Eater | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Clown Loach | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Common Pleco | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Convict Cichlid | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Dwarf Gourami | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Electric Blue Acara | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Firemouth Cichlid | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Iridescent Shark | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Kissing Gourami | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Moonlight Gourami | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Oscar | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Pearl Gourami | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Rainbow Shark | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Red-Tail Shark | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Serpae Tetra | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Siamese Algae Eater | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Swordtail | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Three-spot Gourami | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Tiger Barb | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Yoyo Loach | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Black Neon Tetra | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Black Neon Tetra. |
| Bleeding Heart Tetra | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Bleeding Heart Tetra. |
| Bolivian Ram | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Bolivian Ram. |
| Bronze Cory | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Bronze Cory. |
| Bumblebee Goby | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Bumblebee Goby. |
| Cardinal Tetra | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Cardinal Tetra. |
| Cherry Barb | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Cherry Barb. |
| Clown Pleco | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Clown Pleco. |
| Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid.; Blood Parrot Cichlid (pH 6.5–7.4) and Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid (pH 5–6) prefer different pH. |
| Congo Tetra | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Congo Tetra. |
| Denison Barb | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid and Denison Barb only share 76–77°F. That's a tight window.; Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Denison Barb. |
| Diamond Tetra | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Diamond Tetra. |
| Discus | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid and Discus only share 79–80°F. That's a tight window. |
| Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish. |
| Electric Yellow Lab | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid (pH 6.5–7.4) and Electric Yellow Lab (pH 7.7–8.6) prefer different pH. |
| Forktail Blue-eye | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Forktail Blue-eye. |
| Giant Danio | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Giant Danio. |
| Glass Catfish | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Glass Catfish. |
| Glowlight Tetra | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Glowlight Tetra. |
| Guppy | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Guppy. |
| Harlequin Rasbora | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Harlequin Rasbora. |
| Head-and-tail-light Tetra | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Head-and-tail-light Tetra. |
| Honey Gourami | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Honey Gourami. |
| Julii Cory | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Julii Cory. |
| Kribensis | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Kribensis. |
| Kuhli Loach | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Kuhli Loach. |
| Lemon Tetra | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Lemon Tetra. |
| Marbled Hatchetfish | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Marbled Hatchetfish. |
| Molly | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Molly. |
| Odessa Barb | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid and Odessa Barb only share 76–77°F. That's a tight window.; Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Odessa Barb. |
| Otocinclus | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Otocinclus. |
| Panda Cory | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid and Panda Cory only share 76–77°F. That's a tight window.; Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Panda Cory. |
| Pearl Danio | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid and Pearl Danio only share 76–77°F. That's a tight window.; Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Pearl Danio. |
| Penguin Tetra | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Penguin Tetra. |
| Peppered Cory | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Peppered Cory. |
| Pictus Catfish | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid and Pictus Catfish only share 76–77°F. That's a tight window. |
| Platy | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Platy. |
| Pristella Tetra | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Pristella Tetra. |
| Rummy-nose Tetra | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Rummy-nose Tetra. |
| Scissortail Rasbora | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid and Scissortail Rasbora only share 76–77°F. That's a tight window. |
| Silver Hatchetfish | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Silver Hatchetfish. |
| Silver Tip Tetra | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Silver Tip Tetra. |
| Sparkling Gourami | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Sparkling Gourami. |
| Sterbai Cory | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Sterbai Cory. |
| Tinfoil Barb | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid and Tinfoil Barb only share 76–77°F. That's a tight window. |
| Upside-down Catfish | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Upside-down Catfish. |
| Variatus Platy | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Variatus Platy. |
| Zebra Danio | Caution | Blood Parrot Cichlid and Zebra Danio only share 76–77°F. That's a tight window.; Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Zebra Danio. |
| African Dwarf Frog | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid and African Dwarf Frog only share 76–77°F. That's a tight window.; Blood Parrot Cichlid eats small fish, and African Dwarf Frog only grows to about 1.4 in. |
| Amano Shrimp | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid will eat Amano Shrimp. |
| Assassin Snail | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid eats snails, including Assassin Snail.; Blood Parrot Cichlid (pH 6.5–7.4) and Assassin Snail (pH 7.5–8) prefer different pH. |
| Bamboo Shrimp | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid will eat Bamboo Shrimp. |
| Boesemani Rainbowfish | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid (76–80°F) and Boesemani Rainbowfish (81–86°F) need different temperatures.; Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Boesemani Rainbowfish. |
| Celestial Pearl Danio | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid eats small fish, and Celestial Pearl Danio only grows to about 1 in. |
| Cherry Shrimp | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid will eat Cherry Shrimp. |
| Chili Rasbora | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid eats small fish, and Chili Rasbora only grows to about 0.9 in. |
| Clown Killifish | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid eats small fish, and Clown Killifish only grows to about 1.6 in. |
| Common / Comet Goldfish | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid (76–80°F) and Common / Comet Goldfish (68–75°F) need different temperatures. |
| Crystal Red Shrimp | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid and Crystal Red Shrimp only share 76–76°F. That's a tight window.; Blood Parrot Cichlid will eat Crystal Red Shrimp. |
| Ember Tetra | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid eats small fish, and Ember Tetra only grows to about 0.9 in. |
| Endler's Livebearer | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid eats small fish, and Endler's Livebearer only grows to about 1.2 in. |
| Fancy Goldfish | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid (76–80°F) and Fancy Goldfish (50–70°F) need different temperatures. |
| German Blue Ram | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid (76–80°F) and German Blue Ram (81–86°F) need different temperatures.; Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful German Blue Ram. |
| Ghost Shrimp | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid will eat Ghost Shrimp. |
| Gold Barb | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid (76–80°F) and Gold Barb (61–75°F) need different temperatures.; Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Gold Barb. |
| Hillstream Loach | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid (76–80°F) and Hillstream Loach (68–75°F) need different temperatures.; Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Hillstream Loach. |
| Japanese Trapdoor Snail | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid eats snails, including Japanese Trapdoor Snail. |
| Lambchop Rasbora | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid eats small fish, and Lambchop Rasbora only grows to about 1.4 in. |
| Malaysian Trumpet Snail | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid eats snails, including Malaysian Trumpet Snail. |
| Mystery Snail | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid eats snails, including Mystery Snail.; Blood Parrot Cichlid (pH 6.5–7.4) and Mystery Snail (pH unknown) prefer different pH. |
| Neon Tetra | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid and Neon Tetra only share 76–77°F. That's a tight window.; Blood Parrot Cichlid eats small fish, and Neon Tetra only grows to about 1.4 in. |
| Nerite Snail | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid eats snails, including Nerite Snail.; Blood Parrot Cichlid (pH 6.5–7.4) and Nerite Snail (pH 8–8.4) prefer different pH. |
| Paradise Fish | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid (76–80°F) and Paradise Fish (50–72°F) need different temperatures. |
| Pea Puffer | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid eats small fish, and Pea Puffer only grows to about 1.4 in. |
| Pygmy Cory | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid eats small fish, and Pygmy Cory only grows to about 1.4 in. |
| Ramshorn Snail | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid eats snails, including Ramshorn Snail. |
| Rosy Barb | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid (76–80°F) and Rosy Barb (61–75°F) need different temperatures.; Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful Rosy Barb. |
| Weather Loach | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid (76–80°F) and Weather Loach (64–74°F) need different temperatures. |
| White Cloud Mountain Minnow | Avoid | Blood Parrot Cichlid (76–80°F) and White Cloud Mountain Minnow (57–72°F) need different temperatures.; Blood Parrot Cichlid can bully smaller, peaceful White Cloud Mountain Minnow. |
Care notes
Needs: Man-made hybrid with a deformed mouth that cannot close properly - feed small sinking or slow-floating pellets it can grip; keep with similar-sized peaceful or semi-aggressive fish only.
Group: Can be kept singly or in groups; Aquarium Co-Op advises one, three or more rather than a pair. Add about 10 gallons per extra fish (Fishkeeping World, AquariumSource).
Temperament: semi-aggressive toward other fish, semi-aggressive toward its own kind. Lives in the middle of the tank.
Common questions
How big does a Blood Parrot Cichlid get?
About 8 inches (20.3 cm TL) as an adult, according to fishkeepingworld.com.
What size tank does a Blood Parrot Cichlid need?
At least about 55 gallons. The smallest standard tank that meets that is a 55 gallon.
How many Blood Parrot Cichlids should be kept together?
It can be kept on its own. Can be kept singly or in groups; Aquarium Co-Op advises one, three or more rather than a pair. Add about 10 gallons per extra fish (Fishkeeping World, AquariumSource).
What fish can live with a Blood Parrot Cichlid?
Species that passed every check include Dwarf Gourami, Pearl Gourami, Betta, Angelfish, Bristlenose Pleco, Tiger Barb.
Gear for a Blood Parrot Cichlid setup
TankSmallest standard tank that meets its minimum: 55 gallon (48 in long).Find on Amazon →HeaterAbout 300 W for 55 gallons, holding 76–80°F.Find on Amazon →FoodA quality flake or micro-pellet as a staple.Find on Amazon →Test kitCheck ammonia, nitrite and pH. Cycle the tank before adding fish.Find on Amazon →
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Related guides
Sources
Values come from these pages, in our own words. Status: verified (independent spot-check). Last reviewed 2026-10-12.
- fishkeepingworld.com /blood-parrot-cichlid/
- aquariumsource.com /blood-parrot-cichlid/
- aquariumcoop.com /blogs/aquarium/blood-parrot-cichlid