Green Terror compatibility

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GermanDude

GermanDude

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Dec 30, 2014
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Berlin
Hello,

I am going to buy a new tank, 48 by 16 footprint and 20 inches tall.
I really like GTs and I would put in a male fish of hardly 3 inches in there.
Is there a chance, that sworddtail would not be eaten by him?
What is a safe size, they don 't end up as a tasty snack?
I' ve read they are fine at temperatures 68- 74 degrees and the electricity prices have become an issue in Germany, due to moron politicians.
Heating just my 100 gallon at 76- 78 degrees costs me about 400 Dollars a year, although never had less than 67 degrees ambient temperature at home.
So a cichlid that doesn' t require warm water would be nice.
Bye
 
Swordtails will eventually be food. 2 1/2”ish and up depending on body height. Tall bodied tetras do pretty good. I’ve also done well with long fast schoolers.

The tank will need to be upgraded if you get a male, a lone female would do ok in a smaller tank. Of course bigger is always better.
And I would not say they are none heated or cold water cichlids. Temps under 70 they slow down or stop eating all together. They also will hide or sit in one spot. My house gets cold in the winter so this is something I’ve observed as my heaters struggle to keep the tanks up to temp.
 
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I have my Terror living with a group of mollies and haven’t lost any to agression from the male. I did lose a few tetras and mollies when there was some breeding, but the female has since been removed. I would guess that this is an exception to the rule, but based on my experience I would have to say there is a chance it could work out. Just don’t count on it.
 
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So, it would not be a good choice.
But 70 - 72 degrees were ok for a Green Terror?
A 75 gallon tank is just 2,5 inches deeper, than the one I' d like to purchase.
Does it really matter?
Females are so drably colored, compared to the males.
 
GermanDude said:
Females are so drably colored, compared to the males.
Click to expand...
I dispute this! Yes females are less likely to have the amazing colours that are often seen in males, but females can be very pretty too!

Here are some crappy phone pics of my female GT named River when she was about 4-5" and as you'll see, she's beautiful:
1366565
1366566

There's no fancy lights in her tank, just two 18" cheap, white T5 bulbs centered on the front of her tank, its actually a hood to a spare 80ltr tank that doesn't get used.
She's in a 4'x2'x2' tank with an L397 pleco and eats NLS thera+a and algaemax exclusively because she's a fussy PITA.
I have no idea of her lineage, she's not anything special, just a GT I brought from my favorite fish shop.


Sorry for the ramblings but I just wanted to point out that female GT's can be pretty too, you just have to find a nice one. :)
 
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I do own some american cichlids yet and I enjoy watching them.
I could afford an even higher electricity bill, but I don't like to.
I better like save the money for a nice holiday, a new car etc.
And I read they can be kept well at lower temperatures on different sites.
Maybe there is someone who just did it?
Just because they thrive at 78 degrees, does not mean they suffer at 68.
So are there long term experiences?
And COMPARED to a male GT, the female's colors are not that brilliant.
But it is a nice looking fish.
 
GermanDude said:
And COMPARED to a male GT, the female's colors are not that brilliant.
But it is a nice looking fish.
Click to expand...
I've seen quite a few males who don't compare to my River. MrsE88 MrsE88 also has a beautiful female Jade who is prettier than quite a few males... But her male Oliver craps all over both River and Jade so I see what you're saying.
I guess what I was getting at was that you can still have a colourful fish without having to keep a male, they might not get as nice colours but they can still be very beautiful.

At the end of the day its your call though. Personally I don't have the energy to provide the water changes required to keep nitrate in check with a large male GT in a tank the size of the one you described above.. But then I'm lazy and if I can avoid having to do multiple changes a week on a tank then I will, hence my under stocking for the most part. I'm sure others aren't as lazy as me though. :)
 
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I never saw a female Andinoacara female, with that bright colors before, except EBA.
It might be an Andinoacara stalsbergi?
I am thinking of getting a male Andinoacara rivulatus.
I am not sure if they are both named " Green Terror".
A. stalsbergi are notorious for being more aggressive, but I never kept one.
Can't find any data of water temperatures in their natural habitat unfortunately, but equatorial Sun plus icy glaciers nearby could equal a wide area of tolerated temperatures.
But I could be wrong too
 
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