Green terror being bullied

[Guyb93]

I have a large tank full of South American cichlids the largest is a standard blue acara around 6-7 inch and it hates my green terror which is about 4 inch , will my terror defend itself as it gets larger or will it always be dominated by the acara and have to be separated

 

[Wills]

How big is the tank and what other fish do you have?

It is likely as the GT grows they will become dominant and the Acara will be in trouble.

Wills

 

[Guyb93]

Blue acara
2x convict
4xelectric blue acara
Green terror
70g tank 4ft long
And yeah I assumed the terror would be the dominant fish in there but it schools with the 4 electric blue acara and is really nervous of the normal acara won’t even fight back just runs it’s probably the least aggressive fish in my tank

 

[Wills]

I think eventually a GT would take over that tank. They are one of the fish known to have a massive personality change when they reach maturity. Not what I would have recommended for this tank tbh.

 

[utahfish]

Blue acara
2x convict
4xelectric blue acara
Green terror
70g tank 4ft long
And yeah I assumed the terror would be the dominant fish in there but it schools with the 4 electric blue acara and is really nervous of the normal acara won’t even fight back just runs it’s probably the least aggressive fish in my tank

Large cichlids like ACara and GT dont school or even shoal. They form territories and defend them for resources and breeding. Honetly id be more worried about the convicts especially once breeding as they are fearless and hyper protective. If the GT was added after the other fish then the Acara have already designated and claimed territory and heirarchy in the tank. Adding a new fish especially a smaller one will be an instant target. In theory the GT could get bigger and assert dominance but hell likely be dead before then and if not there is no guarantee he still wont get bullied. One could try moving rocks wood decor around to decrease aggression and create hiding places as well and thats assuming the bigger more aggresive acara dont claim those new territories as well. I think your best bet would be rehoming the GT before hes dead.

 

[Guyb93]

I think eventually a GT would take over that tank. They are one of the fish known to have a massive personality change when they reach maturity. Not what I would have recommended for this tank tbh.

I have experienced that electric blue acara are Peaceful and my convicts are locked in a battle between themselves would the problem become with the standard acara it is fairly aggressive but I feel it’s more bark than bite I think it enjoys being the largest fish and gives chase when ever it can I think my GT is a female but not sure it seems very comfortable with my Male

Large cichlids like ACara and GT dont school or even shoal. They form territories and defend them for resources and breeding. Honetly id be more worried about the convicts especially once breeding as they are fearless and hyper protective. If the GT was added after the other fish then the Acara have already designated and claimed territory and heirarchy in the tank. Adding a new fish especially a smaller one will be an instant target. In theory the GT could get bigger and assert dominance but hell likely be dead before then and if not there is no guarantee he still wont get bullied. One could try moving rocks wood decor around to decrease aggression and create hiding places as well and thats assuming the bigger more aggresive acara dont claim those new territories as well. I think your best bet would be rehoming the GT before hes dead.

my convicts are both the same sex I guess as they live opposite sides of the tank as I knew about there nightmare temper in breeding ands it’s not a constant bullying they swim side by side during feeding , I know acara don’t school as such but I have 4 electric blue and they are always in a 4 I definitely have a male and two female think the 4th is a Smaller Male not sure I have many hide holes that the GT can fit in that the acara can’t so not worried about it getting killed as the size differences is that great and I know from reputation that the GT has the biggest bite is my temp causing aggression I keep at 80f

 

[utahfish]

I have experienced that electric blue acara are Peaceful and my convicts are locked in a battle between themselves would the problem become with the standard acara it is fairly aggressive but I feel it’s more bark than bite I think it enjoys being the largest fish and gives chase when ever it can I think my GT is a female but not sure it seems very comfortable with my Male

my convicts are both the same sex I guess as they live opposite sides of the tank as I knew about there nightmare temper in breeding ands it’s not a constant bullying they swim side by side during feeding , I know acara don’t school as such but I have 4 electric blue and they are always in a 4 I definitely have a male and two female think the 4th is a Smaller Male not sure I have many hide holes that the GT can fit in that the acara can’t so not worried about it getting killed as the size differences is that great and I know from reputation that the GT has the biggest bite is my temp causing aggression I keep at 80f

I dont know about temp causing aggression. 80 is a bit hot for most SA cichlids but not horrible.
While GT have a reputation for being aggressive all fish have different personalities as well, seeing as the GT is smaller and getting bullied hes obviously not the aggressor. If just chasing then not much worry but if nipped torn shredded fins, any marks, clamped fins, not eating, then the GT is in an environment where it doesnt feel safe will be stressed and eventually die.

 

[Wills]

We have spoken before about the pitfalls of the Acaras and Convicts together - though I feel you used to have more fish in there?

I would say the issue you have is like Utahfish said - by adding a fish to a stable (though potentialy fragile) hierachy, the GT might get too stressed and eventually die. Equally at some point the Green Terror, could become dominant and likely kill the other fish in the tank. They are not called Green Terrors for nothing... you can search through this forum and you will find a number of tanks where a GT is introduced, everything is fine for a while, then the GT is the only fish in the tank. I would not recommend repeating this.

Wills

 

[Guyb93]

It’s strange because they

We have spoken before about the pitfalls of the Acaras and Convicts together - though I feel you used to have more fish in there?

I would say the issue you have is like Utahfish said - by adding a fish to a stable (though potentialy fragile) hierachy, the GT might get too stressed and eventually die. Equally at some point the Green Terror, could become dominant and likely kill the other fish in the tank. They are not called Green Terrors for nothing... you can search through this forum and you will find a number of tanks where a GT is introduced, everything is fine for a while, then the GT is the only fish in the tank. I would not recommend repeating this.

Wills

yes iv recently rehomed a ram and barbs and shark and the Gt isn’t far from mature stage so I might be rehoming that soon

 

[Metalhead88]

It's probably best to just separate the green terror now.

The standard blue acara are indeed much more aggressive than their electric blue relatives.

If the green terror lives, it will likely end up killing everything eventually. I've found that they are timid as juveniles. but once they near full size, they will show aggression. They are large and strong fish.

A full grown Green terror will fill out the tank by itself. I think without it, you've got a nice stocking.

 

[Guyb93]

It's probably best to just separate the green terror now.

The standard blue acara are indeed much more aggressive than their electric blue relatives.

If the green terror lives, it will likely end up killing everything eventually. I've found that they are timid as juveniles. but once they near full size, they will show aggression. They are large and strong fish.

A full grown Green terror will fill out the tank by itself. I think without it, you've got a nice stocking.

il probably swap it for another blue acara as part of me don’t like having a single species of fish in there , thanks for advice