Red Striped Earth Eater - Geophagus Surinamensis

**Piscine** · 04-27-2010, 07:19 PM

I haven't been able to find much info on them. Does anyone have any tips on caring for them? I acquired a pair (not sure of sex) and I am keeping them with a few yoyo loach, a few polka dot loach and 9 giant danio(for a little while anyway) in my lightly planted 75g tank w/ a 15g actual capacity wet/dry sump with driftwood and root structure..

Temp - 80
Ph - ~7.5
Param - 0,0,<5

Currently doing weekly 30% water changes.

Any advice or experience???

Pictures of adult specimens??

Any info is greatly appreciated!!!

**Piscine** · 04-27-2010, 07:49 PM

Should I have posted this somewhere else? No one else keeps these?

**jay2487** · 04-27-2010, 08:08 PM

No I haven't kept them, but it always seems to take a little longer to get replys on the cichlid forums to me. If you posted in wrong spot, a moderator would have moved it by now. Patience grasshopper lol

**Piscine** · 04-27-2010, 08:20 PM

Lol. Grasshopper eh?

I also wanted to say this....

I have read that Geophagus Surinamensis is often used as a catch-all name for other species of Geo. Does anyone have a picture of a true Geo Surinamensis?

I'd like to note that both of my fish have red coloration on the pelvic fins. I will try to get pictures up asap.

**Piscine** · 04-28-2010, 12:01 PM

Pictures

**Piscine** · 04-28-2010, 12:05 PM

**Piscine** · 12-09-2010, 01:45 PM

**Cichlid76** · 12-10-2010, 01:54 AM

I'd say you have G. Altifrons there. Here's a pic of one of my true G. Surinamensis for comparison. Mine are only about 7" so they are not fully grown yet but they will get to about 12" in the next year or two. True G. Surinamensis grow quite slowly taking approx 5yrs to attain full size. Mine are 3yrs old now.

**Piscine** · 12-10-2010, 11:11 AM

We had sorta settled on G. Abalios, but I have yet to come upon a firm ID guide for them. I will see about registering there if I have time today.

**Piscine** · 01-07-2011, 03:16 PM

I have had them ID'd by many people....To the guy above, I have some pictures of what are supposed to be true Surinamensis, and your's don't fit the picture. Maybe you could offer some ID info on how you came to that conclusion?

Anyway, I picked up 3 younger captive bred Abalios, and also drove 6 hrs round trip to pick up 3 wild-caught abalios. I'll try to get pictures when I can.

To anyone that keeps Geos, you are not doing any justice to the personality of these fish until you have a good sized group. I now have 7 total. Each time I added more, the fish became tons more active. It's like a totally new tank now.