Tapajos Orange Head 4.5cm

Tapajos Orange Head
 

The Geophagus family of fish is an incredibly popular South American cichlid for the peaceful, colourful, and beneficial behaviors they offer as well. Of the multiple species available, the orange head geophagus is easily the most common and popular. Geophagus essentially translates to earth eater which is what these fish are known to do, they will take large mouthfuls of sand and sift through it to find food. In the aquarium setting, this is a great behavior as it keeps the substrate well turned over and ensures there are no detritus trapped in it.

Orange head geophagus are also incredibly popular for their natural but striking colours. They also have a large, oval-like body shape that almost resembles a saltwater bream or snapper. As juveniles the geophagus has a very basic, grey colour however as this fish gets older, they develop a stunning yellow base colour with jade green spotting that turns to horizontal stripes. This geophagus also have large fins that often have streamers coming off them, most notable the pelvic fin which is almost half the length of the fish. Finally comes the characteristic factor of this geophagus species which is the rusty orange colour that develops through the top part of the head. 

The orange head geophagus is a fairly easy fish to care for. Aside from the max size of 15 cm that these fish grow to which means they require a larger aquarium size, their personality is community aquarium standards. Breeding this geophagus in the aquarium is quite common, they are mouth-brooding fish where the male will dig a small pit to attract the female to lay eggs. The male will then fertilize the eggs and either the male or female will take the eggs into their mouth to safeguard the fry for around three days. Males and females do have distinguishing features where males have more vibrant colours and longer fins when compared to females. 

Tank Recommendations for your Tapajos Orange Head

Being fairly large growing South American cichlid that will reach a max size of 15 cm, the fish need an aquarium that is a minimum of 200 liters. The geophagus is a fish that prefers to be kept in groups of at least 3 or more which is why a larger aquarium is always best.

A sand substrate is always best because of the constant sand sifting behavior that these fish have. Having some additional materials in the aquarium such as smooth river stones and driftwood would also be great. Because the orange head geophagus is a South American fish they do require softer water with a PH of around 6.0 - 7.0.

Suitable Tank Buddies

The orange head geophagus is a relatively peaceful fish that can essentially be kept in a community aquarium setting. It is usually best practice to avoid fish that are smaller than their mouth just to be safe however there are many accounts of geophagus being kept with nano tank mates before. 

Usually Compatible

Angelfish, corydoras, severums, discus, blue acara, and a range of small to medium community fish.

Sometimes Compatible

Semi-aggressive South American fish such as convicts, fire mouths, and similar species.  

Rarely Compatible

Large and aggressive species such as Dovii would be far too aggressive and invertebrates like shrimp would be prey for the geophagus.

Feeding your Tapajos Orange Head

Like many other South American cichlids, the orange head geophagus is a very easy fish to feed. Due to their bottom-dwelling nature in the aquarium, care should be taken in ensuring food reaches these fish before being eaten by tank mates. It is best to feed them either a sinking pellet or flake food which is supplemented with frozen foods to ensure these fish have optimal health.

A fun feeding option would be to add some live black worms to the aquarium which promotes the geophagus to naturally sift through the substrate to find their food.