# Blood Parrot Question-



## Scampi (Apr 21, 2014)

Just a quick one!

My 55 gallon cycled! [YAY!] So I went out and picked up a couple of Blood parrots, [Lovingly named Mac and Cheese] along with a Juvenile oscar we named Jake. [4 inches]

They follow each other around constantly which I think is the cutest thing ever. Along with them, I also have a sailfin pleco.

My question is, would it be a bad idea to put a larger BP in with them? [they're only 5-6 inches].

Thanks!


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## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

Yup you already have to much for a 55g do you realize the size these guys will become? could do for a short time has long your planning for a larger tank soon!


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## Scampi (Apr 21, 2014)

I'm quite aware that these fish get large, yes. C: upgrades follow in the next year!

The question was a generalized behaviour based one I guess. C:


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

A sailfin can get aggressive toward other pleco. I would not recommend it.


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## Scampi (Apr 21, 2014)

This question wasn't pertaining to pleco..?


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## kim86 (Sep 5, 2012)

I've seen blood parrots pair off that are completely two different sizes. Female was full grown and the male about the size of a palm. I don't think it would be terrible unless the parrots you have now are really tiny.


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## Scampi (Apr 21, 2014)

The parrots I currently have are 5-6 inches long.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

kim86 said:


> I've seen blood parrots pair off that are completely two different sizes. Female was full grown and the male about the size of a palm. I don't think it would be terrible unless the parrots you have now are really tiny.


How big was this fully grown female parrot?


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## kim86 (Sep 5, 2012)

Approx 20+ cm. She kept laying eggs and was pissed the male couldn't do anything about it haha. She was a beaut. She was in the large touch tank at Petland poco where I work. She was in that tank with her original mate, but a few more smaller males and females were added and she stole a male away from another female  adultery all around.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

Scampi said:


> This question wasn't pertaining to pleco..?


Sorry, when I read BP, I was thinking Bristlenose Pleco.


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## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

Wont be a problem mixing was just concerned that you were aware of size but that's obvious good luck go for it you be OK I have same situation in my 180g!


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I read most males are sterile?


kim86 said:


> Approx 20+ cm. She kept laying eggs and was pissed the male couldn't do anything about it haha. She was a beaut. She was in the large touch tank at Petland poco where I work. She was in that tank with her original mate, but a few more smaller males and females were added and she stole a male away from another female  adultery all around.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

No expert but I think you be okay as long as your filtration can keep up with the bio load of all these big fish and you change water often.


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## kim86 (Sep 5, 2012)

Fish rookie said:


> I read most males are sterile?


Yup they are.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

When more fish are crowded in a smaller tank; especially bigger fish, they will tend to fight more for space. You have quite a stock for your tank. I would think it is best to wait it out and not stock any.

For example, your small sailfin pleco should get to 6" in the first half a year and 10" in the first year from 2"-3". Your oscar now at 4" and will get to 8-10" in a year. Just those 2 alone will cause you to change water every other day. You can put as many filters in the tank as possible. But the amount of nitrate build up will be the same rate. 

My suggestion, keep a bunch of parrots if you like them. Get rid of the oscar and sail fin and choose smaller type of plecos and cichlids.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

IMO you wont know until you try it. Part of the fun of fish keeping is trying things. I am not a common pleco fan at all. If you want an algea eating fish get a Bristle nose Pleco. They grow to 5" and are way more efficient at eating.
algea

As for stocking. I have 50 fish in a 120g tank and and over 30 in my 25g . I don't see sticking 5 fish in a 55g and calling it over stocked but that's my opinion. Maybe in a year when the fish are bigger but why not worry about a year down the road. If you want a nicely stocked tank be prepared to work on it regularly. I do 50% water change once a week. Every now and than I let it go 2 weeks and Ive never noticed an issue. In theory 1" of fish per gallon. So you should be able to have 55" of fish. I would recommend having at least 1 canister filter and an aqua clear. Stuff the canister full of bio media and use the aqua clear to polish the water.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I also think just parrot and no oscar may be easier to manage and looks nicer, but it is just my opinion. 
Yes, part of the fun of fish keeping is to try different things--some work some dont but we become better fish keepers because of our success as well as failure.
May be take this as an opportunity to practice to stay on top of your water quality? Who knows, after you get used to doing your water changes, you may find it easy to keep discus, too.
Good luck with your tank.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

I highly disagree that 1" per gallon. It is so misleading. A 10" oscar in a 10g tank? Oscar and sail fin produces way more waste than many other fish. You are either going to stunt the fish or have issue down the road; I say not even a year. There are many exception for that theory. Perhaps it works for smaller community fish. It is not a good rule to follow when you have high bio fish such as oscar and sail fin pleco.

I once had a customer who has 3 oscar, a tsn, a big common pleco, and a few more big cichlids in his 90g. He used a pond filter for his 90g. And it doesn't matter how many water changes he does, his water is always yellow and smelly. His nitrate level was always high. However, his fish didn't die. But every time he added a new fish, the new fish will not last more than a few days. He also stunted all the fish in his tank. Oscar only about 8" and the tsn about 12" for years.

Anyway, try it out if you like.



jbyoung00008 said:


> IMO you wont know until you try it. Part of the fun of fish keeping is trying things. I am not a common pleco fan at all. If you want an algea eating fish get a Bristle nose Pleco. They grow to 5" and are way more efficient at eating.
> algea
> 
> As for stocking. I have 50 fish in a 120g tank and and over 30 in my 25g . I don't see sticking 5 fish in a 55g and calling it over stocked but that's my opinion. Maybe in a year when the fish are bigger but why not worry about a year down the road. If you want a nicely stocked tank be prepared to work on it regularly. I do 50% water change once a week. Every now and than I let it go 2 weeks and Ive never noticed an issue. In theory 1" of fish per gallon. So you should be able to have 55" of fish. I would recommend having at least 1 canister filter and an aqua clear. Stuff the canister full of bio media and use the aqua clear to polish the water.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

Im not disagreeing with you Charles  but you wouldnt be the fish guy you are today if you hadnt gone against the opinions of others. Its part of fish keeping. You live you learn. What happens if all goes well??? Rules are meant to be broken  but as I mentioned up keep is key.


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## Rockman (May 19, 2013)

charles said:


> I highly disagree that 1" per gallon. It is so misleading. A 10" oscar in a 10g tank? Oscar and sail fin produces way more waste than many other fish. You are either going to stunt the fish or have issue down the road; I say not even a year. There are many exception for that theory. Perhaps it works for smaller community fish. It is not a good rule to follow when you have high bio fish such as oscar and sail fin pleco.


Exactly... big fish are _messy_. I've got a medium sized severum, a trio of angels, and one of the smaller (12") Pterygoplichthys catfish in my 90 gallon. Probably less bioload then the potential one OP's got in his 55. I keep fairly good water quality with weekly 50% wcs; but I would not be particularly excited to try the same stock in a 55.



jbyoung00008 said:


> Im not disagreeing with you Charles  but you wouldnt be the fish guy you are today if you hadnt gone against the opinions of others. Its part of fish keeping. You live you learn. What happens if all goes well??? Rules are meant to be broken  but as I mentioned up keep is key.


One of the things experience has taught me is that when people say "don't do it", it's usually worth listening. Learning from the mistakes of others is one of the great benefits of the internet; there's no point in reinventing the square wheel.



charles said:


> I once had a customer who has 3 oscar, a tsn, a big common pleco, and a few more big cichlids in his 90g. He used a pond filter for his 90g. And it doesn't matter how many water changes he does, his water is always yellow and smelly. His nitrate level was always high. However, his fish didn't die. But every time he added a new fish, the new fish will not last more than a few days. He also stunted all the fish in his tank. Oscar only about 8" and the tsn about 12" for years.


The sad bit about this sort of situation is that even if the owner wises up and tries to rehome the fish; nobody will want them. Big fish take a lot of space, money and effort to house; there aren't huge numbers of big tank owners out there. Those that do have the resources are unlikely to want fish with potential health issues (which is what happens with big fish kept in smaller tanks). With a lot of these species you really need to be ready for the poossibility that you'll be unable to give them away.


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## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

jbyoung00008 said:


> Im not disagreeing with you Charles  but you wouldnt be the fish guy you are today if you hadnt gone against the opinions of others. Its part of fish keeping. You live you learn. What happens if all goes well??? Rules are meant to be broken  but as I mentioned up keep is key.


The thing is, here, the rules are putting the health and livelihood of living things at risk.

I agree with Charles that the 1" rule is total rubbish and that overstocking a small tank with large fish is going to harm the fish.

I think the only blood parrots route that Fishrookie suggested is a better idea (in awhile), ditch the sailfin and oscar and then get some other type of smaller bottom feeder.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

The 1" per gallon is just a rule of thumb. Im not agreeing with it nor saying its wrong. Its an easy way for newbies to see how many fish is reasonable in a tank. Common sense applies here. No you cant stick a 10" oscar in a 10g tank. Thats silly. Who would ever concider that? Thats plain stupid

Im the opposite of you. When someone says dont do it. I sure as heck do. I usually aim higher. I enjoy my success and failures  I learn by doing most of tbe time. Not by hearing or reading someone elses findings. I think a lot of people think like that. Extreme fish tanks are fun. No harm. No foul! Didnt they think the world was flat? Good thing someone decided to challenge that theory 

Test your water constantly and pull the plug if it isnt working. People online said you cant have plants with Africans. If I would of listened I wouldnt have the tank that I do today. Fully planted with 50 Africans in a 120g tank and its been up and running for 2 years.  Sure some might out grow my tank in a year but a tree could fall on my house tonight as I sleep. Do your research and be committed. As long as the fish dont suffer its all part of the fun. Ditch the common pleco


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Rockman said:


> The sad bit about this sort of situation is that even if the owner wises up and tries to rehome the fish; nobody will want them. Big fish take a lot of space, money and effort to house; there aren't huge numbers of big tank owners out there. Those that do have the resources are unlikely to want fish with potential health issues (which is what happens with big fish kept in smaller tanks). With a lot of these species you really need to be ready for the poossibility that you'll be unable to give them away.


That is so true.
Especially if the fish is stunned. Most people do not want to take care of someone else's problem so to speak. Even fish stores will not take a lot of these as dontaiton becaue they are so big and thier bio load so heavy on the filtration.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

charles said:


> I once had a customer who has 3 oscar, a tsn, a big common pleco, and a few more big cichlids in his 90g. He used a pond filter for his 90g. And it doesn't matter how many water changes he does, his water is always yellow and smelly. His nitrate level was always high. However, his fish didn't die. But every time he added a new fish, the new fish will not last more than a few days. He also stunted all the fish in his tank. Oscar only about 8" and the tsn about 12" for years.


Thanks for sharing with us this story. It sounds like the tank from hell LOL.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

jbyoung00008 said:


> Im not disagreeing with you Charles  but you wouldnt be the fish guy you are today if you hadnt gone against the opinions of others. Its part of fish keeping. You live you learn. What happens if all goes well??? Rules are meant to be broken  but as I mentioned up keep is key.


That I agree. Up keeping is the key. You can overstock a tank. But if you know the sign to look for if there is something wrong, you can manage to take more risk. 
And yes, I broken not just a few, but quite a bit of rules. I setup a few display tanks with African with SA cichlids. I overcrowded my holding tanks. Barely use any conditioner while doing water changes. Feeding lots of bloodworm. Kept 24 1.5-2" frontosa babies with adult frontosa (big mistake, only 1 survive). Keeping 3" other African with my adult frontosa, again, some got eaten, even a 3" bristlenose.

You are also an advance aquarist. So I know you can see the very first sign of wrong going in your tank and will react in time. My advise here is for the newer fish keeper. Most of the time, you can walk into a store and buy whatever you like and hear what you like to hear without even asking simple questions like tank size, filtration, tankmates, etc. For a first time or beginner aquarist, starting out right is the key to enjoy fish keeping. After knowing the basic, then you can experience a few other ways than the norm.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

I agree Charles. Overstocking isn't for beginners. It takes a lot of work to maintain a packed tank. I remember when I was a kid I had a few heavily stocked tanks. I had no idea about biological filtration, or water parameters. It was a learning experience and one that I needed to become successful in this hobby. We've all made lots of mistakes but without those mistakes we would of never learned. Its part of the process.  A good test kit will teach a new fish keeper a lot of useful things especially with a high bio load. If someone is going to take on a heavily stocked tank than knowing how to test their own water is crucial. I know you will agree. So what a great way to learn all about water chemistry. Again its a big commitment.


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## Scampi (Apr 21, 2014)

To put you all at ease, I got myself a Python water changing system earlier last week. C:

I've been doing 2-3 water changes a week with this wonderful tool and the fish seem to be wonderfully happy. 

I will however consider getting a couple more parrots and see if I can return the oscar and pleco to the store for swap.

Edit: I also appreciate ALL of the advise you all have graciously given! Thank you!


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

Scampi said:


> To put you all at ease, I got myself a Python water changing system earlier last week. C:
> 
> I've been doing 2-3 water changes a week with this wonderful tool and the fish seem to be wonderfully happy.
> 
> ...


Good to hear and good luck with the tank. Hopefully mine/our banter didn't confuse you or make you think we are crazy. Their is lots of passionate fish keepers on this site. To each their own


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

test kit. Yes. It is a must. I am surprise how many people I have talked with whom never tested their water.

Here is a way I always inform my customer how nitrate build up. when your tank is running good, do a nitrate test before your water change. Now do your water change. Measure your nitrate 2 hours after your water change. Now every 2-3 days, do a nitrate test to see how many days the nitrate will build up to your unacceptable level (excluding planted tank, grow out tank, and discus tank). This should be how many days you can go about without a water change.

Some people will find doing weekly water changes is a waste of energy and time as their nitrate took about 3-4 weeks to build up.

Some people will find their nitrate built up less than 2 days so doing weekly water changes is not enough.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Thanks for all your questions and I hope you have found the comment helpful.
When you do your next purchase may be you can consider contacting Charles as I am sure you can tell from his response that he is very knowledgable and always gives very honest suggestions. Pretty sure he will not try to sell you an oscar, a sailfin pleco and 3 bloodparrot to be put in a 55 gallon.
I am guilty to have made a lot of mistakes and I also do things a bit unconventionally at times but I always want to put the welfare of my fish first, and when I try something it is usually not because I think it would look "cute" but because I want to learn if what I try would make my fish happier.
My advice is to make sure you have adquate filtration. You can tell whether you do by using a test kit plus look at how often your filter becomes all clogged up with the nasty stuff. 
I applaud you for changing your water often and buying a python to make it easier to perform. I think if you have good filtration and change your water frequently you should be fine at least for a while. Changing your water is a habit and it is a good habit to develop.
Good luck and please keep us updated.


Scampi said:


> To put you all at ease, I got myself a Python water changing system earlier last week. C:
> 
> I've been doing 2-3 water changes a week with this wonderful tool and the fish seem to be wonderfully happy.
> 
> ...


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