Geophagus pellegrini Care Guide
Geophagus pellegrini is a Colombian eartheater cichlid that sifts sand for food. A maternal mouthbrooder for soft, warm water aquaria.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Geophagus pellegrini, the Yellowhump Eartheater, is a cichlid endemic to northwestern Colombia. The genus name means earth-eater, referring to the habit of sifting substrate for food. It is a benthic-feeding species with a relatively low trophic level.
Taxonomy
- Family: Cichlidae
- Genus: Geophagus
- Scientific name: Geophagus pellegrini
- Described: Regan, 1912
Habitat
The species occurs in the Atrato, San Juan and Baudó river basins of Colombia. It inhabits forest streams ranging from narrow shallow channels to wider waterways, favouring areas with dense marginal vegetation, clear to moderate flow, and substrates of sand, gravel and organic debris.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 300 L
- Temperature: 25-30 °C (77-86 °F)
- pH: 5.0-6.0
- Substrate: soft sand to allow natural sifting
- Lifespan: 8-12 years
Diet
Geophagus pellegrini is a benthophagous sand-sifter that takes mouthfuls of substrate and filters edible items. It should be offered several small meals daily, including fine prepared foods plus small live or frozen bloodworm, Tubifex and Artemia, along with some vegetable matter such as Spirulina.
Compatibility
The species is surprisingly peaceful outside the breeding season and does not prey on fish larger than a few millimetres. Males may become territorial when spawning. It is a bottom-dwelling fish suited to communities of compatible South American species over a sandy floor.
Breeding
Geophagus pellegrini is a maternal mouthbrooder. The female carries the developing brood, and males may spawn with several females where these are abundant; pair bonds are weak and form only around spawning.
Geophagus pellegrini Breeding Guide
Overview
'Geophagus' pellegrini, the yellowhump eartheater, is endemic to northwestern Colombia, recorded from the Rio San Juan at Tado in Choco Department and neighbouring Antioquia, with records from the Rio Atrato and Rio Baudo drainages. According to Seriously Fish it reaches about 130-155 mm standard length and inhabits shallow forest streams 2-5 metres wide with moderate to fast-flowing water over sand, gravel and clay.
Sexing
Seriously Fish reports that males grow larger overall and develop longer unpaired fin lobes. Sexually mature males develop a nuchal hump, which can be very pronounced in some individuals, providing a practical way to distinguish the sexes.
Breeding Setup
Seriously Fish lists a temperature of 25-30 degrees C, a pH of 5.0-6.0 and hardness of 0-90 ppm for this species. A breeding tank should provide soft, acidic, warm water with a sand substrate and open, flat surfaces, reflecting the forest-stream habitat. The Aquairi record classifies the species as a mouthbrooder of intermediate breeding difficulty.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Seriously Fish describes 'Geophagus' pellegrini as an ovophilous, maternal mouthbrooder that forms only weak pair bonds during spawning. In ovophilous mouthbrooders the eggs are taken into the mouth early in the spawning sequence; the female carries and incubates the brood.
Common Challenges
Because the female alone broods the eggs and only weak pair bonds form, harassment by the male or other tankmates can interrupt spawning, so adequate space matters. Beyond the maternal mouthbrooding classification, the source does not provide specific egg counts, brooding durations or detailed fry-rearing protocols, which are therefore omitted.