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hi again i got a new 20 gallon and ive got a 3 inch green terror in ther and ive heard that they require special care but i dont no wat help me lol

Cheers

Well for a starters, that 20 gal will need to magically transform itself into a 55 by the end of the year, and become over 100 gal plus within two years. At true maturity its a big fish, not far off the size of an oscar!

As far as SA cichlids go its not an especially problematic species to keep as long as the usual principles of good fishkeeping are observed. All the usual ammonia and nitrite nil, nitrate under 40 ppm, typical conditions for a clearwater river setup. Green terrors and blue acaras have a lot in common and most of the keeping breeding, water quality, and feeding standards are identical, so its worth having a look at both profiles on this site just for a few extra tips. They do just about qualify as beginner fish as long as the keeper has a good idea about water cleanliness, size, and doesnt have too many ideas about including them in community. GT's are tough as regards water quality for a cichlid, but thats not the same as betta or danio, or gourami tough, and you shouldnt cycle a tank with them.

They can be properly aggressive. Females are little easier going than males, but then males can be positively vicious.

Gone troppo has kept them for a while, so its probably worth asking him for tips.

If you have the budget to scale up accomodations and keep them for most of their lives, they can be a fine choice, but failing that a green terror is a good fish to avoid, particularly if you cant go bigger than a 20 gallon , or have ideas about having a community built around this fish. Chances are, it wont permit cagemates. At their adult size, internal filters wont cut it, and you'd have to commit to an external filter. A primarily carnivorous diet, means rich waste, and rather like blue acaras , their waste often makes the water quite misty, and they use this white milkiness to guage population density, and if not filtered adequately they may even turn on their very own opposte sex partner.

Aside from the size and aggression, they are however, a tough, and personable fish, (to humans that is) and not a bad choice for someone who just wants a pair of reeasonably tenacious cichlids in a nice chunky tank. Plants however, tend to get pulled up, so it might not be the prettiest aquarium, but some nice structural bogwood and rock might help make up for it.

I suppose the way to put it could be that they are a beginner cichlid, not a beginners fish, since many absolute beginners have a poor idea of minimum standards, water quality, and stocking,not to mention the very serious and regular tendancy to completely underestimate the level of violence and injury a territorial cichlid can inflict on cagemates. But someone wishing to graduate from bettas or livebearers and who already has some idea of how to manage a tank, and a little fishkeeping experience could keep one with comparative ease, as long as the message on the size of the tank, filtration, and their aggression is given proper respect, the rest is pretty easy and fairly routine.

Profiles are here. worth reading both, as they are so similar and the species do sometimes hybridise.

http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/371.htm

http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/535.htm

umm... sorry I can't be of much help here but I have not kept Green Terrors before. Maybe LHG's memory is starting to fail him

I will however second Git's advice of getting a larger tank ASAP.

G_T



Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

this fish means alot to me it was my grandads before he passed away so i think ill buy a larger tank so he cant have any mates?

Cheers

i got two really aggressive oscars in a six foot can they go with him?

Cheers

Nope, your oscars will probably kill him, if I remember you have two pairs already becoming territorial. They'll shred him, he wont have anywhere to go where he wont be in at least one pairs territory. Besides, he'll probably start the fight, and theyll end it. He'd be better off in a tank with a mate of his own.

ur the best LHG cheers

Cheers