Green Terror (Aequidens rivulatus)

Common Name:

Green Terror.

Other Name:

Gold/silver saum.

Scientific Name:

Aequidens rivulatus.

Family:

Cichlidae.

Class:

South American Cichlid.

Distribution:

South America: Ecuador, Peru.

Size:

Males grow around 10-12inches upon full maturity while females are more around 7-9inches.

Diet:

They are omnivores. Foods such as Hikari gold pellets, algae wafers and spirulina flakes, krill, worms make great diets for these fish.

Water Temperature:

Approx 75-86 degrees Fahrenheit (24-30 degrees Celcius).

Water Chemistry:

Medium hard water.

pH:

7.0-8.0.

Life Span:

10+ years.

Minimum recommended tank size:

A single fish could be kept in a 55g with company but upon maturity that could be a problem. 75g is best way to go for a single fish with tank mates or a breeding pair.

Sexing:

Males are generally larger and develop a nuchal hump with age and have more flowing longer pointed fins. Females have less contrast in color and are more "plump" and round in shape.

Description:

Males grow around 10-12inches upon full maturity while females are more around 7-9inches. They have a green sheen on the body with each green scale having a black dot in the centre. The tail of the gold saum is a brilliant red as is the lining of the dorsal fin. The acara like saums in the hobby today come from Ecuador and aren't overly aggressive but do have an attitude especially when breeding. The true rivulatus hasn't been seen in the hobby for more than 10 years mainly from what I've heard due to drug trafficking in and out of Peru, which is where the true terror is from. I have seen one and it tends too look a lot more like the geophagus species with a longer snout than expected. Those fish were true terrors as well, comparing that to the red terror (festae) it shares its watery home with in the wild. Tank mates would include jack dempsey's, convicts, oscars and other cichlids of similar size that aren't too aggressive like midas and festae. Unless of course the tank is extremely large. Dithers such as silver dollars, giant danios work well as would clown loaches and certain catfish like plecos and pictus.

Breeding:

The best way to breed GT's is to get a young group of 6 juveniles and let them pair off. The pair should have a piece of slate or flowerpot or any type of cave to spawn in once they bond. The female will lay around 200+eggs on a cleaned surface. She will lay about 10-20 eggs followed up by the male fertilizing them. This process will continue until all eggs have been laid. The female then begins to fan the eggs to oxygenate them while the male sits above the perimeter on watch for predators. The pair will signal shift change by a vertical display and gill flaring. The young will hatch after about 4-8 days and will then be wigglers that the female will carry over to a ditch the pair will have prepared for them. The young feed on their yolk sacs for about 5-7 more days where they then become free swimmers in search of food. The young can be culled after 5-6 weeks. Removing them too soon would result in the male trying to spawn again with the female before she's physically able, and could result in damage to the female and even death.

Photo Credit:

Photos supplied courtesy and ^©Pei.