# Geophagus Red Head Tapajos...



## [email protected]

Hi friends,
Well I am planning for a Tanganyikan tank for I am to bored with my planted now.But today accidentally saw some great looking geophagus red head tapajos with a local breeder ...very cheap and they are only 1 inch in size.I was having a querry that is it possible to have atleast 6 of them in my tank which is pretty small.....38 inchx19inchx19 inch...I plan to upgrade the tank somewhere in the next year ,6 months down the line...Till then can I keep them in my 55 gallon tank????Also need to know how fast do they grow as I have heard mostly they are 6 to 7 inches in size...please help me......


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## [email protected]

Please help me.....


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## Dutch Dude

Hi there,

I never kept Orange Heads (OH) but Guianacara come close in size and behaviour and also belong to the eartheater famely. A size of 1 inch is very small and imo to young to be sold. If you are experienced in growing out small fry it won't be a real problem but keep in mind they need more feeds and cleaner water as half grown or adult fish.

Eartheaters are slow growing and they need 1 1/2 year to grow to adult size. I expect you will be fine for the first 6 months in a 55 gallon. Problem is,....are you absolutely sure you can up-grade in 6 months??? Often people make plans,.....and something happen that requires a change. If this should delay the large tank you will be in troubles. So my advice would be,....take your time on gathering more info on the OH and their needs. I also advice to first buy a larger tank becouse you never know what can happen. People who buy fish as an impulse (becouse they like the looks or get a good deal) often come in troubles becouse they didn't took enough time to investigate behaviour, needs and so on.

Before you take your disision I advice to wait for the OH experts to jump in.


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## [email protected]

Thanx a lot Dutch Dude for the reply..Well have been in this hobby for 2 to 3 years and have got some experience in central american and planted tanks.I just wanted to know if it is feasible or not...Well as you are saying I'll surely try and get hold of a 100 gal tank...actually have already booked a 120 gal tank from my friend...but sadly he went to the states...so can get the tank only in January or February when he returns......But as far as I have heard they are pretty sober,calm fish...so was thinking if I could house them atleast till January...Its true that sometimes people get impulsive but generally I donot....but it was so cheap a deal that didn't wanna let it go away for fishes are hard to come by here like this.....anyways will wait for the experts to comment...thanx again.......


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## gage

for 6 months they should be fine, but be prepared to sell them if something happens and a larger tank is not possible.

They are slow growing and really do not get that big, so they should be fine in the 50 for a good while.


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## cichlify

how big do those fish get?


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## DeadFishFloating

My two largest males reached 7 inches TL not including fin extensions.









I know, I know. I put this pic up every chance I get. But for a photographically challenged person, it's the best photo I've ever taken.

I originally bought my group at 2 inches TL. After 12 mobths the two largerst males were about 6 inches TL, while the smallest and only female was about 4.5 to 4.75 inches TL. I wouldn't want to grow them out for any longer than 6 months in a tank that's only slightly larger than a 3 foot tank. In a standard 75 gallon tank, I wouldn't keep more than two adult pairs. While orange head geo's are not a large growing geo, they are an active geo, and really do look spectacular in medium sized or larger schools in 6 foot plus aquariums.


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## [email protected]

Thanx a lot Dead Fish Floating for those lovely pics.Well I can't accomodate a 6 footer in my flat but can surely go for a 4 footer 120 gals.Don't you think that can handle 6 adult geos in the long run?????


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## DeadFishFloating

Hey *[email protected]*



> Don't you think that can handle 6 adult geos in the long run?????


In the long run? No. A breeding pair will defend a territory approximately 2 feet wide. That's half your tank. So the other 4 are then left to co-exist in a 2'x2' area. The parents will become even more protective once the fry become free swimming.

Another member here, *Edburress* keeps 2 pairs in a 75 gallon tank. Ed's not on here too often, but you could do a search for some of his threads to get an idea of how his tank was set up and ran.


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## [email protected]

Ok...great thanx a lot for all the infos...Then can you suggest me some other earth eater types , may be some Guinacara that can be kept in the 3 footer for a long time at least for a year in a small group.... As I would then like to stock my three footer with them and then when I buy my 4 footer or 5 footer will go for the geos.........and not bolivian rams as I have already kept and bred them in my planted tank........


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## DeadFishFloating

mate, I wouldn't keep any fish that grows larger than 4 inches in a 3 foot tank. But that's just me.


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## Dutch Dude

Hi there,.....I keep 6 Guianacara in a 90 gallon 4 ft tank without any issues. Guianacara are shy fish and spend most of the time in their caves. There was a guianacara thread on the SA section some time ago. Maybe you can dig it up with the search function to see if they are the fish you like. You also might want to check out Geophagus Pindare. They should be fine in a 4 ft tank as well. Make sure there is plenty of wood in the tank to provide shelter, create territorial markers and and escape routes. If you like peaceful colorful cichlids and have enough time for 2 to 3 large (50% or more) water changes each week and are dedicated enough to keep up you might even want to check discus. If you owned Bolivians you probably will be bored abouth African cichlids :wink:


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## [email protected]

Water change is never a problem for ma as I am used to changing water for my planted tank.Abnd discus,well its pretty common out here in my ountry except for the wild caught heckels that would cost you a bomb.Well I would definitely search for Geophagus Pindare but its hard to come by in my country as the only geophagus that gets sold out here are Geophagus red head tapajos.Infact as you have mentioned I would love to keep only Geophagus Pindare in the tank,or rather make it a species tank for them. Let me enquire out here and would let you people know.I would be grateful to you DutchDude if you can show me the tank for the Guinacara.But one question....Do Pindare get to be as beautiful as the red head tapajos....???Dumb question but please........


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## Dutch Dude

Here the link to the Guianacara thread I started a long time ago.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... guianacara

Here a link to a pic of G. pindare,.....I have to say they are rare over here as well. The only once I seen here for sale were fry of the fish from the link. The pics don't show their colors to well but you can see some similarities with the OH only lack the red cap and show a lot of yellow on the body.

http://images.google.nl/imgres?imgurl=h ... N%26um%3D1


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## [email protected]

Thanx so much for the links...I really learnt a lot from them...Well may be I'll try to get hold of some Geophagus Pindares.But one question DutchDude...Today I have met with a person from my office who was successful in keeping 9 G.Tapajos in a 3 feet 45 gal tank and even has them with him.Never ever did he have any sign of aggression with them.He says that if you provide high filteration and balanced diets along with twice water change of 30 % per week , you can maintain such a high bioload...moreover high stocking helped him to control aggression...He doesn't have a pic of his tank but will visit the tank this weekend...Is it true that high stocking and high filteration can keep aggression down...His tapajos are somewhat 6 to 7 inches in siz and only two are male others are females........?????/


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## DeadFishFloating

*[email protected]* tank size is not always about controlling aggression. Geo's in general are not aggressive cichlids. Or maintaining an acceptable bio load. Tank size is also about providing your fish with an adequate living space.

Here's a couple of my tank photos to give you an idea. I kept six Geophagus sp. araguaia "orange heads" in a 6 foot tank with a couple of species of dwarf cichlids and loooots of tetras.
In this full tank shot, my geos were just reaching 6 inches TL.









Close up of my group.


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## [email protected]

Thank you so much for all those information...well I 'll have to rethink and see what can I do for my fishes...You people were awesome and great help for a newbie like me.....thanx a lot..........


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## [email protected]

Great news for you guys..I have sold my 3 footer and in one month getting a 5 footer 120 gal...so very excited ...but it will take a while before I purchase my geos as they are not that common here ....but I can wait for a couple of months for my dream tank...Can you all please help me with some Geos tank pics so that I get a rough dream of what I want it to be.....


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## [email protected]

No answers yet...let me know what else can I syock with the geos as I want it to be strictly South American Earth Eater tank........


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## DeadFishFloating

G'day *[email protected]*,

Check this site out, earteatersaustralia. There are literally hundreds of photos of eartheater tank set ups in the species profiles.

Why don't you look at doing a Rio Tapajos Biotope tank. There are plenty of cichlids, tetras and catfish commonly available in the hobby that are found in the Rio Tapajos. I definately suggest Lemon tetras, and if they are available and affordable a couple of L134 Leopard frog peckoltias. I am not a fan of stocking a tank full of cichlids just so you have busy looking tank. I'd rather my fish have plenty of room to move and behave naturally.

As for tank setup. Generally open and simple suite geos. A fine sand substrate is best, with some driftwood branches, maybe a log or two, and some nice round river rocks for spawning sites. If you want to try plants, just a couple of large Amazon sword plants will suffice. It's good to plant them when you set the tank up, and let them establish themselves while your tank cycles.

Good filtration is essential, as well as a steady, but not strong current.


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## edburress

Hi *[email protected]*,

*DeadFishFloating* has already given you great advice, I'll just add a few things. At 1" the Orange Head fry should be around 10 weeks old. At 6 months, they should be around 3". Similar to *DeadFishFloating*, all my adult males are 6 1/2 - 7", and adult females are 5 1/2 - 6". Though a lot of hobbyist report that they do not exceed 6".

G. pindare might grow slightly smaller, but certainly are not as colorful.

Overstocking is a common practice, especially with african cichlids. It is possible with Geophagus due to their social nature, but doing so will prevent successful spawning since the tankmates will snack on the eggs/fry. Geophagus aren't aggressive, and only bicker amongst themselves, mostly by flaring and putting on a "show", so I don't think it's necessary to overstock to relieve aggression.



DeadFishFloating said:


> As for tank setup. Generally open and simple suite geos. A fine sand substrate is best, with some driftwood branches, maybe a log or two, and some nice round river rocks for spawning sites. If you want to try plants, just a couple of large Amazon sword plants will suffice


My thoughts exactly.

Cheers,
Ed


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## [email protected]

Dead Fish floating,Edburess..well it had been a bad week for me.The new tank that I bought from my friend had cracked.So have to continue with my 55 gal tank.In the mean while didn't get hold of any geos.But surprisingly saw some juvenile balzaniis out here in one hobbyists house.He had kept them at 27 degree centigrade and they are also breeding.The male was huge and about 7 inches.So without any haste paid him a handsome amount for 3 juveniles.1 male and two females.I hope I can raise them for they are used to the hot climate of I ndia.What other species from paraguay can I keep along with these gymnogeos.Please advice me.


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