how to get GT to look good?

[ImRonBurgandy]

I have seen many of Green Terrors in my days but never got one. I want to get one that looks really nice though. I see lots of small GT's with blah coloring but some are insane. I see little ones at any pet store even speciality pet stores and have never come accross some like I have seen on these forums and see online. Is there a trick to get them to look like that or are some people just lucky? I have heard about some called a Royal Green Terror. Not sure what that's all about... Here is an example, I saw this one from this forum http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=215207
How do they get them to look so good being so small? Do they still look like that when they are older or is it some kind of steroid or something, I have heard of stuff like that before.. I'm just lost on this any guideance is greatly appreiciated!

 

[ThaDude]

I got some about 3 weeks ago that were BLAND!!
These fish were all raised up on flake in the stores I retrieved them from..
First thing I did was buy Ghost Shrimp, and let the fish have at em.
I've given about 3 feedings of 13 so far, and everybodies tail gained color, fin and tip, and the green scales are starting to shine through the body.
When I first got them only one had facial markings, now they all have vibrant war paint. It really does wonders.
I've also been giving a variety of flake, veggie, beefheart and pellets.
With the shrimp though... you can literally see results after 1 night.

 

[cichlid2006]

royal green terror is a sales tactic. most GT's will look dull and washed out in lfs as they are kept in small overcrowded tanks. once you get a GT home and it settles in it will transform into an almost different fish.
best you can do is look for the most active, brightest and possibly most dominant fish in the tank. a more dominant fish will likely be more greedy and get more of the food and the fact it is dominant means its healthy.
looking good is luck as to which you pick. mine was bright in the bag but others are grey due to stress. most GT's will develop well with good water and food. genes do play a part but with good care even a poorly coloured fish can look pretty good when it reaches maturity.
try to stay away from or llimit live food and beefheart as they arent good for them when used as a staple. a quality pellet such as hikari cichlid gold or tetra prima will bring out the best. also try algae wafers, you normally buy for plecs, and bloodworm these are what i used.

I got some about 3 weeks ago that were BLAND!!
These fish were all raised up on flake in the stores I retrieved them from..
First thing I did was buy Ghost Shrimp, and let the fish have at em.
I've given about 3 feedings of 13 so far, and everybodies tail gained color, fin and tip, and the green scales are starting to shine through the body.

^do this and you risk bringing parasites and disease into an already stressed fish.

lol and no steroids arent a factor as far as im aware.

 

[ThaDude]

Agreed on the Hikiari Sinking Wafers, anytime I've seen a cichlid around these they treat em like crack!
I've had no luck with pellets, however. They accepted them once.

 

[cichlid2006]

Agreed on the Hikiari Sinking Wafers, anytime I've seen a cichlid around these they treat em like crack!
I've had no luck with pellets, however. They accepted them once.

in that case starve them out. a couple of days to a week and they will savage anything in the water that resembles food. they know pellets are food as they accepted them once but the shrimp you gave is the better option to them, think of kids with candy without the starvation of course.

agreed with the wafers, my GT stole a wafer i put in for the plec and from then on i added extra wafers. you can get spirinula based pellets and my midas loves them now. i would imagine a GT would take them with as much greed too.

 

[GTbEaSt]

2-3 times daily of good food, water changes once a week, and make sure you stay on top of your water quality....

 

[nomadofthehills]

Several things make a GT look awesome:

Bulk- This is a result of age and feeding. GT's normally grow lengthwise the first year, and then gain height and width in subsequent years (along with more length). Feed several smaller meals a day, as opposed to one large meal.

Blue/Green Coloration- This is a result of lighting. Get a good bulb to bring out either blues, or greens (your choice). Genetics also play a small role, as well as overall health, but mostly lighting.

Orange/red- Thisis a result of a QUALITY diet high in carotenes. Feed foods like shrimp, krill, and spirulina. Choose pellets that base their forumla on these foods. I recommend Omega ONE and New Life Spectrum. Hikari is overrated and ooverpriced, IMO.

Finagge- This is a result of water quality and tank mate aggression. Clean water with 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and low (under 50, but as close to zero as possible) nitrates produce the best fins. This is accomplished by large, frequent water changes. Secondarily, and whcih should be fairly obvious, if your GT has his fins constantly nipped and torn, they will look like crap.

Nuchal hump- This is a result of a GT perception of dominance, as well as genetics and age. Keep your GT with smaller, weaker cichlids, or in view of them. Sometimes they will grow one without other cichlids to dominate. This dominace has to be balanced with the result of fighting to minnimize fin damage.

 

[reallybigfish]

There are some really good advice already given in this thread concerning care. Now on selecting a fish... Genetics plays a big part. First thing I would recommend is, if you can, get some wild caught ones. On average, they will have naturally stunning colors as they mature. If they are not wild caught, pick one that has really nice colors. It's a hit or miss as most change as they grow. If you know someone who breeds a nice strain, just grow out half a dozen or so, That will be your best bet.

Secondly, learn how to tell which ones are hormone induced, and stay away from those. And, do not buy Petsmart GT's.

 

[nomadofthehills]

do not buy Petsmart GT's.

Petsmart GTs can be hit or miss, the one in my avatar is from petsmart, although it has nothing on the one in your avatar! Do you have any other pics?

 

[reallybigfish]

Petsmart GTs can be hit or miss, the one in my avatar is from petsmart, although it has nothing on the one in your avatar! Do you have any other pics?

When Petsmart first started selling GT's, they had some very nice ones. All the ones they sold were nice. No deformities, and odd body shapes. The first time I saw them at petsmart, they had about 25 fish at about 3". All looked like males, all colored up, and all very high bodied (almost sure they were induced in some manner or another). This was about 10 years ago. But that was good for that season only. They haven't looked as good. I have kept dozens of petsmart GTs. I would never recommend them as a first option to anyone, unless they change their stock and quality.