# Gymnogeophagus



## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

My friend just gave me some of these guys and I'm looking for some pointers on their care.
For starters, I have a trio of gymnogenny, trio of labiatus, and trio of El Norte.
I am also getting a trio of blue valentines(maybe blue neons, not sure) in the next week or so.

They are in a standard 55 gallon with some plants I have just added.
The substrate is sand and the temperature is about 76-79*F.
I do water changes weekly of about 50% and feed once a day.

Is there anything that requires particular attention or modification?
I also hear they need a cool down period, can anyone comment on this?
Any suggestions or recommendations are appreciated.
By the way I am not new to cichlids, just New World cichlids.


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

I'd drop the temperature to start with. They do not need to be kept at such a high temp during thier summer period. 74 to 76 would be the top end I would keep them at. I do not think keeping 3 or 4 trios of different species in the one tank will be a good idea long term.

Hopefully ed burress will chime in with some advice on which species can kept together.


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

Thanks *DeadFishFloating*, I appreciate your suggestions.
I'm going to go ahead and drop the temp. down a few....how long should I leave it at this temp and when I change it, what should I change it to?

I have a very generous friend that gave me these trios so I was going to wait until they size up and separate.
How long will this take, in terms of growth to maturity?
Any leads on diet or tank setup?


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

I'd keep it around that temp for around 6 to 7 months. Then start to drop the temp gradually over a period of a month to 6 weeks. You will have to research the gymnos you have to find out which parts of Urugauy they come from. Gymnos from northern Urugauy will not handle the winter temps that gymnos from southern Urugauy will need.


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## edburress (Jun 9, 2007)

Do you know where the _gymnogenys_ and _labiatus_ are from? _G. labiatus_ is generally a central/eastern Uruguay 'species', but _gymnogenys_ come from all over. As the name implies, G. "el norte" are from the north of Uruguay, near Brasil.



smellsfishy1 said:


> I am also getting a trio of blue valentines(maybe blue neons, not sure) in the next week or so.


_G_. sp. "Blue Neon" is the name, Valentines is the location (a town), Arroyo las Pavas is the river. It looks like this...

















For tank setup, a sandy substrate with medium sized rocks scattered or piled would be good an simulate where they are from (most Uruguayan rivers actually). They aren't picky about food, a mixture of quality sinking pellets, vegi-flakes, skinned peas, and chopped market shrimp would be great.

Typically, as in the average river, there is a _rhabdotus_-type (sp. norte, sp. blue neon) and a _gymnogenys_-type found together. In some areas (central and east) _G. labiatus_ replaces _gymnogenys_ and occurs with a _rhabdotus_ sp. In rare situations, such as the Rio Olimar, you get all three.

The only issue with keeping any of the ones you mention together is the similarity of sp. Norte and sp. Blue Neon.

They are great fish, I am sure you will enjoy them and please post pictures 

Ed


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Thanks ed. So would you recommend two 55 gallon tanks for the fish? Say the trio of gymnogennys and trio of El Norte in one, and the trio of labiatus and trio of blue neons in the other.


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

Thank you so much for posting *edburress*, that information is exactly what I needed.
Those pictures are really good and I think I have some rocks that may fit the bill.
For plants, should I stick to ferns and mosses it appears that is what I'm seeing in the photos?
I'm using PFS but it is only about in an inch or two deep so I think I'll add more to get it around 3 or four inches.

The gymnogenys are Arryo Yerbalitio? I think that is what the description says, hopefully you can make some sense of that.
The labiatus description just says Rio Olmar if that helps.

Right now I am using a powerhead and I figured they might like this being that they are river/stream fish but so far they haven't shown an appreciation for the current.
I want to say this may be due to the new tank they are in but should I turn it off temporarily or discontinue use for these guys?

As for pictures, when I get it all planted and setup I will post some.
They are really nice I want to show them off but the tank isn't exactly where I want it to be. 
I'll shoot for this weekend after my geology exam and genetics quiz.


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## edburress (Jun 9, 2007)

Deadfishfloating said:


> Thanks ed. So would you recommend two 55 gallon tanks for the fish? Say the trio of gymnogennys and trio of El Norte in one, and the trio of labiatus and trio of blue neons in the other.


Yes, if that's possible for smellsfishy1, that would be great. I'll go into the best combinations (IMO of course) below...

smellsfishy1... you're welcome!

You mentioned separating them at a later date when they are bigger... If you split them into two groups of two species, I would keep G. gymnogenys "Olimar" and G. Blue Neon together, they are both from the same department and same latitude. _G. labiatus_ "blue yerbalito" in a large enoguh tank could be kept with them, because it is also from the east of Uruguay, but more northward, along the border with Brasil, near the coast. So, if you want to keep another species with _G_. sp. "Norte" I would use the _labiatus_ because they are closest to the same latitude.



smellsfishy1 said:


> For plants, should I stick to ferns and mosses it appears that is what I'm seeing in the photos?


Sure, most of the plants in those rivers are terrestrial vegetation that hangs into the water along the bank, but the Gymnos will use plants for shelter, so whatever you prefer is fine.



smellsfishy1 said:


> Right now I am using a powerhead and I figured they might like this being that they are river/stream fish but so far they haven't shown an appreciation for the current.
> I want to say this may be due to the new tank they are in but should I turn it off temporarily or discontinue use for these guys?


It's common for _G. gymnogenys_ to be in the main channel, so I don't think they will mind the power head. Generally, all the _rhabdotus_-types (sp. "Norte", sp. "Blue Neon") stay in pools and other calm areas, so maybe they won't like it as much.

When I visited the Rio Olimar it was flooded and impossible to collect it, but it feeds a huge pond (Laguna de Arnaud) when it floods, these are from there...

_G. gymnogenys_
















_G. labiatus_
[









You asked about growth... I don't know much about that, the fish I bring back are usually adults but the two _rhabdotus_-type Gymnos I've bred, their fry grew about 1/4" per month. Super slow!

Hope that helps,

Ed


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

There may be some mosses on the rocks in the rivers, but most of the plant life will be terristial, such as grasses and reeds along the edges of the creeks.


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## Dutch Dude (Sep 14, 2006)

Hi there,

Bas Pels told me he seen aria's with Echornia azurea as well. He also reported very slow growth of his fry and this confirms Ed his expirience.


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