A feisty purple parrot cichlid

[toughguy2]

I recently set up my 40 gallon tank and it's been running smoothly with fish for about 4 months now. I've got a mix of fish in there - 4 platys (my girlfriend's idea), around 10 green tiger barbs, 3 Cory catfish, and 1 purple parrot cichlid.

The parrot and platys were added after the Corys and barbs, and initially, the barbs would pick on the platys a bit. But it was kinda funny how my parrot, Sully, would protect the platys by chasing the barbs off. After a few days, everything was fine and all the fish were doing their own thing.

But over the past week, I've noticed my parrot randomly chasing the barbs. I've watched them, and the barbs don't seem to be doing anything to provoke him - he just goes after them out of the blue. And I've seen him flare his fins and make them big. He never actually catches the barbs, so I'm not too worried, but I am curious to know if anyone's got an idea what might be causing this behavior.

[coltin]

Hi and welcome to the forum, I'm glad you're here to ask for advice.

I'd love to see a picture of your parrot cichlid so we can confirm its identity, just to make sure we're dealing with the right species.

From what you've described, I think your parrot cichlid might be reaching its full size - they can grow up to 6 inches, and that's a big deal in a 40-gallon tank. These fish aren't exactly the best tankmates for smaller community fish like platies and barbs. I'm thinking it's possible that your parrot has reached sexual maturity and is now taking over the tank - in its mind, the whole tank is its territory, and it's seeing the other fish as intruders. It's not uncommon for them to get a bit aggressive when they feel like their space is being threatened.

[toughguy2]

It's weird because he only goes after the barbs, leaves the platys alone. I know it's a blood parrot cichlid, don't need a picture to confirm that. He's still pretty small, about 2-3 inches, more like 2 inches. This all started out of nowhere about 2 weeks ago.

[toughguy2]

The barbs and platys get along just fine, they're not the issue. My parrot's the one that decides to chase the barbs every now and then, no real reason for it that I can see.

[toughguy2]

I just wanted to add a bit more - my parrot doesn't get aggressive during feeding time, no food aggression or anything like that. It's just random times throughout the day when he'll suddenly start chasing the barbs. There's no specific trigger that I've noticed, no particular time of day or anything that sets him off.

[coltin]

I recently set up my 40 gallon tank and it's been running smoothly with fish for about 4 months now. I've got a mix of fish in there - 4 platys (my girlfriend's idea), around 10 green tiger barbs, 3 Cory catfish, and 1 purple parrot cichlid.

The parrot and platys were added after the Corys and barbs, and initially, the barbs would pick on the platys a bit. But it was kinda funny how my parrot, Sully, would protect the platys by chasing the barbs off. After a few days, everything was fine and all the fish were doing their own thing.

But over the past week, I've noticed my parrot randomly chasing the barbs. I've watched them, and the barbs don't seem to be doing anything to provoke him - he just goes after them out of the blue. And I've seen him flare his fins and make them big. He never actually catches the barbs, so I'm not too worried, but I am curious to know if anyone's got an idea what might be causing this behavior.

If you lower your camera's resolution, the pics should be smaller and fit on here. Don't forget to turn it back up afterwards or all your pics will be tiny.