Whats the minimum tank size for a single Green Terror?

jeremoose

Candiru
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Aug 10, 2011
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If we are talking about the Gold Saum green terror, IMO 75 gallon at the smallest. At the least you want a tank at least 4ft (48 inches) long and at least 1 ft (12 inches) wide. This will give them swimming room. A 40 gallon breeder (36 inches long) way to small to give even a female green terror room to swim about. Think about if a fish is 8-10 inches that only give the fish 2 feet to swim :( , Adult males would be cramped in a 55 but its possible. i have seen males 11-12 inches long from head to tail and females just as big. so a 75+ will give them more room, which keeps them happy , wich means less stress for them. :)
A 75g would be ideal yes but it's not just about swimming room. How easy is it for an un-flexible fish to turn around in a tank that's 12 inches wide? a 36x18 55g is superior to a 48x12 55g for a 12" fish every time.
 

k0y0te

Jack Dempsey
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A 75g would be ideal yes but it's not just about swimming room. How easy is it for an un-flexible fish to turn around in a tank that's 12 inches wide? a 36x18 55g is superior to a 48x12 55g for a 12" fish every time.[/QUOT

Do they even make a 55 with those dementions?(unless custom) i've seen at 36x18(x12) 30 gallon breeder, or 36x18x(16) 40 gallon breeder. I have seen a 50 gallon breeder that was 36x19x(19). (which i think is little to small for a Gold Saum.
a 36x18 tank is still to small for a gold saum, they do need to turn around but they still need the length for swiming. I honetly think a 3 ft tank is no were superior to a 4 ft tank, no mater how you look at it. so saying a 36 is supior to 48 is opion not fact ;)

Either way your still lonking at a 55 gallon tank at the smallest for a GT :D but bigger would be better
 

fishe

Jack Dempsey
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Feb 4, 2012
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The max size or gts varies alot imo. Females ussually range from 6-10 inches and males ussually 8- 14. I would say a 55 is okay for a single male, but if you find it geeting past the 10 inch mark i would get it in a 75


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seedubs1

Jack Dempsey
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Feb 28, 2011
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Depends on the GT.

My last one was VERY active. He was only 6", and he was starting to get cramped in a standard 55 gallon.

Some are much more doscile. Mine had the attitude of a Dovii, though. Always swimming around like crazy and banging on the glass.

Some will be fine in a 55 gallon for life. Others will need the extra 6" of width offered by a 75 gallon tank. It really just depends on the fish.

And this is coming from a guy that used to swear up and down that you only really need a 55 gallon for a GT. Until my last one, I had no idea. But after my last one, I can see why some people on here get so angry about people saying a 55 gallon is ok, because 55 gallons really wasn't ok for my last one. And if my last GT had been my only experience, I'd have been all up in arms about them needing a 75 gallon as a minimum too.
 

Stanzzzz7

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I would say 75 is too small.These are active fish that need space.personally I would not keep green terrors in any thing smaller than a 5X2x2.
I know a lot of people do,but it is my opinion they are intelligent cichlids that need space an intricate stimulating aquscape and a mate.
I always pity lone cichlids in small tanks.
I don't seem fair to me.
 
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ehh

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I would say 75 is too small.These are active fish that need space.personally I would not keep green terrors in any thing smaller than a 5X2x2.
I know a lot of people do,but it is my opinion they are intelligent cichlids that need space an intricate stimulating aquscape and a mate.
I always pity lone cichlids in small tanks.
I don't seem fair to me.
I think if anyone has a valid opinion on this topic it's you lol.
 

RD.

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This thread was posted in 2012, but seeing as it's been bumped up ......

Why don't we ever see any threads asking; Is my tank too big for my fish?

While I agree with Stanzz to a certain extent, the reality is that many of these male cichlids do not pair for life, so forcing them to do so in a confined space, which pretty much all aquariums are, IMO is far more cruel/unfair/whatever, as allowing them to grow out on their own. I have a male midas that flies solo, not by choice, but due to the fact that he has chased to near death and/or killed every other fish that he has been kept with, which started with his own siblings at 3-4" in size. That was in a 6ft tank - he just doesn't mix well with any other fish, period.

Years ago I got rid of a midevil because of his hyper dominant aggression, something that I have always regretted. I later came to realize that some male fish simply need to be kept by themselves, which certainly doesn't mean that they will live out a life with no mental stimulation. My midas is set up across from one of my community tanks, so he interacts with them all day long, just from a place where he can't sink his teeth into any of them. He also has myself and others in the house to interact with, along with a dog toy kept in his tank that he bites & pushes around when he's really worked up.

So while I agree with bigger being better, I do not agree in forcing all fish to do things that would seldom be seen in nature, such as being forced to share a confined space for life.
 
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