Geophagus community question

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muh_fish

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 28, 2023
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Hi everyone,

I recently was able to get a pair of Geo Winemilleris and set up a 150 gallon tank for them. At first they hid the majority of the time so I added 6 torpedo barbs and 3 geophagus sveni that were the same size as the winemilleri (3-4"). After that there was no hiding and everyone seemed social. I noticed the smallest sveni would get pecked at by one of the winemilleri during feeding but figured it was no big deal. Yesterday I woke up and checked on the tank and noticed the smallest sveni sitting at the bottom trying to hide in the plants. He looked pretty beat up so I was going to remove him after my first meeting, an hour later when I finally got my QT and bucket for him he was floating upside down and swimming frantically away from the others. I removed him and he died a few hours later. Not what I expected from what I thought was a peaceful group.

From my reading here and online Geophagus are a shoaling species and do well in groups. Does that mean I can mix different species of Geos into a 'group' (2 winemiller, 3 sveni, 3 tapajos etc) and expect a similar behavior as if it was a group of all 1 species? Should I aim for an even number of fish? maybe the small sveni was the odd one out and got bullied. Just trying to figure out how to proceed from here, currently have 2 winemilleri and 2 sveni that seem to get along and am interested in some red headed tapajos and maybe a threadfin acara. I have another 150 with aggressive S. and C. American cichlids that turned into 3 more tanks due to having to split up fish that couldnt get along so trying to keep things peaceful in this Geo tank.
 
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If it were me, I'd only add more winemiller and sveni.

Just curious, what is the current like in the tank?
Geos like these tend to live where current is strong, and have adapted an energy supply to deal with coping with that constant water movement.
I find that if the current in a tank is not strong enough, and does not give these rheophillic cichlids enough exercise to use up that inate energy, it turns into conspecific aggression.
 
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Thanks for the reply tlindsey tlindsey , Good to know, I guess I have been watching too many "fish-tubers" and convinced myself that geos are not capable of serious aggression haha.
 
As far as the current goes, I have and FX-6 and FX-4, both of the returns are on the left side of the tank pointed towards the surface with 1 intake on each side of the tank. I have a wavemaker that is also on the left side but it is never turned on, I thought that would make it too crazy in there, but I think I may give it a try based off of your info duanes duanes .
 
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The kind of moving walls of water rheophillic fish experience in nature, are often beyond anything we can provide in aquariums.
I collect rheophilles in Panama and where I find some cichlids it is hard to stand or walk in the current.
For my tank, I use a 1500 gph pump from the sump, and add a 500 gph wave maker to add flow.
bc324165-b26e-4bbb-a691-5b463e2176be.jpeg
The video below is a good example of Geophagine preferred currents

Geophagus - Guide to Amazonian Eartheaters - nearly all Geophagus species !
 
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muh_fish said:
From my reading here and online Geophagus are a shoaling species and do well in groups. Does that mean I can mix different species of Geos into a 'group' (2 winemiller, 3 sveni, 3 tapajos etc) and expect a similar behavior as if it was a group of all 1 species?
Click to expand...
Ime separate species know they're separate species, their interaction will vary and perhaps while very small they might group together for security, but otherwise don't expect them to do much shoaling together Ime. Smaller numbers per geo species sometimes makes them more territorial (variables like size or gender mix can make a difference) and that might be what happened.

Your water current is fine. Neither sveni nor winemileri are rheophillic, but are among the "high bodied" species that usually occur in the "slack water zones" of "reasonably fast moving rivers" while "the more slender species are rheophiles" occurring in the rapids-- see the Geophagus habitat portion of the Below Water video starting about 38 seconds in. (why do I have to keep pointing this out?) The more slender, fast water geos are species like taeniopareius and argyrostictus.
 
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