Facts and Information
This fish was thought to originate from a pairing of a male Midas Cichlid (A. citrinellus) and a female Synspilum Cichlid (C. synspilum) in Taiwan in the mid 1970's. The fish showed up in the aquarium hobby in the 1980's and is still a favorite with aquarists. While some diehard fish keepers condemn the Parrot Cichlid as an aberration, it is still a real fish and successful spawnings have occurred, despite claims by naysayers that the fish are sterile. One benefit to the coupling of these two cichlid species is that the fish retains the bright orange color of the Midas Cichlid, but not its attitude. The Midas is one of the most aggressive species of New World cichilds and is difficult to find tank mates it will tolerate outside of catfish. The Parrot Cichlid can be a bit bossy, but usually a lot more tolerant of other fish than the Midas Cichlid is. Feeding live foods on a regular basis (particularly fish) will result in a more aggressive parrot fish.
PH Levels - 6 to 7.8
Hardness Levels - 70 to 210 ppm
Temperature - 72 to 78°F
Size - Medium
Possible Tankmates - Middle/South American Cichlid, Bala Shark