Blood parrot

[Oldspartan]

Linda has decided she would like a single Blood Parrot and a single Bristle Nose for the tank that will fill the kitchen to dining room pass through. It is 48 inches wide and will offer a view from the kitchen and new dining room.

We have a Seapora 44 tall that she purchased a couple weeks ago that is 36long and 12 wide 22 high if memory serves.

The question. Is this tank sufficient. My reading results in conflicting views. This is the tank we prefer for aesthetic reasons but that is a secondary to fish welfare consideration.

Our budget will support a larger tank if required, 65 or 75.

Thoughts anyone.

 

[Wills]

Parrots are really hard to gage on adult size because of how cross bred they are. Some will get big upto about 8 inches but some stay around 4. Not my cup of tea but any kind of 4 foot tank is likely the right size.

Wills

 

[GaryE]

Just keep in mind the blood parrot is an aggressive fish designed to have a deformed mouth, so its ability to bite is reduced. It's the French bulldog or pug of fish when it comes to chosen deformities, and that's just something to be aware of before purchase.

 

[Oldspartan]

I know. If this was a fish on the drawing board so to speak I would not want to see breeders proceed. This is the way I feel about Buster dog.

Realistically though, Buster exists as does the fish so like Buster the critter needs a good home. A case of reality rearing its ugly head.

Linda will educate herself, has already began, on caring for the Blood Parrot.

The tank size is a first step.

 

[GaryE]

Okay. I have seen people get upset when they first realize the story of the fish. The tank size sounds good..

Check the mouth when you buy. A pet shop owner I knew said many are developing more functional mouths, and more functional bites, as a result. It can be hard on tankmates.

 

[Oldspartan]

Okay. I have seen people get upset when they first realize the story of the fish. The tank size sounds good..

Check the mouth when you buy. A pet shop owner I knew said many are developing more functional mouths, and more functional bites, as a result. It can be hard on tankmates.

I understand and hope my reply was not offensive. Buster is an example of a critter that should not have ever been bred. He is developing a breathing problem as he ages. When he sleeps the snoring would rival a drunken sailor with COPD. We have learned how to help him on the few times he gets distressed, and he will have surgery to adjust his palate sometime this summer. The surgery will alleviate the result of the genetic deformity.

I do not understand all the implications of the fishes deformity but we will work out solutions. The only tankmate will be a Bristle nose pleco. We try to be ethical toward animals and as I said would not have encourage breeding based on the little we know but they are bred, and they are quite beautiful. Perhaps the ethical thing to do now is to give one a good life.

I was hoping the 44 would be good because it is the right tank for that spot.