Today my LFS guy told me that they are much more aggressive than, say, Altifrons, which is not what I have read. However, this guy usually knows what he is talking about, so I am inclined to believe him. What say you? Could this be complicated by the fact that G. "surinamensis", from my understanding, is rarely true G. surinamensis? If it is the case that they are often mislabeled by wholesalers, does anyone know what species usually comes in labeled "surinamensis"?
Geo surinamensis aggressive?
- Thread starter Quo Vadis
- Start date
They are usually G. altifrons. Although they could be anything, because surinamensis is often used as a catch-all term for any geo in the Surinamensis complex. If they are altifrons, then they certainly can be large and boisterous.
My take is I don't know where he would have gotten this information but I'd consider it doubtful to be much more than hearsay. He'd have to have some serious credentials to make it more than mistaken identity for one of the fish mislabeled as a suriname geo. Some reasons:
1) Nearly all geos called 'surinamensis' are something else, often they are altifrons. Altifrons and other suriname type geos can vary in temperament by individual as much as location.
2) There's a "red striped eartheater" (common name for what's usually considered to be G. suriname) from Rio Maroni that is hard to come by, but a few have had them (usually somewhere else than in the US) and they're not particularly aggressive for altifrons or other 'suriname' types from any reports I've seen. Photos of this fish here. But--
3) Kullander does not list Rio Maroni as a location for G. Surinamensis, which appears to mean the fish some are calling the true surinamensis probably isn't-- Link
4) The holotype for G. surinamensis (museum example supposed to be the standard for identifying the fish) is said to be in poor shape and makes identification problematic, except maybe by location and eliminating other similar fish.
5) Apparently even biologists have collected and described fish as surinamensis that may not be the original surinamensis.
Basically, few people have had a 'true' surinamensis and it appears, at least from what I've read, that there's a fish even some knowledgeable aquarists think is surinamensis, but which may or may not be and probably isn't, based on location. So what are the odds anyone can say what the temperament is of this original surinamensis, a fish that would match the museum example and be from the correct location?
1) Nearly all geos called 'surinamensis' are something else, often they are altifrons. Altifrons and other suriname type geos can vary in temperament by individual as much as location.
2) There's a "red striped eartheater" (common name for what's usually considered to be G. suriname) from Rio Maroni that is hard to come by, but a few have had them (usually somewhere else than in the US) and they're not particularly aggressive for altifrons or other 'suriname' types from any reports I've seen. Photos of this fish here. But--
3) Kullander does not list Rio Maroni as a location for G. Surinamensis, which appears to mean the fish some are calling the true surinamensis probably isn't-- Link
4) The holotype for G. surinamensis (museum example supposed to be the standard for identifying the fish) is said to be in poor shape and makes identification problematic, except maybe by location and eliminating other similar fish.
5) Apparently even biologists have collected and described fish as surinamensis that may not be the original surinamensis.
Basically, few people have had a 'true' surinamensis and it appears, at least from what I've read, that there's a fish even some knowledgeable aquarists think is surinamensis, but which may or may not be and probably isn't, based on location. So what are the odds anyone can say what the temperament is of this original surinamensis, a fish that would match the museum example and be from the correct location?
Ok, interesting. To clarify, he was just saying that some of the fish he had ordered under the name "surinamensis" were aggressive (he had a male kill some females). Who knows what the actual species was. I wondered if maybe he got mixed up and meant brasiliensis, because I know he told me previously (closer to the event) that a male one of them killed the female mate. And Brasiliensis are much more aggressive as I understand it. He doesn't get that many Geos in because they aren't that popular in our area, so they are not his expertise. but to clarify, most "surinamensis " are actually altifrons?
Ahh, I thought you meant he claimed that true suriname geos are more aggressive than the other related geos commonly considered suriname type geos.
That makes me me wonder if what he was sent were really surinames or something else. Brasiliensis are more aggressive, also steindachneri and its close relatives can be more aggressive than surinames. Another possibility is tank too small. I've seen fish that are normally not especially aggressive in a large enough tank get mean when the tank's too small...
I've seen it happen with severums, for example. Got my first wild rotkeil that way, it was killing everything they tried to put with it and I took it home and put it in a larger tank and never had any problem at all with the same fish.