Not every experienced aquarist knows about such a fish as the red-headed geophagus. Well, newcomers who have just recently acquired an aquarium and are fond of only the simplest guppies, swordsmen and neons, usually did not even hear about it. But this is a very beautiful and interesting fish, which can become an adornment of any aquarium. So it is worth telling about it in more detail.
Appearance
Geophagus aquarium fish are very beautiful and sophisticated and at the same time grow to a rather large size - the largest individuals reach 25 centimeters! However, when kept in an aquarium they are usually much smaller: by the age of two years, mature individuals reach only 15-17 centimeters.
The body is elongated, high, slightly flattened from the sides. Color can vary significantly, depending on the environment, nutrition and condition of the fish. The main background is usually golden to silver. The edges of the scales are gracefully accentuated by turquoise. The forehead and head are usually red or deep orange. Against such a background, blue lips stand out sharply.
Gill covers have a golden olive hue. Eyes are reddish-golden. The body is decorated with vertical lines, darker than the main background. Almost in the center is a black spot of a round shape.
Fins give particular beauty to the red-headed geophagus. Large, bright, combining colors from blue to orange, they make the fish surprisingly elegant, elegant. The pectoral and dorsal fins have pronounced rays.
Habitat
The birthplace of this fish is considered to be Brazil. It was there that German aquarists managed to catch geophagus for the first time - in the Tapajos River. Later it turned out that he also lives in its tributaries - Tokantins and Arapiuns. The water in these rivers has a low pH, contains a small amount of salts. But due to the leaves and decaying algae falling into the river, the level of tannins and tannins rises significantly - sometimes the water seems almost black.
This is where the geophagus lives - most often near the coast, in places with a soft sandy or silty bottom. Try to stay close to stones and snags in order to be able to hide from larger fish.
Juveniles are usually kept in small flocks - 15-20 individuals each. But the mature ones avoid such a crush, preferring to swim in pairs.
Aquarium Maintenance
Now it’s worthwhile to talk about the content of the red-headed geophagus in captivity.
First you need to make sure that the aquarium is quite large. For a small flock, a capacity of 100 liters is suitable. But it is advisable to choose a more spacious one, at least 140-150 liters - in such a geophagus they will feel freer, grow large and healthy.
At the bottom, it is best to fill in fine river sand. Yes, this soil is not considered the best choice for aquariums. Most experts recommend large marine or small pebbles. However, it is worth considering here - geophaguses love to delve into the soil. In small pebbles, they will not be able to do the usual thing, and coarse sand with uneven edges can hurt them. So, fine sand will be the best solution. Of course, if you type it on the shore or buy in a hardware store, you will have to thoroughly rinse the sand several times, completely getting rid of dust, and at the same time boil it - then you can be sure that the parasite eggs will not get into the aquarium.
Some experts believe that the light in the aquarium with geophaguses should be dimmed - then the fish become less timid. Others argue that they feel great in bright light, which is more preferable for plants.
It will be useful to put some prepared snags - among them, the fish will be as comfortable as possible, just like in their native river in Brazil.
Care must be taken in choosing plants. As already mentioned, the geophagus tapajos red-headed loves to delve into the ground. Therefore, it may well damage the roots or just uproot algae. The simplest solution is to use plants that take root on driftwood. This can be Javanese moss or Javanese fern, as well as algae from the Anubias family. If these algae for some reason do not suit you, you can plant any others in the ground using pots. But this is a temporary measure - the grown geophaguses may well uproot them.
Water features are not too whimsical, so you won’t have to monitor the special hardness or acidity - any water in which other aquarium fish live is suitable.
But the course will not be superfluous. They can live in an aquarium without flow, but the stream of water created by the filter will give them an additional feeling of comfort.
How to feed him
The imaginary difficulties arising from feeding scare away the establishment and the maintenance of geophaguses of some aquarists. It would seem - a guest from faraway Brazil, and even so little-known, probably needs some special feed.
In fact, the fish are quite unpretentious to feed. With pleasure eat both animal and vegetable. It is advisable to diversify the diet as much as possible so that the fish receive all the trace elements necessary for life and health. Shellfish minced meat, boiled pumpkin, salad leaves, scalded with boiling water, as well as dry food are suitable. It is advisable to give more plant components, especially when kept in a small aquarium. Then you can avoid excessive obesity, which will certainly occur due to the low mobility of the fish.
Feeding is best 3-4 times a day in small portions. Geophaguses prefer to take food from the ground, rather than catch on the surface, like many other fish.
Suitable neighbors
Of course, launching only a half dozen geofaguses into a 100-liter aquarium is not the best solution. But what kind of fish should they choose as neighbors so that they get along and not conflict?
Fortunately, no particular problems arise here. Almost any fish, except especially predatory, fighting and just aggressive ones, will be suitable as neighbors. They can get along even with small guppies and neons. But still, other large fish will be the best neighbors. For example, scalars, not too large cichlids and corridors. They have similar feeding and habits, so you can not be afraid of serious conflicts between representatives of different species.
The only thing that can overshadow the happiness of the aquarist is the behavior of geophaguses during the spawning period. At this time, the fish become quite aggressive. Therefore, it is worth getting a spawning ground in advance, where you can drop fish before throwing eggs, so as not to break the fragile harmony in the main aquarium.
How to distinguish a male from a female
In some species of fish, confusing the male with the female is quite difficult - they are completely different from each other. But this is not about the geophagus of the red-headed, whose photo is attached to the article. There are no bright, striking differences. You need to be an attentive breeder and have at least a few individuals in front of you so as not to be mistaken.
Males have a brighter color, and simply differ in large sizes. Long rays grow on the fins, while in females they are almost not expressed. Still sometimes it is in them that one can observe a fat cone on the forehead - in females it never forms.
Breeding
Breeding geophagus tapajos is a very exciting and not too difficult task.
It usually reaches puberty by 8-12 months - depending on the specific species. Moreover, males mature earlier, which sometimes leads to conflicts in pairs. Before spawning, the male's color becomes even brighter. He drives away fish - both his own species and any other - from his chosen one. He does not allow them to the chosen place for spawning. At this stage, it is worth transplanting a couple into a separate aquarium.
Here the female will lay eggs - from 100 to 400 eggs. The amount depends on various factors: age, conditions of detention, feed used, size of the female. The male carefully pours milk on them. In some cases, the female leaves eggs on the ground, and in others, carefully collects in her mouth - what it depends on has never been established. After about three days, tiny fry are born that need special care.
Baby Care
Parents take up part of the care of the offspring, so they should not be jailed. The fry swim around adults, rarely sailing far, and at the slightest danger hide in their mouth. Moreover, both mother and father participate in the defense.
Parents painstakingly dig in the ground, raising together with the sand particles of food, which eats young with pleasure.
When choosing food, problems usually do not arise. From the very first days fry eat fine worms, grated dry flakes and brine shrimp nauplii. Over time, they will easily switch to adult food.
Conclusion
Our article is drawing to a close. Now you know more about such an amazing fish as the red-headed geophagus. So, you can breed them in your aquarium, causing the envy of many friends.