Geophagus Brasiliensis Tankmates?

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giveneausername

Black Skirt Tetra
MFK Member
Mar 11, 2014
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11
New York
I'm setting up a 120 Wide (4x2x2) tank, with dual overflows and two wet dry sumps, with pumps in each that have 1100gph (not accounting for the drop in flow for the height of the pump.) I'm currently have 5 Geophagus, looks like 2 males, 3 unknown gender. The males are ~4", and the others are ~1.5-2". The only other tankmates that I have set in stone are 6 L191 Royal Plecos (this is not their final tank, I know an upgrade is down the road.)

As far as tankmates go, I currently have a large group of assorted Corydoras (Pandas, Metae, Emerald, Agasizzis, etc.) that I was looking at adding, yet some people voiced a concern that they'd be eaten or bullied by the Geophagus Brasiliensis.

The other fish that I already have that I might add include Rummynose Tetras (Same concern as the Corydoras), Clown Loaches, and possibly Roseline Sharks. Has anyone had experience with any of these fish together?

If none of these fish really worked, I was exploring the possibility of a Severum, as I had been told that they'd put up a fight against the geos and keep them in their place.

I also considered adding a few more Brasiliensis, but I wasnt exactly sure as to how many I'd be looking at for the maximum carrying capacity of the tank.

I'm just looking for other opinions I guess, trying to hear some other options or stories about other people's experiences. Leave a comment with any insight, comments, concerns, etc. Ill be very glad to hear back from people.


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IME they do not work with severum. I have tried twice and failed both times. The last one I had wasn't super aggressive in a destructive way but he would chase everyone into hiding.
 
Rivers2k said:
IME they do not work with severum. I have tried twice and failed both times. The last one I had wasn't super aggressive in a destructive way but he would chase everyone into hiding.
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Thanks for the feedback! When you say the one you had would chase others, do you mean the Sev or the Brasiliensis? And any ideas on good tankmates aside from Sevs?


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G. Brasiliensis are far more tougher than their more passive altifrons, surinamensis, abalios, and winemilleri cousins. I kept mine with Paraneetroplus Argentea, Maculicauda and Breidohri all at once. The Brasiliensis didn't even get a single nip, always ran when he was faced with my maculicauda and stood his ground with my breidohris.
 
giveneausername said:
Thanks for the feedback! When you say the one you had would chase others, do you mean the Sev or the Brasiliensis? And any ideas on good tankmates aside from Sevs?


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Sorry the Brasil would chase the sevs. I have had this issues with two different Brasiliensis. Severum are pretty passive. I have red spotted severum and honduran red points and it is my favorite set up I think they do very well together. You might want to try cons or sajica with the Brasiliensis I have not tried but seems like it might be a good mix to me.
 
Rivers2k said:
Sorry the Brasil would chase the sevs. I have had this issues with two different Brasiliensis. Severum are pretty passive. I have red spotted severum and honduran red points and it is my favorite set up I think they do very well together. You might want to try cons or sajica with the Brasiliensis I have not tried but seems like it might be a good mix to me.
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Sounds great, I'm going to do some further research. Could you see the Geos being aggressive towards my bottom dwellers?


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I've had my best success keeping my brasiliensis with Central American cichlids. They are much closer behaviorally to them than to any SA geos other than steindachneri. I presently have four 'Bahia Reds' in a 165G with ~10 P. breidohri, 6 Astatheros robertsoni 'Jutiapa', and they can 'give as good as they get'. They are boisterous, kind of hyper, and can be nippy and chasey, especially with conspecifics and smaller fish. I have also raised brasiliensis with regani, argentea, bocourti, to name a few. And they presented no problems with the larger tank mates. I can't comment on how they would do with bottom dwellers, never having kept them with any.
 
I keep a 6" female G. brasiliensis in a 120 gallon tank with several smaller P. breidohri, 3 C. panamensis, 2 C. nanoluteus, a P. regani , and five (1.5") N. tetracanthus I am growing out for another tank. The G. brasiliensis ignores all of them completely, perhaps because they pose no territorial threat. However, over the last couple of years the brasiliensis has tried to eat Otocinclus and Corydoras, and in the process their pectoral fin rays got caught in her mouth. I had to extricate these fish by hand from her mouth, and luckily none were any worse for wear once I did. After a couple of these episodes I moved the catfish to a different tank. Interestingly, the brasiliensis shows no interest in eating the small N. tetracanthus I now have in the tank. As bottom sifters brasiliensis aren't well equipped for catching moving targets. Otocinclus and Corydoras are easier targets because they perch on substrate and rocks and often sit motionless.
 
fug202 said:
I keep a 6" female G. brasiliensis in a 120 gallon tank with several smaller P. breidohri, 3 C. panamensis, 2 C. nanoluteus, a P. regani , and five (1.5") N. tetracanthus I am growing out for another tank. The G. brasiliensis ignores all of them completely, perhaps because they pose no territorial threat. However, over the last couple of years the brasiliensis has tried to eat Otocinclus and Corydoras, and in the process their pectoral fin rays got caught in her mouth. I had to extricate these fish by hand from her mouth, and luckily none were any worse for wear once I did. After a couple of these episodes I moved the catfish to a different tank. Interestingly, the brasiliensis shows no interest in eating the small N. tetracanthus I now have in the tank. As bottom sifters brasiliensis aren't well equipped for catching moving targets. Otocinclus and Corydoras are easier targets because they perch on substrate and rocks and often sit motionless.
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The CA cichlids you mentioned look like plausible candidates for the tank. I wouldn't have any concern with some larger Plecostomus, would I?


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notho2000 said:
I've had my best success keeping my brasiliensis with Central American cichlids. They are much closer behaviorally to them than to any SA geos other than steindachneri. I presently have four 'Bahia Reds' in a 165G with ~10 P. breidohri, 6 Astatheros robertsoni 'Jutiapa', and they can 'give as good as they get'. They are boisterous, kind of hyper, and can be nippy and chasey, especially with conspecifics and smaller fish. I have also raised brasiliensis with regani, argentea, bocourti, to name a few. And they presented no problems with the larger tank mates. I can't comment on how they would do with bottom dwellers, never having kept them with any.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback, ill do some further research on CA, as it seems like that's the only way to really have other fish in the tank.


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