Common name - Gold Saum, Orange Saum - Often mislabeled "Green Terror"
Scientific name - Andinoacara Rivulatus
Family - Cichlidae
Origin - South America, Peru.
Max size - 10-12" approx
Care - The Gold Saum, almost always mislabeled "Green Terror" even on the "Green Terror" care sheet on here, is a large robust cichlid with a decent set of muscles behind it's bulky body. Females need a bare minimum of a 40-55 Gallon long tank for life, male ideally need a 75 Gallon long but 55 will be OK for a long time due to slow growth rates.
The tank should ideally be furnished with a soft, sandy substrate and driftwood branches, with some large flat rocks to act as potential spawning sites. If there are other fish in the tank, arrange the decor to provide as many visual barriers as possible. Although unlikely to eradicate it completely, this will at least help to dissipate aggressive behaviour Floating plants to provide shade are also a good idea, but rooted plants are less so, as this fish is an avid digger. Species that can be attached to decor, such as Anubias. or java fern stand a much better chance of survival. It’s quite sensitive to deteriorating water quality so employ an efficient biological filter, along with a stringent maintenance regime.
Feeding - Gold Saums are omnivorous. Meaning they will eat just about anything. From things like squid and beefheart to cichlid pellets and even algae wafers that get put in for other fish.
Sexing - Males are substantially larger than females. They also develop a spectacular nuchal hump when mature, and usually develop extensions to the dorsal and anal fins, features lacking in females. These humps only develop during the breeding season in nature, but in aquaria many specimens possess enormous, permanent humps.
Breeding - Relatively straightforward, provided you can obtain a compatible pair. Unfortunately matching adult fish is a tricky process, with males often killing females if they are simply added to the tank together. Some hobbyists have had success by inserting a clear divider in the middle of the tank and allowing the male to get used to his potential partner this way, removing the divider after a few weeks. A far more preferable and easy method is to buy at least 6 young fish and allow them to pair off naturally. Once a pair forms it’s wise to remove the other fish, and tankmates of any kind are not an option beyond this point, as they will almost certainly be killed when spawning commences. The aquarium should be set up as suggested above with slightly soft and acidic water of PH 6.5-7.0 and a temperature of 75°F. It’s best to use air-powered filtration as fry may be sucked up by power filters. A variety of flat stones will provide potential spawning sites. Feed the fish lots of live and frozen foods to bring them into condition.
Pictures - This was my neighbours old Gold Saum which died a couple of weeks a go. Old picture of it but it will work.
Scientific name - Andinoacara Rivulatus
Family - Cichlidae
Origin - South America, Peru.
Max size - 10-12" approx
Care - The Gold Saum, almost always mislabeled "Green Terror" even on the "Green Terror" care sheet on here, is a large robust cichlid with a decent set of muscles behind it's bulky body. Females need a bare minimum of a 40-55 Gallon long tank for life, male ideally need a 75 Gallon long but 55 will be OK for a long time due to slow growth rates.
The tank should ideally be furnished with a soft, sandy substrate and driftwood branches, with some large flat rocks to act as potential spawning sites. If there are other fish in the tank, arrange the decor to provide as many visual barriers as possible. Although unlikely to eradicate it completely, this will at least help to dissipate aggressive behaviour Floating plants to provide shade are also a good idea, but rooted plants are less so, as this fish is an avid digger. Species that can be attached to decor, such as Anubias. or java fern stand a much better chance of survival. It’s quite sensitive to deteriorating water quality so employ an efficient biological filter, along with a stringent maintenance regime.
Feeding - Gold Saums are omnivorous. Meaning they will eat just about anything. From things like squid and beefheart to cichlid pellets and even algae wafers that get put in for other fish.
Sexing - Males are substantially larger than females. They also develop a spectacular nuchal hump when mature, and usually develop extensions to the dorsal and anal fins, features lacking in females. These humps only develop during the breeding season in nature, but in aquaria many specimens possess enormous, permanent humps.
Breeding - Relatively straightforward, provided you can obtain a compatible pair. Unfortunately matching adult fish is a tricky process, with males often killing females if they are simply added to the tank together. Some hobbyists have had success by inserting a clear divider in the middle of the tank and allowing the male to get used to his potential partner this way, removing the divider after a few weeks. A far more preferable and easy method is to buy at least 6 young fish and allow them to pair off naturally. Once a pair forms it’s wise to remove the other fish, and tankmates of any kind are not an option beyond this point, as they will almost certainly be killed when spawning commences. The aquarium should be set up as suggested above with slightly soft and acidic water of PH 6.5-7.0 and a temperature of 75°F. It’s best to use air-powered filtration as fry may be sucked up by power filters. A variety of flat stones will provide potential spawning sites. Feed the fish lots of live and frozen foods to bring them into condition.
Pictures - This was my neighbours old Gold Saum which died a couple of weeks a go. Old picture of it but it will work.
