# ID on Green terror or acara 56K WARNING



## convictkid (Jul 28, 2004)

I suspect one is def pure saum, but the other i fear has to many acara feature but then some saum features too, so i will show pictures of both of them and let you decide, one is darker and has dark black spoltches sometimes under the eyes, and looks more banded, but it has color fringe on the tail fin too.

Suspected hybrid









































few of them together

terror chasing hybrid???


































terror?








tank shots while im at it, not done one more peice of large driftwood soaking
















please help me!


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## The Lorax (Sep 4, 2005)

The orange on the tail fin is a dead give-away that you have 2 GT types on your hands. I can't really differentiate between GT species, but those are definitely not acaras.

I've also noticed that GT species have more irridescent lateral stripes than acaras, but I don't know if that is verified by the experts.

There are a couple of pics there where the other fish does seem to have a few acara features though, but it may just be the angles of the photo.


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## convictkid (Jul 28, 2004)

thats is how that one normally looks but the camera gives it a more GT looks, the pics where its darker and acara looking is how it really look normally.


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## SinisterKisses (Feb 24, 2004)

I'm actually very terrible at ID'ing blue acaras...but I believe you do have one. I had a juvenile blue acara years ago that looked normal, but when I took pictures of him, an orange edge on his tail showed up. Wasn't visible from the naked eye, just something the camera flash brought out. As I said though...I'm probably completely wrong, lol.


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## Joels fish (Nov 17, 2007)

My moneys on the darker of the two being the Acara or a acara/saum hybrid. The one on the left (second to last fish pic) is a gold saum. Acaras and saums look a lot alike as juvies and makes it pretty hard to ID them when they're little. With that said the darker one looks more like a blue acara than a saum. [/quote][/code]


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## convictkid (Jul 28, 2004)

Any chance on a sex of the saum


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## convictkid (Jul 28, 2004)

So do young green terrors also have the dark patches under the eye? Because the one that people think is def a saum also has dark patches under the eyes from time to time. On a side note, the saum is mean! In a 75 gallon tank he abused the acara or w/e it is and now is after the fire mouths! lol he is viscious. Do you think I can take back the acara looking one to petsmart and swap it? Because I want to terrors to maybe get a pair someday although if anyone can tell me how to sex them at the fish store when there this young would be nice. But yea I was thinking if I tell them this is an acara they will argue and maybe not trade the fish for a terror, so what else could I tell them!?? lol He is not eating lol!?


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## Joels fish (Nov 17, 2007)

Yup they do. That mark is fairly common among SA cichlids. All of the acara family seems to have it to some degree. The only good way I know to try and sex them at a young age is to get a group of juvies and let them figure it out. The ones that pair off will be male and female but knowing who's who won't be obvious for a while. Once they get around 3-4 inches though it gets easier, cause that's when they start to hit sexual maturity, and you can vent them easily.
You'd just have to see if they would even take it back to start with. Petsmart isn't exactly know for accepting returns IME, but I'd just tell them there's something wrong with it and see what they say. They may let you swap it out.


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

How big are they? Fish in the blue acara group all look very similiar when small. And yes, green terrors are a species in the blue acara group. Not acaras?!?!?!?!?


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## Joels fish (Nov 17, 2007)

> Not acaras?!?!?!?!?


please elaborate on your confusion. My reference was to the family in general which posses that particular marking, not just the saums and blue acara . I fail to see where that would be confusing *dwarfpike*.


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

It wasn't your post *Joel's fish* that I was reacting to, but to *The Lorax*'s one below:



> I can't really differentiate between GT species, but those are definitely not acaras.


Becuase of course, they are acaras!!! Hence the odd face. Now are they blue acaras or green acaras, subgroup GT's?? I confess to having a hard time between gold saums and blue acaras (_pulcher_'s at least) when they are under say 3" or so. Hence asking about the sizes.

One does look gold saum, the other blue acara to my eye though.


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## convictkid (Jul 28, 2004)

I took back the acara looking one, the kid was like we don't usually take these back, but he did so I brought the receipt back. The best part is the lady gave me 9 dollars back because the kid who circle the item on the reciept kind of missed the green terror lol so I made 4 bucks off him! lol


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## Joels fish (Nov 17, 2007)

Awsome *convictkid* :thumb: ,lets hear it for that top notch training those guys recieve :lol: .
*dwarfpike*
sorry man, just wasn't very clear who you were talking to with that.


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## hey_wood1981 (Apr 7, 2004)

You might want to raise the filter intake.......if that is sand on the bottom of your tank.


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