Can blood parrots live with plecos?

Verdict

Yes, with care

Yes, with care. Blood parrots and plecos can share a tank, but watch one thing. Plecos sometimes latch on to slow, flat fish like blood parrots and rasp their slime coat.

Blood parrot76–80°F · pH 6.5–7.5

Common pleco72–86°F · pH 6.5–7.5

What to watch

Watch outPlecos sometimes latch on to slow, flat fish like blood parrots and rasp their slime coat.

What works

Both are fine at 76–80°F.
pH 6.5–7.5 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: blood parrots the mid, plecos the bottom.

Water side by side

The green band is the temperature range both can live in.

The green band is the pH both tolerate.

Size to scale

Adult length in an aquarium. A fish can swallow anything that fits in its mouth, roughly a third to half its own length for predators.

Care at a glance

	Blood parrot	Common pleco
Temperature	76–80 °F	72–86 °F
pH	6.5–7.5	6.5–7.5
Adult size	8.0 in	15.0 in
Minimum tank	55 gal	125 gal
Temperament	Semi-aggressive	Peaceful
Swims at	Middle	Bottom
Group	Alone or in pairs	Alone or in pairs
Diet	Omnivore	Herbivore

Better tank mates for blood parrots

All blood parrot tank mates

Better tank mates for plecos

All common pleco tank mates

Questions

Can blood parrots live with plecos?

Yes, with care. Blood parrots and plecos can share a tank, but watch one thing. Plecos sometimes latch on to slow, flat fish like blood parrots and rasp their slime coat.

What temperature suits both blood parrots and plecos?

76–80 °F. Blood parrots need 76–80 °F, plecos need 72–86 °F.

What size tank do blood parrots and plecos need together?

At least 125 gal, set by the common pleco. Add space for each extra fish.