Does anyone keep Geophagus Red Head Tapajos?

[Sunny247]

Hi newbie here! So basically I absolutely love these fish and I really want to keep these. But I’m not sure about the water parameters they have been kept in successfully. I know they’re relatively soft water fish. My water is on the harder side. My actual parameters from the tap are:
PH: 7.4
GH: 12 / 215ppm
KH: 7 / 125ppm

Now I think my tap water is a little too hard for them, has anyone else had any other experience with this?

I’ve been playing with cutting it with RO water and if I do a 40% dilution with RO then my parameters would be:
PH: 7.4
GH: 7 / 125ppm
KH: 5 / 89ppm

Just wondering if all the extra work to cut it with RO would be worth it? Any advice greatly appreciated!
Thanks

 

[RD.]

From a previous discussion ...

IME, OH Tapajos are not often prone to HITH, and I have seen them kept here in hard water with pH 8.0+ without issue. Large adult fish.

In his book on eartheaters, Weidner states; "A hardness up to 20 dGH and alkaline water (up to pH 8.0) will not prevent G. sp. Tapajos Orange Head from breeding successfully, and this species does no seem to be particularly susceptible to the skin lesions that commonly occur in Geophagus in harder water."

While I agree with Duane regarding tannins, humic acid, turpines, etc, found in many of these species natural waters, and it's benefit in keeping certain bacteria at bay, with this species, keeping your water clean, and as neutrino suggested, well oxygenated, is key. If you want to add peat, ketapang leaves, etc to your water that's all good and well, but keeping the water free of bacteria build up is most important. While in QT I would also feed them NLS Hex-Shield for a few days as a preventative measure.

Good luck.

 

[neutrino]

Kept and bred them, see photo in my avatar. They do not need soft water-- clean water, quality food, and mine were robust fish. Generally kept them in pH in the upper 7s, moderate GH, KH, typically 12-16... kept mine in temps from 78--82 during the years I had them.

Don't know what you'd have to do to them to have HITH, dirty tank maybe, high waste load.

HITH no factor at all ime, even in a tank that spent several weeks over 8 pH. But after decades of keeping fish, including discus, I've only ever had one mild, easily curable case of HITH with any fish in my memory and that was maybe 15 yrs ago; don't remember which species, just remember that it happened since I never see it, might have bean a severum.

 

[tlindsey]

Hi newbie here! So basically I absolutely love these fish and I really want to keep these. But I’m not sure about the water parameters they have been kept in successfully. I know they’re relatively soft water fish. My water is on the harder side. My actual parameters from the tap are:
PH: 7.4
GH: 12 / 215ppm
KH: 7 / 125ppm

Now I think my tap water is a little too hard for them, has anyone else had any other experience with this?

I’ve been playing with cutting it with RO water and if I do a 40% dilution with RO then my parameters would be:
PH: 7.4
GH: 7 / 125ppm
KH: 5 / 89ppm

Just wondering if all the extra work to cut it with RO would be worth it? Any advice greatly appreciated!
Thanks

Welcome aboard

 

[Sunny247]

Great, thank you so much for your help and replies! It’s just that I’ve been reading so much mixed stuff online, I thought it’s best to ask someone who has actually kept them rather than reading guidelines in an article. Thanks again!

 

[Ash02]

I've had 5 of them for 6 months. Awesome fish, but they do grow slow. They also prefer very small pellets. Mine will sift out all the .5mm pellets before they tackle the larger bits. I don't think they will ever need larger than 1mm pellets at adult size.

 

[Sunny247]

I've had 5 of them for 6 months. Awesome fish, but they do grow slow. They also prefer very small pellets. Mine will sift out all the .5mm pellets before they tackle the larger bits. I don't think they will ever need larger than 1mm pellets at adult size.
View attachment 1412577

Awesome! Thank you, they look amazing! Yes I’ve read that they like sifting out their food from the substrate, a true “earth eater”. Which brand of pellets do you feed them? And do you mind sharing your water parameters? PH, GH @ KH. Thank you!

 

[Ash02]

Awesome! Thank you, they look amazing! Yes I’ve read that they like sifting out their food from the substrate, a true “earth eater”. Which brand of pellets do you feed them? And do you mind sharing your water parameters? PH, GH @ KH. Thank you!

I feed mine NLS thera A, primarily. They also get a little flake and algaemax on occasion. I can't remember the exact parameters of my water, but it is mostly neutral with a slightly high gh. PH was 7.0.

 

[baseballman1321]

I had a group of 4 a while back. Awesome fish that just keep getting better looking as they get older. My pH was 7 and temperature was 84. No problems and bred a couple of times.

Here is the thread I had on them. Makes me want to keep them again

Orange Head Tapajos growth thread

That is sofa king awesome! Keep us updated! And great work with them! thank you. And i will deffinately keep the updates coming Sent from my iPod touch using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

www.monsterfishkeepers.com

 

[Sunny247]

I had a group of 4 a while back. Awesome fish that just keep getting better looking as they get older. My pH was 7 and temperature was 84. No problems and bred a couple of times.

Here is the thread I had on them. Makes me want to keep them again

Orange Head Tapajos growth thread

That is sofa king awesome! Keep us updated! And great work with them! thank you. And i will deffinately keep the updates coming Sent from my iPod touch using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

www.monsterfishkeepers.com

Brill, thank you. I’ll take a look now!