Thanks for the kind words guys. I haven't measured him in a while but I'd say these days he'd be maybe a tad over 6 inches including tail. Feed him hikari sinking cichlid gold as that is the only pellet I can get him to take these day, this fish is the most unbelievably fussy cichlid I've ever come across in my 18 years of keeping them lol. He also gets the occasional nightcrawler worm if I've got any left over from fishing trips. The hex/IP treatment was a long and painful process and probably took a good 8-9 months until he was back to normal. I had to get api general cure pretty much smuggled in from the states in the mail lol, as you need a vets prescription here in Australia for metro and praziquantel. Because he was just straight out refusing food I had to mix it with distilled water and shoot it down into his gut with a baby syringe. I'd do this treatment for 3-5 days at a time as well as adding the general cure directly to the water(I bought heaps of the stuff) accompanied by large water changes and filter cleanings twice a week to keep my system pristine. I'd then leave it for a week and if he still wouldn't eat and continued passing white stringy poop I'd start again. Can't tell you how happy I was a few months later when I finally noticed him eat a mouthful of hikari discus bio gold. By this time he was so skinny and had a terribly hollow gut but very very slowly he started taking more food and pooping normal again. His appetite has never completely returned to what it was before the ips but he will take between 6 and 10 hikari pellets twice a day which I'm more than happy with considering how he was and he seems to be putting weight back on. Don't think hel ever be a monster Gt due this horrible period but I'm not fussed either way. I can't wait to start looking for a new female in a couple of months( and yes she will be quarantined for extra long lol) and do another breeding run. Then I will attempt to turn a few of his sons into monster Gts.
My little Gts growth so far
- Thread starter Benno87
- Start date
Thanks for the kind words guys. I haven't measured him in a while but I'd say these days he'd be maybe a tad over 6 inches including tail. Feed him hikari sinking cichlid gold as that is the only pellet I can get him to take these day, this fish is the most unbelievably fussy cichlid I've ever come across in my 18 years of keeping them lol. He also gets the occasional nightcrawler worm if I've got any left over from fishing trips. The hex/IP treatment was a long and painful process and probably took a good 8-9 months until he was back to normal. I had to get api general cure pretty much smuggled in from the states in the mail lol, as you need a vets prescription here in Australia for metro and praziquantel. Because he was just straight out refusing food I had to mix it with distilled water and shoot it down into his gut with a baby syringe. I'd do this treatment for 3-5 days at a time as well as adding the general cure directly to the water(I bought heaps of the stuff) accompanied by large water changes and filter cleanings twice a week to keep my system pristine. I'd then leave it for a week and if he still wouldn't eat and continued passing white stringy poop I'd start again. Can't tell you how happy I was a few months later when I finally noticed him eat a mouthful of hikari discus bio gold. By this time he was so skinny and had a terribly hollow gut but very very slowly he started taking more food and pooping normal again. His appetite has never completely returned to what it was before the ips but he will take between 6 and 10 hikari pellets twice a day which I'm more than happy with considering how he was and he seems to be putting weight back on. Don't think hel ever be a monster Gt due this horrible period but I'm not fussed either way. I can't wait to start looking for a new female in a couple of months( and yes she will be quarantined for extra long lol) and do another breeding run. Then I will attempt to turn a few of his sons into monster Gts.
Put him on the ruler tonight finally. Measuring 6.8 inches. Was actually pretty surprised. Was less than 2 inches when I got him just over 2 years ago. Bigger than I tought he was. More than I was expecting considering breeding and hex disease still darn growth tho lol
That's really slow growth, he maybe a runt of his group.
My male has gone from 2.5-6" in about 10 months
My male has gone from 2.5-6" in about 10 months
If you love him that's all that matters 
My gt has some extra long pectoral fins and a crooked lower jaw (from a fight his ex wife).
I still love him though
My gt has some extra long pectoral fins and a crooked lower jaw (from a fight his ex wife).
I still love him though
