You can try crushing up the pellets just to make sure they’re not too small, helped with other small fish I’ve had.
New Tank & Baby Green Terror!
- Thread starter Kustrud
- Start date
Dither fish can help with this. The old monkey see, monkey do trick. Get some Swordtails or a tall bodied Tetra like Buenos Aries. In the wild dithers are quite like an active alarm system. When they run and hid, best for the cichlid to follow siute. But if they are out dithering about then it's safe for the cichlid to do the same.
So to have a bunch of dithers actively eating when you toss in food can encourage your cichlid to do the same.
So to have a bunch of dithers actively eating when you toss in food can encourage your cichlid to do the same.
Not Andinoacara stalsbergi, which have an inverted scale pattern (dark edges, light centers) vs A. rivulatus which have dark centered scales (the white saum/gold saum thing is a hobbyist invention, it's just as easy to use the correct taxonomic names). As mentioned, rivulatus can have either white or orange edged fins.
If/when your filter is mature, changing gravel shouldn't be much of an issue, unless it's months down the road and the fish is bigger, at which time it will need a bigger tank anyway.
Unfortunately, internet photos are often mislabeled and "white saum" can mean different things to different people. These are correct.
White finned rivulatus:
Green terror - Wikiwand
stalsbergi:
Adult male of Andinoacara stalsbergi sp. n. showing neutral colour... | Download Scientific Diagram (researchgate.net)
White finned rivulatus:
Green terror - Wikiwand
stalsbergi:
Adult male of Andinoacara stalsbergi sp. n. showing neutral colour... | Download Scientific Diagram (researchgate.net)
The other confusion is which is or isn't a green terror. According to taxonomic registry fishbase and the US Fish and Wildlife service and a lot of the science literature (examples below) it's the common (English) name for rivulatus. Some, especially in Scandinavia, consider stalsbergi the so called "true green terror." Basically, the hobby has called either or both "green terror."
Andinoacara rivulatus, Green terror : aquaculture, aquarium (fishbase.se)
Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Green Terror (Andinoacara rivulatus) - Uncertain Risk | FWS.gov
Molecular Analysis and Chromosome Mapping of Repetitive DNAs in the Green Terror Andinoacara rivulatus (Cichlidae: Cichlasomatini) | Zebrafish (liebertpub.com)
(PDF) Productive performance of the “green terror” (Andinoacara Rivulatus) fish during the fattening stage when fed diets with passion fruit cake (Passiflora Edulis) (researchgate.net)
The confusing history of rivulatus/stalsbergi in an an article by biologist and cichlid expert Wayne Leibel:
Tropical Fish Hobbyist - May 2010 - Page 32-33 (tfhdigital.com)
Andinoacara rivulatus, Green terror : aquaculture, aquarium (fishbase.se)
Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Green Terror (Andinoacara rivulatus) - Uncertain Risk | FWS.gov
Molecular Analysis and Chromosome Mapping of Repetitive DNAs in the Green Terror Andinoacara rivulatus (Cichlidae: Cichlasomatini) | Zebrafish (liebertpub.com)
(PDF) Productive performance of the “green terror” (Andinoacara Rivulatus) fish during the fattening stage when fed diets with passion fruit cake (Passiflora Edulis) (researchgate.net)
The confusing history of rivulatus/stalsbergi in an an article by biologist and cichlid expert Wayne Leibel:
Tropical Fish Hobbyist - May 2010 - Page 32-33 (tfhdigital.com)
The term GT has come to mean almost any Cichlid in the genus Andinoacara these days.
And to me, as juvies most Andinoara species are hard to tell apart, ......and that one in the post looks like a juvie to me.
There are 8 separate species in the genus.
And with that very white substrate, it may be a long time until it shows its true colors.
Add to that, all the inbreeding between pulcher (the blue Acaras) and others in the genus these days, and getting an true ID, other than what the term GT has come to signify may be pie in the sky.
If you don't (or already know) what I keep, could you name this Andinoacara, at this age?.
It is (by the way) a legitimate, species, not a mutt.
And to me, as juvies most Andinoara species are hard to tell apart, ......and that one in the post looks like a juvie to me.
There are 8 separate species in the genus.
And with that very white substrate, it may be a long time until it shows its true colors.
Add to that, all the inbreeding between pulcher (the blue Acaras) and others in the genus these days, and getting an true ID, other than what the term GT has come to signify may be pie in the sky.
If you don't (or already know) what I keep, could you name this Andinoacara, at this age?.
It is (by the way) a legitimate, species, not a mutt.
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Thanks for all the replies! I'm going to pull about 75% of my substrate and mix in something black next week when I get back into town.
NLS makes a flake, same stuff. I had a White Saum that gave me the same issue until he was about 4 inches. He ate the NLS flakes no problem. I would feed both since he had tank mates. Eventually he just started eating the pellets.
I really like NLS as well, but most brands are pretty good these days. Whatever he's eating is better than starving him to get him on the pellets. NLS is the staple in all of my tanks, but I also offer a variety of things and if I have a fish that's not taking to the NLS, I give a little of what they will eat along with the NLS until they get over it.
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Thats a beautiful fish, but imo it's hard to tell whether he's washed out looking from stress or being the "White Saum" variety.
I have a juv A.Rivulatus right now, probably only slightly larger than yours. He's in a 55g and dominates the space, even at 3.5". I also have darker substrate and more shaded spaces, which I think could help yours color up more. I feel like a bigger tank, even a 40 as a temporary fix, would give your GT more breathing room.
I love the marine decor, GT's certainly have the color to compete with reef fish for vivid colors.
I have a juv A.Rivulatus right now, probably only slightly larger than yours. He's in a 55g and dominates the space, even at 3.5". I also have darker substrate and more shaded spaces, which I think could help yours color up more. I feel like a bigger tank, even a 40 as a temporary fix, would give your GT more breathing room.
I love the marine decor, GT's certainly have the color to compete with reef fish for vivid colors.
This is a wild Andinoacara Rivilatus I got from the Wet Spot. I eventually had to take him back due to his incredibly high aggression.
