Geo Personalities?

[Kittiee Katt]

Hi, in the near future (5-10yrs) I'd like to get a pair of Geos. I don't know what type I want, I've got absolutely no idea. The reason I want to work out what I want now is so I've got 5-10 years to find out how to keep them properly. I've only had one Geo in the past, a beautiful big male brasiliensis named Horrace.

I'd like to get a species of Geo that will pair and mate for life, can anybody suggest some? I don't want another brasiliensis, coz I'll never find another one as cool as my Horrace. If possible can anyone with Geos give a bit of detail on their species and its personality?
Thanks in advance.

 

[duanes]

Although most Geos and their closely related species will exist as pairs, they are generally a very social cichlid, and do best in shoals, in a semi large tank (6ft footprint) in a group of 5 or 6, or more.
1 or 2 males with 4 or more females.
In this way aggression is dispersed throughout the group, and they can forage as a group sifting sand as they would in nature.

When a spawning pair develops, I will take them from my 150gal, to a smaller breeding tank, but find returning them to the group works best, after fry are independent.
I find this works best with any of those from the altifrons clade, to Gymnogeophagus.

The braziliensus clade are very different than most of what I think of a Geophagus and seem more suited to pair type existance.