Earth Eater
by Paul McFarlane
From the Monthly Bulletin of the Hamilton and District Aquarium Society, November 2000
Aquarticles.com
The genus Geophagus consists of a number of species of New World Cichlids
including surinamensis, acuticeps, balzanii, brasiliensis (the subject of this
article), and others. Most members of the genus, including brasiliensis, live up
to the meaning of the name Geophagus - "earth eater".
G. brasiliensis is found in eastern Brazil, including the Amazon and Orinoco
basins. It can grow easily to 8 or 10 inches but may not reach this if kept in smaller
tanks. If allowed, breeding will begin at 3 or 4 inches or even less. Sexing this species
is best done by observing the "plumpness" of the female. Males also have a
tendency to be larger and may also have slightly more pointed finnage.
Colouration is variable and includes green, blue and red. With age, the fish develops
many "mother of pearl" spots on the body and from this comes the common name,
Pearl Cichlid. It also exhibits a large black spot in the centre of the body. This spot
intensifies with age, temperature and the condition of the fish. In general, the darker
the spot, the better the fish is feeling. Young fish have several dark, transverse bands
but these disappear with maturity.
G. brasiliensis is one of those cichlids that means to spawn whether you want
them to or not. Once they begin, their frequency reminds me of convicts or angels,
although, unlike angels, they present no need to separate them from their eggs. They are
very careful parents and rarely eat eggs or fry. Spawning requirements include a place to
lay the eggs, any reasonable temperature (75 to 85) and a decent diet.
Tanks of 15 gallons or more are sufficiently large. Of course, the larger the spawning
tank, the longer the fry can be left with their parents without stunting their growth.
Since spawns seem to average about 200 fry it is sooner or later necessary to split the
youngsters up if one wants to raise most of them. My own pair of fish are housed in a 65
gallon community tank in which they start a new batch of young each time the last batch
gets big enough to care for themselves.
These fish seem to like to lay their eggs in a flower pot. Whether it is clay or
plastic seems to make no difference. The preferred site seems to be the inside surface of
the pot. In my tank the pots originally contained plants rooted in potting soil, with a
layer of gravel on the top to keep the soil in. The Geophagus proceeded to remove the
gravel and about one third of the soil the first time they spawned. The second time, they
removed the rest of the soil. The third time, they moved to another pot and started the
process over again. The only way I have found to stop them is to cover the pots with flat
pieces of slate.
After the eggs are laid they are guarded by the female both while they are hatching and
after the fry are free swimming. Intruders are firmly, but not viciously, chased from the
area. I have never observed any real damage done to the other tank inhabitants, even
though these included Rasbora species and some small Characins. While the female is doing
all the work, the male stays generally in the area but doesn't really get involved.
Unless you want to raise large numbers of fry, several spawnings can be raised
together; the older fry tend to ignore the younger, although a few are no doubt lost. The
safest way to raise lots of these fish is to remove the pot with the eggs in it and hatch
them artificially as you would angels.
One of the nice things about these fish is that they hold their breeding colours as
long as they have fry to care for. They are quite pretty in this condition and since they
are spawning or raising fry most of the time, they make a colourful addition to a tank.
Their even, generally pleasant temperament also makes it possible to keep them in the
company of almost any other fish, even small ones. In fact, their only drawback is their
unending desire to dig.
My spawning pair consists of a 5" male and a 3" female. There is also a
2.5" female in the tank (as well as fry of various sizes), but she has never been
involved in the breeding. The pair began spawning when both were about 2.5" long. The
female has not grown nearly as much as the male, possibly because of the energy she has
expended in the spawning process.
If you set up a tank for these fish, learn to live without rooted plants. Java moss and
floating plants can be used to pretty up the tank and provide a sense of security. Expect
the gravel to be arranged to the fishes' own liking and add a couple of flower pots
sitting upright as spawning sites. The pair can be kept by themselves or other peaceful
species can be added to produce a community aquarium. Under these conditions you can
expect to have a tank that will result in many hours of pleasure and interesting activity.
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