Orinoco Eartheater (Biotodoma wavrini) Care Guide
Biotodoma wavrini is a peaceful sand-sifting eartheater cichlid from the Rio Negro and Orinoco basins, suited to soft, warm blackwater tanks.
Overview
Biotodoma wavrini is a cichlid (family Cichlidae) described by Gosse in 1963. According to Wikipedia it occurs in the middle and upper Rio Negro drainage in Brazil and Venezuela and in the Orinoco basin in Colombia and Venezuela. The species name honours the Belgian explorer Robert de Wavrin, who collected the type specimen in 1935.
Taxonomy
- Family: Cichlidae
- Genus: Biotodoma
- Scientific name: Biotodoma wavrini
- Described: Gosse, 1963
Habitat
According to Seriously Fish, the species occurs in blackwater tributaries of the middle and upper Rio Negro, the Casiquiare system and the Orinoco watershed, in meandering channels with interconnected lagoons and floodplain lakes featuring reduced flow, soft substrate and accumulated leaf litter.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 200 L
- Temperature: 26-30 °C (79-86 °F)
- pH: 4.5-6.5
- GH: 1-4 °dGH
- Lifespan: 6-10 years
- Group size: 5-8 individuals recommended (Seriously Fish)
Diet
Biotodoma wavrini is an omnivorous sand-sifting benthophage. Seriously Fish recommends a varied diet of high-quality fine-grade prepared foods plus live or frozen chironomid larvae (bloodworm), Tubifex, Artemia and mosquito larvae, offered in several smaller portions daily.
Compatibility
A bottom-dwelling, gregarious species. Seriously Fish describes it as surprisingly peaceful outside breeding and recommends keeping it in a group to establish a natural hierarchy. It suits peaceful tankmates with similar environmental needs; aggressive or hard-water species should be avoided.
Breeding
Biotodoma wavrini is a presumed biparental substrate spawner. According to Seriously Fish, the species may never have been bred in aquaria, so detailed reproductive data are limited.