Geophagus Surinamensis?

[ryansmith83]

BuffaloPolypteridae, those do in fact appear to be young Gymnogeophagus balzanii. As you can see, they're not quite as long and slender as Geos are. They tend to be more short and stocky with a taller forehead. They will fill out and get taller and more box-shaped as they age. Here is a picture of a juvenile balzanii for reference: http://www.aqua-fish.net/imgs/fish1/argentine-humphead-2.jpg

These fish tend to prefer a cool-down period each year as they come from more southern regions of South America (southern Brazil, Uruguay, etc.). You could probably keep them in an unheated tank throughout the winter.

 

[ryansmith83]

Thanks for clearing things up! You dont seem to like geos much, huh. Lol! Thanks for the info, man. So mine are def altifrons now. Wow should prepare my 75 for them soon. Will they be good with a couple of 7-11" polys once theyve grown bigger? And theyre no longer in the 5gal. Should have updated. I moved them to my 20 with some 3" polys. These guys are around 2" and dont seem to bother the polys and they stick together now. I guess theyre scared? Is it normal for them to push each other away once in a while or is that already aggression? Should I keep the two or get another or keep just one to reduce aggression? And what are the growth rate for these guys. Sorry for bombarding you with questions. I've decided to raise these guys to 12" beauties!

I've never kept polys but adult altifrons are no slouches. As long as polys aren't overly aggressive they should be fine.

Yes, it's normal for geos to push each other around and slap each other with tails. This is a dominance thing. You will see it especially when they're fighting over who gets to eat. As long as one is not constantly harassing the other to the point of hiding or sitting in a corner you should be okay. That may change when they put on some size so just monitor them. If aggression gets out of hand you can either get a couple more (which would require a larger tank in the long-run) or keep a single one. They do enjoy the company of others as juveniles but adults would probably be okay as single fish.

Growth rate is usually pretty steady but of course that depends on a ton of factors: what you feed and how often, water change schedule, tank size, stocking density, etc. Within maybe 12 - 18 months you should have full adult fish.

 

[David R]

So many people saying "this looks like a that one", of course they do!! Almost all young Geophagus (sensu-stricto) look very similar, at least until semi-adult stage but even then identifying them correctly can be a challenge.

As I said, the LFS labeled them as geophagus balzani, not gymno, I'm no eartheater expert

neither is your LFS by the sounds of it!

There is no such species as "Geophagus balzanii", only Gymnogeophagus. That mistake isn't uncommon, eartheater identification can be difficult and challenging, and the group is ever changing as the taxonomy is reviewed. They were once all lumped under the genus Geophagus where as now we have Geophagus, Gymnogeophagus, Satanoperca, and a few ex-Geophagus waiting for classification.

Was really wanting some surinamensis. The adult specimens are spectacular

I think you'll find that the spectacular pics you were looking at were actually altifrons (which is almost certainly what you have bought), pics of the true species G. surinamensis are almost as elusive as the fish themselves!

IME polys and geos should be fine together, the geos aren't really territorial as say big CA cichlids can be, so most of the aggression should between themselves and they'll most likely ignore your polys. However, I think keeping two is a very bad idea, I think you would have much more success with either a single or a group of four or more to spread the aggression. Even male-female pairs can be quite nasty to each other, especially when there are no others to distract any attention away from the submissive of the two.

 

[orinocensis1]

Lol this thread became so off topic and people are getting confused.. Started off as surinemensis ID but turned out to be altifrons then now red heads and gymno balzani now on this thread? Lol try to stick to the subject guys this thread should be used to help ID the person that started the threads fish and for future references, because this problem comes up all the time with LFS and suppliers mislabeling surinemensis when they are really altifrons.


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[yngggru]

Hey guys. This thread is gonna turn a little bit more off topic lol. Im thinking of selling off one of the geos and buying a little super red sev. Would they be good together (for life) in a 75 with a couple of smaller bichirs? Or would they be quite territorial?


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[yngggru]

Bump..


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[slippery slimecoat]

Hey guys. This thread is gonna turn a little bit more off topic lol. Im thinking of selling off one of the geos and buying a little super red sev. Would they be good together (for life) in a 75 with a couple of smaller bichirs? Or would they be quite territorial?


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I have kept a red sev and what I believe may have been an altifrons together for a couple years without any aggression issues. They were in a 120 with some other fish, but I still believe you'll be fine with them in a 75.


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[yngggru]

I have kept a red sev and what I believe may have been an altifrons together for a couple years without any aggression issues. They were in a 120 with some other fish, but I still believe you'll be fine with them in a 75.


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They looks awesome! Thanks, man. Im gonna sell one of my altifrons and get a super red sev.


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