Should I buy it?
Green Terror
Andinoacara rivulatus
Also known as: andinoacara rivulatus (trade)
A large aggressive cichlid with spectacular teal colouring. Requires species-only or carefully managed setups of 300 L or more.
Green Terror tank mates · 300L tank size hub
aggressive · intermediate care
Sources & confidencehigh · partially verified · beginner: not recommended
Checked against several solid care sources that mostly agree. Numbers here are a careful starting point. Your tap water, tank size, and habits decide the rest. How we evaluate.
Best for: Species-only or large-cichlid pairs in tanks of 400L or more with heavy rockwork and no fish under 15 cm.
Avoid if: You have a community tank, a setup under 250L, or fish under 15 cm.
Common mistakeBuying a juvenile green terror as a centrepiece community fish is how keepers invent systematic slaughter as the fish grows. Adults reach around thirty centimetres and kill peaceful companions. Plan a species or robust New World setup in three-hundred-litre class water — or do not buy the cute juvenile.
Top things that go wrong
- Grows large or needs a very big footprint. Green Terror is often sold at sizes that hide adult length (~30cm) and a published minimum near **300L**. Shop tanks are not adult housing.
- Mouth gap vs tiny tank mates. May eat tank mates small enough to fit the adult mouth — plan adult sizes, not shop sizes.
- Shrimp & snails. Not shrimp-safe — adults, fry, or both get eaten.
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Myth: green terrors stay manageable community centrepieces if they grow up with tank mates from a young age. Reality: adults become large aggressive cichlids that systematically kill peaceful fish — plan a dedicated heavy setup, not a childhood friendship story.
- 2.Predation risk scales with gape, night feeding, and crowding. 'they grew up together' is a schedule, not a law.
- 3.Buying for juvenile size in the shop tank. Budget for adult length and turning radius, not the inch-long fish in the bag.
- 4.Adding bite-sized tetras or livebearers "until the predator grows". The first lost fish lands months earlier than the plan said.
- 5.Not for community tanks. Needs a large tank with robust tankmates of similar size and temperament. Will eat small fish.
About this species
Green terrors are 25 to 30 cm South American cichlids that develop green-blue iridescence. Males can read calmer than an oscar but still hold a territory, with breeding males being the worst flashpoint.
- Oscar300L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Severum250L min · same group, comparable tank size
- African Cichlid200L min · same fish family
- Convict cichlid200L min · same fish family
- Discus200L min · same fish family
- Firemouth Cichlid200L min · same fish family
- Jack Dempsey200L min · same fish family
- Keyhole cichlid200L min · same fish family
- African Cichlidalso intermediate aggressive, similar tank size
- Jack Dempseyalso intermediate aggressive, similar tank size
- Oscaralso intermediate aggressive, similar tank size
- Common Pleco tank matesnames this fish as a conditional pairing — read the pair page conditions
- Jack Dempsey tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
- Oscar tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
Plan grid
Key limits are above. Here: pH band, swim level, bioload, and activity.
Swim zones
Care snapshot
Quick compare before you buy. Not a score of how “good” the fish is.
- Beginner ease26
- Peacefulness0
- Community fit0
- Small-tank fit66
- Hardiness54
- Energy54
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Example setups
Starting points only. Run the pair checker for every fish you add.
Avoid “one of everything” baskets — Green Terror belongs in a plan built around territory, line-of-sight breaks, and matched water chemistry.
Compatibility
Tank mates for Green Terror
Usually safer (engine GOOD): Jack Dempsey, Oscar. Conditional (CAUTION — read the pair page before buying): Angelfish, Common Pleco. Avoid (RISKY): Corydoras Catfish, Guppy, Neon Tetra. Every name links to a live pair check — the lists are a shortlist, not a stocking plan.
Usually safer
Open a pair page with this fish as the starting point.
Needs planning
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Usually avoid
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
Compare with
Run a real pair check: Green Terror + Jack Dempsey
- Try Jack Dempsey — open the pair check.
- Try Oscar — open the pair check.
Behaviour and temperament
Green terrors are aggressive New World cichlids that escalate as they mature. Juveniles can look calm in a community before adults claim and kill. Stress and carnage explode when peaceful fish share glass with a growing terror in anything under serious footprint.
What sets them off
- Crowding and limited territory
- Similar-looking fish in the same tank
- Spawning, for any breeding pair
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper; stressed or crowded individuals can still test fins.
Predation: May eat tank mates small enough to fit the adult mouth — plan adult sizes, not shop sizes.
Territory: Holds a patch (cave, corner, or surface). Break sight lines so neighbours can pass.
Planted tanks: good — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- An adult patrols and rearranges décor in a large hardish cichlid tank.
- Territorial displays toward reflections and rivals are normal ownership at size.
- Torn community fish after a growth spurt means stocking plan failed years early.
- Chronic glass-pacing in a short tank means footprint failed before diet tweaks.
- Adults systematically attack and kill soft-bodied community companions.
- Pairs and rivals need serious space or they wreck each other too.
- Rehome peaceful fish before adult size arrives, not after the first body.
- Do not add another 'dither' tetra to calm a green terror — change the plan.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Water, food, and grouping
Hardness
variable
Diet
carnivore
Green terrors are large carnivore-leaning cichlids that need meaty foods and quality cichlid pellets sized for a growing jaw. Community flake routines leave juveniles thin and adults underfed for their waste load. Feed deliberately, match filtration to a messy adult, and never pretend a thirty-centimetre fish lives on leftover tetra crumbs.
Shrimp & snails
Not shrimp-safe — adults, fry, or both get eaten.
Green Terror is fine singly or as a researched pair — check behaviour before doubling up.
- Hold 22 to 26 °C steadily on a real thermometer, not the dial on the heater.
- Aim for pH 6.5 to 8 and a hardness you can re-test in two weeks. A one-time strip in the shop car park is not a water test.
- Footprint: short wide tanks and tall narrow tanks fish differently for the same volume. Match the tank shape to the swim pattern, not just the litre count.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 300L published minimum for adults.
- Heater can hold 22–26°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
- No tank mates small enough to fit the adult mouth gap for this species.
Explore and stocking hubs
Tank-mates hub, matching guides, category peers, and litre stocking lists around this species’ minimum tank.
Plan with tools
Check mates as pairs first, then add this fish in the tank builder for the full stocking.
Filtration & heating
A 300L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 1200L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 22–26°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Green Terror does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 22–26°C and pH 6.5–8:
Research: partially verified · Confidence: high · 3 linked source(s). We do not invent citations.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- Seriously Fish. Andinoacara rivulatus
Primary: aquarium size, water chemistry, behaviour, and compatibility (URL verified in upgrade script; recheck if site content changes).
- FishBase. Andinoacara rivulatus
Secondary: taxonomy, distribution, and maximum length in nature; cross-check with aquarium import lines and measured tank parameters.
- Wikipedia. Andinoacara rivulatus
Secondary: general species context; verify all husbandry numbers against a dedicated aquarium care sheet and your test kit, not a single table row.
Evidence notes
- The Seriously Fish profile for the binomial in this record was successfully reached as the primary aquarium reference.
- FishBase contributes natural-range size and habitat context. Translate those numbers through your heater, your water report, and your tank footprint before stocking.
- Wikipedia is only cited if the article URL returned OK. Use it for orientation, not as the only care sheet for an import.
- All compatibility text reflects typical hobby experience and the Fishori model. Individual fish, shop stress, and the order tank mates are added in can still defy a single-paragraph label.
Featured compatibility checks
Curated pair pages for Green Terror. Each opens a full verdict — not just a list label.
Common questions about Green Terror
- How big do Green Terror get?
- Green Terror adults reach about 30 cm. Shop fish look smaller; stock for the adult length.
- What size tank does Green Terror need?
- 300L is the planning floor for adult swimming space and bioload. A 366L+ tank is the more comfortable long-term footprint. Length and depth matter as much as raw litres for active or territorial fish.
- Are Green Terror aggressive?
- Green terrors are aggressive New World cichlids that escalate as they mature. Juveniles can look calm in a community before adults claim and kill. Stress and carnage explode when peaceful fish share glass with a growing terror in anything under serious footprint.
- What is the most common mistake with Green Terror?
- Buying a juvenile green terror as a centrepiece community fish is how keepers invent systematic slaughter as the fish grows. Adults reach around thirty centimetres and kill peaceful companions. Plan a species or robust New World setup in three-hundred-litre class water — or do not buy the cute juvenile.
- What fish can live with Green Terror?
- The Green Terror profile lists Jack Dempsey, Oscar among its safer pairings (engine-checked GOOD). Angelfish, Common Pleco are conditional (CAUTION): workable only with the specific conditions on each pair page. Avoid Corydoras Catfish, Guppy, Neon Tetra (RISKY). Run the pair checker for your exact water and tank size before stocking.