These fish are mostly called Jelly Bean or Bubble Gum Parrot fish. But this name is also used on dyed Blood Parrots. Therefore I have decided to give them a more proper name, based on their parentage, "Convict Parrot Cichlids".

Since there are 2 kinds of these fish, you will at times get different pieces of information and even get arguments as seen here:

 http://www.fishforums.net/lofiversion/index.php/t86906.html

Perhaps the earliest type of Jellybean/Bubblegum Parrot and more widely known is simply a dyed Blood Parrot. These are bred to be light colored or albino and then are dyed. Here is a picture:
 
 

The 2nd type of Jellybean/Bubblegum Parrot is actually a double hybrid fish from a Blood Parrot (female) and a Pink Convict (male). (I have read some cases of the Blood Parrot being bred with other Cichlids, but this I would guess is not widely done***). I say double because the Blood Parrot is itself a hybrid.

*** More info on other cross breed hybrids...

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/gparrot.html
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_parrot.php

I have a parrot, and it mates with my Green Texas Cichlid very often...so far they have had three sets of four sets of babies, sad to say I have only been able to save about 8 now which are very big, one of them is close to 3 inches, there are some new borns that I am waiting to get a little big so I can remove them from the 60 gallon to a ten gallon and raise them there, because there are other fish that will eat them in the big tank.....I have never heard of this breed (Parrot and Texas) so if you know anything about this please let me know, I would love to know the name of this new species!

http://www.oscarfish.com/when-can-blood-parrots-breed-vt5659.html

I know most male BP's (Blood Parrots) are sterile but I hear the feamles (females) can reproduce with severums,convicts and texas cichlids
 

There are also 3 kinds of Parrot Fish:
1. One is called Hoplarchus Psittacus, and is found in the wild and is rare in the aquarium industry because it has been hard to breed.
2. Another is a saltwater fish (Callyodon fasciatus).
3. The 3rd, which is more commonly known is the cross breed Blood Parrot. (Sometimes called a Parrot Cichlid, Blood Parrotfish, Bloody Parrot, Red Blood Parrot - although there are also Purple Parrots, and Love Heart Parrots and other kinds!)

The Fresh water Parrot:

 http://cichlidresearch.com/parrot.html

Hoplarchus psittacus is the original parrot cichlid. It is a large green cichlid coming from the Amazon and Orinoco River drainages of South America. Large males can be well over a foot in length. It got its name because of its large parrot-like mouth.

Picture:
 
 

The Saltwater Parrot:

 http://nh.essortment.com/parrotfish_rzbj.htm

...the parrot fish, which is found in the Scaridae family... These gentle, colorful fish with their somewhat long bodies and large heads, have very interesting large teeth at the front of their mouth that are fused to form a sort of parrot like beak. The parrot fish can be found in tropical oceans throughout the world, varying in size from eighteen inches up to four feet long. Found in the order of Perciformes this interesting fish is known to feed on algae which it scrapes off the reef with its beak like teeth.
 

Pictures:
 
 

The Blood Parrot:

 http://www.timstropicals.com/Inventory/NewWorld/BloodParrotInfo.asp

The parentage of the Blood Parrot is a secret hidden away with the breeders of Taiwan...
 

 http://www.petfish.net/articles/Cichlids/blood_parrot.php

The most common suggestion is that they were made by breeding the Midas Cichlid (Cichlasoma citrinellum) and the Redhead Cichlid (Cichlasoma synspilum). However, below is a list of every pair that I have seen suggested.

Severum (Heros severus) and the Midas Cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellus) or the Red Devil (Amphilophus labiatus)

Gold Severum (Cichlasoma severum) and Red Devil (Cichlasoma erythraeum)

Midas Cichlid (Cichlasoma citrinellum) and the Redhead Cichlid (Cichlasoma synspilum)

Severum (Heros severus) with the Red Devil (Cichlasoma erythraeum)

Red Devil (Cichlasoma erythraeum) +Gold Severum (Cichlasoma severum)

Red Devil (Cichlasoma erythraeum)+Green Severum (Cichlasoma severum)

Red Devil (Cichlasoma erythraeum)+Quetzel (Cichlasoma synspilum)
 

Picture:
 
 

Back to the Convict Parrot. This comes from the Blood Parrot and the the Pink Convict in most cases. The male Blood Parrot is infertile but the females are fertile. There are cases of some males being fertile but this is rare, and there are reports of male Blood Parrots being injected which allows them to become fertile and thus breed with the female Blood Parrots. There also is a report, by the way, that Blood Parrots have been bred to be salt water fish:

 http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=459

Because this double cross breed is 50% convict there are reports that these fish are aggressive. Mine are generally not, more on mine later. The female Convict tends to be less aggressive and thus this trait may be found in the hybrid as well. They also are prolific like Convicts and mate easy and often. They are reported to breed at the size of 1 inch. My female is less than an inch and a half and is breeding. My male is slightly bigger than an inch and a half. During their breeding they do become more territorial and aggressive.

Before I forget, many of these crossbreeds are dyed as well, thus the name Jellybean or Bubble gum. But I think more and more are not dyed. Here are some more pictures of the "Convict Parrot":

Here are 2 pics of dyed a Convict Parrot:

Probably a non dyed male:
 
 

A female Convict Parrot, probably non-dyed:

A picture of a Convict Parrot next to a Blood Parrot:

Here are 2 pictures of a Pink Convict (top is probably a female and the bottom is probably a male):

Convict Parrots are not deformed as the Blood Parrots are, but are much smaller.

Let me now tell you my story. I never owned any Parrot fish, including the blood parrot, and have no experience with them. I also am new to cichlids in general. I have years of community fish experience and decided about 6 months ago to get some African Cichlids and started a tank for them. About 3 months ago I saw a "pink fish" at Walmart. It was labeled a Parrot Fish. I went to the Petco where the guys there know me, to ask about this fish. I was told it was more of a community fish than a true cichlid fish and should thus go in my community tank. Which is where I wanted it because my community tank is color themed, as I get every colored fish possible in the rainbow for that tank (undyed). I had never seen a pink fish, (I had forgotten I had seen the pink kissing gourami's, but they were too aggressive and grow too big). I am not a rich man, I work in fast food and this fish was the most expensive fish I had ever bought. It was about $6 or $7. It did very well in the 55 gallon community tank and within a week I decided to get a yellow one. In less than 2 weeks they had claimed the cave beneath the driftwood as theirs and became territorial of it, especially at feeding time. Then about 2 weeks later, perhaps a month after I 1st got them, I came home one day to see baby fish on the bottom of the tank and what looked like these 2 fish eating them. I at first thought they were guppies as I had just released a pregnant female into the tank. I went and got my breeding net and tried to catch the babies before they were eaten. There seemed about 40 of them. It was then I discovered that the yellow and pink Parrot Fish were not eating them but collecting them in their mouths and bringing the babies into their cave and spitting them out there. I also noticed 95% of all the other fish were cornered to one side of the tank and these 2 were keeping them there. The Parrot fish bit me during this operation just as described on the following page for breeding habits of Convicts:

 http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Cichlid,%20Convicts%204.htm

After netting most of the babies I decided to separate the parents too and then spent several hours on the internet finding out what these fish were with the info I have shared above. I now have moved these fish to their own 20 gallon long tank shared only with a Pleco and they have already made new eggs in less than a week in it.

Just like Convicts they will breed as often as every 2 weeks. I have read that like many live bearers the Fry can eat flake particles (learned from Convict breeding tips), but brine shrimp will make them grow faster. They also will eat the yoke sacs the 1st 2 or 3 days and will need food after that. I also have read that the parents will sometimes get food and break it up for the fry. I also have read the babies will eat algae and other small things found in the aquarium. My babies died but will try and raise more and perhaps sell them and continue to breed more and more. I wish to discover if my fish are dyed or not, their colors are more pastel than bright. But the female which is pink gets yellow coloring from time to time, especially when she is breeding.

------------

The 2nd batch of fry I have now were born in a ceramic cave.

See picture of a Convict with fry in a similar cave I have:

But the father made another nest (under the same driftwood they liked in the other tank) and after about 4 days they moved the babies there. After a week I removed the father as he kept biting me when I fed the babies. 1 or 2 days later I removed the mother as it seemed too hard for her to run all over the tank moving the babies. (20 gallon long)

They been on their own now for 6 days, tho there is a small Pleco with them.

I feed them frozen brine shrimp, and I also feed them with flake food that I have crumbled up into very fine dust. I mixed about 3 kinds of flake food to get better results. I put it in a cup and add water from the tank to it, then I use a suction tube thingy and gently push out this mixture over the areas the babies congregate at. I also been feeding the fry bottom feeder pellet food, it kind of dissolves into a mass of dust which they can pick at.

The parents are in another tank and may have more eggs soon, but I am not gonna keep that batch if they do, not until this batch is big enough to sell or give away.

-----------

Size:

The best conclusion I can give for size on these is this: the largest report I have seen is 3-4 inches for the adult. I am guessing the 4 inch would be a male as they seem to be bigger, this is a guess, my male is quickly out growing my female, perhaps because she spent less time eating and more time caring for the young, one reason I have removed her from them.

The size of the babies rivals that of the live born fish like guppies, platy's, swordtails and the like and can be fed crushed flake food.

But the stunted size may be from the chemicals and dyes from being produced in the market. Perhaps the babies will get bigger because they are born and raised without injections and dyes. This is speculation, and I doubt it.

My male is getting to be about 2 inches now. The babies seem to be growing a little slow for my taste, I read you can keep them in 1 tank for a year. Does that mean it will take them a year to reach 1 inch? 1 inch is the reported size they begin to mate too.

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Just found some info on Convicts, thus the reason that the Convict Parrots are so small:

 http://www.oscarfish.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=25

Q. How fast do convicts grow?
A. Convicts are not quick growers, males should reach about 4 inches by 1 year old, then very slow after that, females same at about 3 inches.

Q. How do you sex black convicts?
A. The easiest way to sex black convicts is the red patch that appears on the body of the female that is breeding size/age. The females also have shorter stubbier bodies, while males are taller and thinner. For the most part (with exceptions) females have smaller and rounder anal and dorsal fins, while males have sharper and longer fins that extend past the body.

Q. How do you sex pink convicts?
A. In addition to the answer above, pink convicts have orange splotching on the body for the female, while the male is usually lighter and more uniform in color.

Q. What is an adult size for a convict?
A. Convicts generally top out at around 4-5" for males and 3-4" for females.

Q. I see odd shaped (almost round) convicts at the lfs, what are they?
A. Those are usually crossbreeds with Blood Parrot females. Con males will readily breed with BPs and produce fish that look like cons with a bit more rounded body and sometimes orange spotting.

Q. My male convict killed his mate, why did this happen?
A. You are suggested to watch cons during mating, as sometimes aggression will arise between male and female, over fry duties. in this case, it's suggested that you take the female out and bring her back a while later.

BREEDING:
================

Q. What is the breeding size for cons?
A. Convicts start breeding at a little bit over 1" for females. You can tell the female is ready to breed when she develops the red patching on her body and fins.

Q. What is the proper size and age to breed convicts even though they can breed at such a small size?
A. IF they can do it, let them. They may mess up a few times (mine did fine the first time at 1-1.5") but they will learn eventually.

Q. Are convicts good parents? Should I remove the eggs?
A. In general, convicts are some of the most dedicated parents. You should NOT remove the fry unless you want them to start breeding again quickly. Convicts are not known to eat the fry unless they are threatened, and will guard them with their life. Isolated in their own tank, convicts are a wonder to watch as they wash the fry in their mouths and take them from the cave in the morning, and collect them to the cave for the night.

Q. Can different colour morphs breed with each other(black, pink, calico, red point).
A. Yes, the convicts really aren't picky. The fry would take on the characteristics of one of the parents.

Q Should you feed a pair while they are spawning ?
A. Yes, of course, raise the temp to 82 and feed frozen brine shrimp or frozen worms. That just makes them nutty in love

Q Do Convict always have 200+ babies or do they have smaller broods as well ?
A. Size and experience matter here. The bigger the fish the more eggs they produce. At 1" my con girl produced about 100+ eggs. Her second batch just 10 days later was over 200. They get bigger and better at this with each batch, and as they grow.

Q. And why is my convict digging pits all over my tank?
A. If they have not laid eggs they are looking for a place to do so. After the eggs hatch, they dig pits to place fry for the night and to rest. The mother also rubs her belly on the substrate to make the possible food in the ground go up into the water so that babies eat more.

--------------------

I posted other interesting and pertinent info above besides size. I also have learned from above, elsewhere, and by experience you can tell a female Convict Parrot by the orange coloring. Especially on the belly. But when mine gets into egg laying time she gets dark orange in her bottom belly and the fins as well.
 

Links of Interest:

 Breeding and rearing your Convict Cichlids - this page has pictures and info of 2 dyed Convict Parrots breeding and raising their fry

 Death by Dyeing - a company out of Huntington Station, NY (Long Island), or Rantoul, Illinois, that sells Convict Parrots not dyed

 Oscarfish.com Forum - A thread about blood parrot x jellybean parrot babies.The father is a jellybean parrot (blood parrot x pink convict) and the mother is a female blood parrot with pictures (babies look more like regular Black Convicts to me...)

  ParrotCichlid.com - the original posted article by me, mostly of the same material here, but have since gathered and added more since then to this page of my own
 
 

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