5 Best Foods For Blood Parrot Fish in 2023: Reviews & Top Picks
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If you have Blood Parrot Fish then it’s important to understand their diet and what foods they need to be healthy and happy.
Today we are doing a rundown of what we think are the best foods for Blood Parrot Fish. We have narrowed it down to five picks (Aqueon Pellets being our top pick), and also cover the feeding schedule, and how to enhance their color. Let’s get started!
A Comparison of Our Favorites of 2023
| Rating | Image | Product | Details | |
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Best Overall
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Aqueon Cichlid Food Pellets |
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HIKARI Blood Red Parrot+ |
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Check Price |
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Omega One Super Color Cichlid Pellets |
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Check Price |
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Omega One Freeze Dried Blood Worms |
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Aqua Master Cichlid Food |
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Check Price |
The 5 Best Foods For Blood Parrot Fish
Here we have what we think are the five best foods for Blood Parrot Fish. They are healthy, tasty, and packed full of nutrition to enhance your blood parrot’s immune system, brighten their colors, and just keep them happy in general.
1. Aqueon Cichlid Food Pellets – Best Overall
These are some really basic yet totally fine food pellets for your Blood Parrot Cichlid. Perhaps the best part about these Aqueon Cichlid Food Pellets is that they are loaded to the brim with all of the nutritional goodness that your Cichlids need to survive and thrive.
Just some of the premium ingredients contained here include krill, squid, salmon, spirulina, garlic, and a ton of vitamins, nutrients, and essential oils. The bottom line here is that Aqueon Cichlid Food Pellets are specially designed for the health of all kinds of Cichlids including blood parrots. This food is designed to support high-energy fish, provide calories, support a healthy color, and a healthy immune system too. These are fine for blood parrots seeing as they are slow sinking. The bag comes in a variety of sizes to suit your needs.
Keep in mind that only natural ingredients are used here. There are no artificial colors or chemicals whatsoever. Any color you see here is natural and designed to enhance the coloration of your fish.
- Great nutrition
- Color enhancing
- All natural
- Clouds tank water
- Creates a bad smell
2. HIKARI Blood Red Parrot+
While the previous food was one that was designed for all Cichlid fish, this food is one that is even more specific and designed just for Blood Parrot Cichlids. Just like the food we looked at before, HIKARI Blood Red Parrot+ is all-natural, contains no artificial colors, no chemicals, and definitely nothing which may harm your fish. This food is specifically designed to meet the exact nutritional requirements of Blood Parrot Cichlids. It is extremely high in natural meat proteins, which helps to promote rapid and strong growth.
Moreover, it is also full of minerals and vitamin supplements, which are included to help aid a healthy digestive tract, keep the immune system in top condition, and more. The various natural ingredients included here are also designed to enhance the color of your blood parrot.
In fact, when it comes purely to color enhancement, HIKARI Blood Red Parrot+ might just be the number one option out there right now. Do keep in mind that these are floating pellets. Blood Parrots usually prefer and do better with sinking food, so this is not something which we are too pleased with, but other than that, and the way in which this stuff discolors water, we think that it is still a pretty good option.
- Specifically made for Blood Parrot Cichlids
- All natural ingredients
- Awesome for color enhancement
- They only float
- May slightly discolor tank water
3. Omega One Super Color Cichlid Pellets
The very first thing that we want to mention about these Omega One Super Color Cichlid Pellets is that they are made with fish and seafood sourced from sustainable fisheries. This means that by buying these pellets, you can rest assured that you are not depleting the world’s supply of marine life and just ruining the world in general. This is something that pretty much no other fish food out there can boast.
That said, these Omega One Super Color Cichlid Pellets are loaded to the brim with meat proteins from various fish and seafood species, they also contain some vegetable matter, and of course, a lot of vitamins and minerals too. This food is specifically designed for Cichlids, so your blood parrots should have their nutritional needs met without a problem. All of the ingredients here are natural and there are no chemicals included or anything which you would not want your fish eating.
What is also included here is a whole lot of Omega 3 and Omega 6 to help improve the immune system of your Blood Parrot. Moreover, these Omega One Super Color Cichlid Pellets are loaded with natural color-enhancing pigments. This food even has a low ash content to ensure clean and clear water. Keep in mind that these are sinking pellets.
- Natural ingredients
- Color enhancing
- Great for the immune system
- Should not discolor the water
- May be too small for blood parrots
- Sink way too fast
4. Omega One Freeze Dried Blood Worms
Although Omega One Freeze Dried Blood Worms are not the kind of food you want to feed your Blood Parrot every single meal, they certainly make for a good treat and occasional meal. Keep in mind that these blood worms are freeze-dried. This means that they are totally safe and free of harmful bacteria or viruses which may harm your Blood Parrot Cichlid. Of course, this is total meat protein, as blood worms are, or used to be living animals. They are packed with an astounding amount of meat protein to help support healthy growth and energy levels.
There is also a good deal of fat included here to help your fish bulk up. It also comes with a lot of fiber to ensure that your blood parrot has a healthy digestive system. Even better is that Omega One Freeze Dried Blood Worms also have a lot of other vitamins and nutrients in them which help to support a strong immune system and health in general.
This is also made with less ash and starch, and therefore should not cloud up the water. Just remember that you do have to feed your Cichlid flakes or pellets besides these. You cannot feed them only Omega One Freeze Dried Blood Worms.
- Packed to the brim with nutrition
- Freeze-dried & safe
- Natural
- Does not constitute a balanced meal
- Shelf life is not great
- Not great for color enhancement
5. Aqua Master Cichlid Food
If you need food for your Cichlid that is going to enhance its colors, this Aqua Master Cichlid Food is a great way to go. This stuff is loaded with natural ingredients and lots of pigments specially designed to help your Blood Parrot be as red as possible. Keep in mind that everything here is natural and there are no artificial ingredients, artificial color enhancers, or anything else of the sort. There are also no artificial hormones in this food.
Aqua Master Cichlid Food is also loaded with lots of protein and a rich vitamin complex, as well as a bit of fiber. This means that this Cichlid food assists in healthy growth and development, assists in maintaining a healthy digestive system, and works well for enhancing the immune system as well.
There is a problem here though, which is that they float a little too well, plus they do contain a lot of ash which does end up clouding the water a bit.
- Great for enhancing color
- Loaded with nutrition
- Well balanced
- Float too much
- May cloud aquarium water
Buyer’s Guide: Selecting The Best Food For Blood Parrot Fish
Blood Parrot Cichlid Diet
The Blood Parrot Cichlid has a pretty simple diet that you must adhere to. Cichlids will eat a lot of different foods. They don’t mind flake foods, but they prefer slow-sinking pellet foods over most others.
Moreover, these fish love to eat protein, and yes, they need lots of it. Fish parts, seafood, worms, and insects are all things that you can feed to your Cichlid. Really anything with a high amount of animal-based protein is beneficial for blood parrots.
Also, they do require a bit of plant matter, especially when it comes to minerals, vitamins, and spirulina. They do need more meat-based foods than plant foods, but it does need to be well-balanced. Some of their favorite treats include small shrimp and blood worms.
How To Enhance Color Of Parrot Fish
If you want to ensure that your Cichlid is as red as can be, and you want to enhance its color, you need to feed it a lot of foods that contain natural pigments that their bodies will absorb. This means feeding them foods that are high in B-carotene and canthaxanthin. Yes, a little bit of carrot is an option here.
How Often Should I Feed My Blood Parrot Fish?
Blood Parrot Cichlids are quite voracious eaters and you can feed them a fair amount of food. Generally speaking, you want to feed your blood parrot twice per day, and you want to keep a regular pattern, such as once at 8 am and once at 8 pm.
Moreover, you should feed them no more than they can consume in about 3 minutes. You need to take care not to overfeed them as they can get chunky and develop health issues related to overeating.
Conclusion
So, as long as you feed your Blood Parrot Cichlid lots of protein and a bit of plant matter, they should be fine, but when it comes to the best of the best, we recommend Aqueon Cichlid Food Pellets. Try to feed them nutritionally balanced Cichlid pellets and give them the occasional treat too.
Featured Image Credit: ivabalk, Pixabay
