Question about Green Terrors and the orange on there tail

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NOLAGT

NOLAGT

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Dec 5, 2007
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Louisiana
I have a small GT right now about 1.5" maybe. The orange on the tail is thin...does it get thicker as they grow? I have seen some adults with a thin orange trim and some with a nice thick trim. I have never grown one out from this small before and im wondering if I need to look for a replacement or ride it out. Also gender...it seems the male should have the more pointed dorsal and female more round...mine is round now but i guess its becasue of the small size...I want a male.

Anyone have some pics from real small size to bigger like 5" showing the progression of the tail.
 
I got my gt at around 2" with no color in tail at aaall. HE know has a thinck ornage line on tail. at around 4-5" i wish i coul d post the before and after pics for u but i cant ill try. i would say its mostly depends on the specimin that u have. but also health and diet play a role. i have seen greed terroer in poor condition at 5" with no color and get into improved conditions and better diet and they get the color. stick with it keep a varied diet and good living conditions.
 
I had a white saum (female) and she had a very thin white rim on her tail that never seemed to grow bigger. She wasn't showing much in the color department either, but boy did she make up for it in attitude. Eventually, I got tired of seeing her pin everything in my 300 into the corners, so I traded her in. Painfully slow growers as well, and I ultimately wanted a male too.

I think genetics and diet would play the largest role in the development of the finnage though. When I had her in a 90 she didn't show much color at all and even though she improved a lot when she moved to the 300, she just wasn't showing enough potential for me to keep her, considering she became the most aggressive fish in the tank too
 
Mine had little color when small, and he's getting some good thick lines now that he's getting to the 4+" mark. They do get a lot better coloring as they age. They just grow slow, so you have to wait it out. But it's so worth it.

And that's the nice thing about GT's. If you give them the time to grow out, they pretty much all look good.

As for male or female, the only way to tell is by venting when they are small. Other than that it's a complete shot in the dark. I've seen females with trailers and color and males dull with round fins when young.

I've got some pics of mine when it was young. I'll try to get some pics of it today to show the difference. I'll post them up tonight most likely.
 
Just for my own personal interests, are the fish with the orange trim true Green Terrors, or is that the over generalized name that pet stores sell them under. I thought that the orange finage was a trait of a Gold Saum, not a true Green Terror?
Either way they look amazing when they grow out with good coloration.
 
Green Terror is a common name typically used for the Gold Saum, White Saum, and the Stalsbergi

The Stalsbergi is the one pretentious people argue is the "true green terror" and that all others shouldn't use the name green terror. But GT is a common name and is used for all of them, so I say they are all GT's. If you want to be more specific, then don't use the common name.

And the gold saum variety is the one typically sold in stores and is the only one with the red/yellow/orange coloration. The best of the three IMHO :)
 
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Great thanks for the info. I got this one at a lfs that had assorted cichlids 2.99. I was looking for a nice GT and this one was the best looking in the tank and I couldnt pass up the price. I was looking for slightly larger but O well. I dont mind the slow growth rate but it would stink to end up with a female (havent vented fish much at all). I also have a oscar I want to add to the tank but the GT would be snack sized. So he will just have to wait.

Here is a pic of the lil bugger...1.5-2"

DSC_0167.jpg
 
NOLAGT said:
Great thanks for the info. I got this one at a lfs that had assorted cichlids 2.99. I was looking for a nice GT and this one was the best looking in the tank and I couldnt pass up the price. I was looking for slightly larger but O well. I dont mind the slow growth rate but it would stink to end up with a female (havent vented fish much at all). I also have a oscar I want to add to the tank but the GT would be snack sized. So he will just have to wait.

Here is a pic of the lil bugger...1.5-2"

DSC_0167.jpg
Click to expand...
i wish i could get a pic mine just hides when i get near the tank
 
Pointed/rounded dorsal is not a way of sexing any cichlid. This is an old unreliable method and it's been proven a million times that for the most part, females can develop pointed dorsal fins just like males.

Your GT looks like a young male to me, but you might wanna wait a few months to be sure. The orange will become thicker as he grows.
 
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