Is it better for a Blood Parrot Fish to live alone or in a pair?

Question

I have a 20 gallon tank and am looking at 2 Blood Parrot Fish. Will that be alright? If not, I am only going to get one.

Answer 1

In a 20 gallon tank, you don't have room for ANY Parrot Cichlids...  At around 8" in length, they'll be almost as long as the tank is wide, which is EXTREMELY stressful.  Also, there is far from enough dilution in such a small amount of water to keep the waste from the fish from reaching toxic concentrations without absolutely gargantuan filtration.  For a 20 gallon tank, consider a couple Rams, Kribs, or Apistos instead...  Flame Dwarf Gouramis would be a better choice if you're looking for the bright red of a Blood Parrot.

Answer 2

I have 2 Lipstick parrots (which are about the same size as blood parrots) that are together in a ten gallon.  They seem to enjoy being together, better than when one of them was sick and I had to separate them.  The one got mad and tried to break in to wear the other was at.  I would say that 2 in a 20 gallon would be OK, just don't go to much overboard with decorations.