Green Terror or Blue Acara???????

[TaxBaby16]

Whats the growth rate of a GT supposed to be?
I bought these as GTs but im just finding out theyre 18 months old. Id've figured theyd be bigger than 4" even if female. unless they were stunted that is.
I got them 3 months ago from someone who was given these as babies (long story) im not sure that the tank size was when they were fry but the lady I picked them up from had them in an overcrowded (and I mean crowded) 50 gallon, with oscars and breeding pair of polar blues ect
theyve been in my 125 for 3 months and one of them grew about an inch but the other didnt
Do I have stunted female GT's on my hands or are these blue acaras???? I was really hoping for better.....

 

[tlindsey]

Whats the growth rate of a GT supposed to be?
I bought these as GTs but im just finding out theyre 18 months old. Id've figured theyd be bigger than 4" even if female. unless they were stunted that is.
I got them 3 months ago from someone who was given these as babies (long story) im not sure that the tank size was when they were fry but the lady I picked them up from had them in an overcrowded (and I mean crowded) 50 gallon, with oscars and breeding pair of polar blues ect
theyve been in my 125 for 3 months and one of them grew about an inch but the other didnt
Do I have stunted female GT's on my hands or are these blue acaras???? I was really hoping for better.....

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Green Terror possibly stunted like you stated.

 

[Deadeye]

Definitely gt - they are one of the slower growers but even then that is very slow. Likely they were stunted from the high nitrates, nothing some good care can’t eventually fix. Very different species, but I had a Jack that barely put on 2 inches in a year (got him at 1/2 inch), once I got my act together he has started growing in spurts, now 7-8 inches and still growing (got him 3 years ago, most of the growth was in this past year). Long story short, it’s never too late to get some growth in.

 

[TaxBaby16]

Definitely gt - they are one of the slower growers but even then that is very slow. Likely they were stunted from the high nitrates, nothing some good care can’t eventually fix. Very different species, but I had a Jack that barely put on 2 inches in a year (got him at 1/2 inch), once I got my act together he has started growing in spurts, now 7-8 inches and still growing (got him 3 years ago, most of the growth was in this past year). Long story short, it’s never too late to get some growth in.

is nitrates the defining factor in growth rate rather than tank size? Without getting into a huge human debate, is there a possibility one could be male? GT's are know to sometimes have both male characteristics and still be female. if they were stunted could this affect any sexing?

 

[Deadeye]

While tank size is a problem, it is mainly due to the accumulation of toxins like nitrate in the inadequately sized environment that causes the stunting.
It’s hard to tel who’s a male or not in these pics - but at this size certain traits should start to become visible. The stunting shouldn’t really impact what would be visible at this size. I am leaning male on that first one.

 

[TaxBaby16]

While tank size is a problem, it is mainly due to the accumulation of toxins like nitrate in the inadequately sized environment that causes the stunting.
It’s hard to tel who’s a male or not in these pics - but at this size certain traits should start to become visible. The stunting shouldn’t really impact what would be visible at this size. I am leaning male on that first one.

I was leaning female on account of finage, what is your reasoning? I had a male with no head bump before so I dont factor it in unless its visible

 

[Deadeye]

Males will typically have longer fins and brighter colors - at least in relation to other females. The most telltale sign would be patterning on the anal and dorsal fins (I can’t make it out too well in that shot).

 

[duanes]

As others have said.......
Growth rates for most cichlids are greatly influenced by the aquarists water change schedule.
If the person that had them before you only did one moderate water change per week, in a small tank, I would expect slow growth.
If you provide larger more frequent water changes, you will easily reverse that slow growth process.
1 x 25% water change per week, slow growth.
2 x 50% water changes per week must faster
3 or more x 40% water changes per week much much faster.
I usually do a 30% to 40% water change every other day, and ever since starting that regime, have never experience slow growth unless there was some other mitigating factor such as bullying etc

 

[TaxBaby16]

As others have said.......
Growth rates for most cichlids are greatly influenced by the aquarists water change schedule.
If the person that had them before you only did one moderate water change per week, in a small tank, I would expect slow growth.
If you provide larger more frequent water changes, you will easily reverse that slow growth process.
1 x 25% water change per week, slow growth.
2 x 50% water changes per week must faster
3 or more x 40% water changes per week much much faster.
I usually do a 30% to 40% water change every other day, and ever since starting that regime, have never experience slow growth unless there was some other mitigating factor such as bullying etc

I am currently keeping mine understocked at 6 fish in a 125G I havent done many changes myself yet but my nitrates are in check at around 10-20ppm

 

[duanes]

I consider any nitrate level above 5ppm as a growth inhibitor, especially for riverine cichlids that live in natural water with minimal nitrate.
I test for nitrate in all natural waters I collect, and have yet to encounter levels much above 1 ppm in non-polluted waters, from Panama to Lake Michigan.
And its not just the nitrate, nitrate is just an indicator of other untestable growth inhibiting hormones and substances in the aquarium water soup.
I try to keep my nitrate level as close to an undetectable level. as possible, below a recent test of my 180 gal