I wouldn't suggest a cockatiel as a playmate to a sun anyways, but I'm just curious as to why you have a phobia of tiels? My little Lulu is as sweet as can be. Is it their funky crests?

My Great grandma, got one from my cousin Jimmy who went to college so up until she died she had Elway at her home (I was never scared of Frosty but Frosty died when I was 5 he was a blue budgie) and I was curious about him at first...then whenever Great grandma took him out the bird would go after me so I am terrified of cockatiels because one used to pick on me when I was little. He'd scream, hiss, everything but loved everyone else so when I got a bit bigger I got some cahones together and used to scream right back at him until Great grandma put me over her knee -_- rather embarrassing for a 9 year old to get owned my her great grandma. Last time I saw Elway I was...god...17? 18? I think my Aunt Virginia has him know with her Amazons (I'm so jealous of her and her pirranas and her horses and her gold fish and her other birds I forgot the types of...I don't even know if the Pirranas are legal in Washington state they were rather hazy on where they came from but they were BIG FAT ones) ...I think the bird's close to about my age, like 15. I have no desire to see that big nostrilled bird any time soon. That's another thing, when they stare straight on at you they have HUGE nose holes. I can't understand what biological purpose those would serve in Australlia I mean the bigger holes you have in you the more water you lose in the heat.

Gotcha. It's too bad that you've had a bad experience with Elway because I know how sweet my little girl is. They do seem to have have larger nares - I think they look larger when there's a full on cere, like with budgies too.

I love pirranas, we plan to have a tank of pirranas after our cichlids naturally pass.

I can't do pirranahs but if you want a pair I think my aunt is probably ready to get rid of em anyway. First time I saw em I was like 7 years old and my uncle took me aside and pointed at the gold fish tank and told me to pick a fish. I picked the pretty silver one so he scooped him out and fed him to the pirranah....;_; I never helped him pick a gold fish again.