Geophagus dicrozoster Breeding Guide
Breeding Geophagus dicrozoster, an Orinoco eartheater that is a larvophilous biparental mouthbrooder, picking up larvae after the eggs hatch.
Overview
Geophagus dicrozoster is an eartheater from the Orinoco basin in Venezuela. According to Seriously Fish it is a substrate-spawning, larvophilous, biparental mouthbrooder that has been bred in aquaria: eggs are first laid on a surface and the larvae are taken into the mouth after hatching. This delayed (larvophilous) strategy contrasts with the sympatric G. abalios, an ovophilous (immediate) mouthbrooder.
Sexing
No external differences have been observed except during spawning, when the female's ovipositor is visible. Start with juveniles and allow pairs to form naturally rather than trying to sex young fish.
Conditioning
There is no specific spawning trigger. The main requirements are a good diet and a stringent maintenance regime involving relatively large weekly water changes.
Breeding Setup
- Soft sand with flat stones or driftwood as spawning sites
- Temperature: 26-30 °C (Seriously Fish maintenance range)
- pH: 4.0-7.0 (Seriously Fish)
- Hardness: ideally below 5 °dH (Seriously Fish)
- Large weekly water changes
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Courtship includes fin flaring, circling, gaping and head-jerking displays. The pair spawns on a cleaned surface; no particular environmental trigger is required beyond diet and maintenance.
Egg & Fry Care
Eggs hatch around 72 hours after spawning, and the larvae are picked up and brooded in the mouth. Fry become free-swimming at 8-11 days of age. Once free-swimming they accept powdered dry foods, Artemia nauplii and microworm. Parents shepherd the fry back into the mouth when sensing danger, with the time spent away from the parents increasing as the fry grow.
Common Challenges
In a community tank the fry become easy prey, so brooding females are best removed. Soft, very low-hardness water is preferred, demanding careful water preparation, and reliable sexing requires a group to obtain a pair.