Green Terror

[Cloud-9]

My Green Terror's tail is losing some of its orange color while it's growing. It's not as bright now as it was about 3-4 weeks ago.
There are no detectable ammonia or nitrites in the tank. The tank is a 40 gallon breeder, with 1 3-inch pictus, 1 4-inch bay snook, and the 1.5" GT. All measurements are total, including the tail. Water change of about 1/3 to almost 1/2 per week.

I feed bio-blend, cichlid complete, and sinking carnivore. The GT will eat anything now. No fighting, nipping, or territoriality exists, so far. PH is neutral.

What would be the more likely cause:

1) The other fish is bigger and the GT can't show colors because it is not the "big fish".

2) The water is moderately hard, about 10dH.

3) The GT's tail color just fades a little as it gets older.

4) ?

Any ideas?

Thanks

[DarthV]

I don't think you should expect spectacular color out of a GT that's only 1.5" long. Mine didn't start coloring up until it about 2.5" or so...

[125gJoe]

You might want to try Tetra Color Bits. I think it helped with the colors of my Discus! :)

[scott]

I agree with Darth. I think as the fish matures it will show better color but I think your hypothesis one might have some validity too.

[DarthV]

It also could be a female, which won't be quite as colorful as a male...but at that size, it is virtually impossible to sex them. If you want to try and use diet to possible increase the amount of color, I'd go with a nice varied diet...a good quality pellet for most feedings (hikari cichlid gold or new line spectrum cichlid pellets) then add in some other good foods...I use shelled peas, spirulina sticks, freeze dried bloodworms, fresh jumbo shrimp... I'll also be starting to drop in some juicy earthworms soon as well :)

[ROLLIN]

DarthV (and anyone else in the thread), you can buy gammarus at walmart, I bet your green terror would like those, my jack dempsey does. Its one of the only things she will eagerly go for other than flakes.

[DarthV]

Cool, but like I've said in other posts, after adding the male con to my tank, the GT has turned into a swimming stomach... it will eat just about anything now :)

[dave76]

I agree with darthv. My green terror was not so colorful on its causdal fin and I fed many kerotine filled foods for color inhancement. but once his growth took off his colors became very vibrant. I recently added a female convict, but my GT was quite the bottomless pit before I got this fish. He LOVES earthworms and eats these before anything else. I will chop one in half and throw it in and chop the other half into small pieces for the rest of my fish. I think feeding live food has helped his colors, but that is just my opinion. Since I have been feeding him those he has seemed much happier. He is at the corner of the tank waiting for me to come home begging for food. when I am not he whips and snaps at the glass. I love my GT :D. Give it some time and he will color up.

[scott]

I agree I think the earthworms help with color. I throw them in for my four inch festae (free if anyone wants him;) ) and he rips them in half.

Sorry about the sales pitch but I need to get rid of him and I hate the idea of him going to the LFS.

[Cloud-9]

I'm afraid you're correct. I might have ended up with a female. The ends of the fins aren't long and pointed. They are more rounded.

[dave76]

cloud-9 do a search for an old thread of mine called sexing green terror, in that you will find a pic of both mine and darthv's green terror at about the same size yours was. At that time I was convinced mine was a female as well. Since then during growth spurts his fins have changed and started to grow and now he looks like a male. also in that thread akidoguy posted a pic of a fish we all though was a male but all it turned out to be a female. Moral of the story is just forget about sexing your fish now till he gets bigger. oh yea if you can post a pic. I always love to see a green terror :D.

[DarthV]

For GTs, fins are not the definite final word on sexing. There really are only 2 ways to find out... venting and seeing if it lays eggs :)

[scott]

And don't forget disection, although I don't think they will breed after that.:rolleyes:

[Cloud-9]

Ok, I will try to get a picture. I do have a Kodak digital camera. I cannot get the fish to sit still. And the tank is quite dark, lit by a 15 watt color enhancing tube. The problem is, I have trouble taking pictures of people standing still and posing for me.

I was really trying to get a male. I didn't keep my last GT long enough to see the hump on their heads appear.

How long does it take a male to get that hump on their heads? Do all males get the hump or just the macho ones?

Scott: I would not recommend dissection at this time to my fish. I don't think fish science has gotten to the point that they can put her/him back together afterwards.

[DarthV]

Take a look at Aikiadoguy's female GT...it is an amazing looking fish... very very colorful. I think if you treat your fish right, I don't think you'll be disappointed if you get a female.

[dave76]

male specimens kept by themselves will not always develop a hump as they have no one to dominate:D . If you attach a mirror to the outside of the tank he may think it is another male and attempt to attack it. I have read that this will enhance growth of a hump. Male or female I would love to have akidoguy's GT from that thread. Absolutley beautiful fish.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11506&highlight=sexing+green+terrors

check it out