Orinoco Eartheater

About

The Orinoco Eartheater (Biotodoma wavrini) is a slender, elongate cichlid from the blackwater rivers of South America, found across the Orinoco basin in Colombia and Venezuela and the upper and middle Negro River drainages in Brazil and Venezuela. Several regional variants circulate in the hobby, sometimes sold under locality names like 'Cuao', 'Sipapo Ventuari', or 'San Antonio', and collectors occasionally debate which population they have on hand. It can be told apart from its close relative B. cupido by its noticeably longer body shape and by the placement of the dark lateral blotch, which sits on or below the upper lateral line rather than above it. Despite being listed as aggressive, this species is considerably more peaceful in practice outside of spawning periods and poses no real threat to tankmates of reasonable size. Where it does demand attention is in its social needs: Biotodoma wavrini is a loosely gregarious fish that really should be kept in groups of five to eight individuals. Smaller groups tend to go wrong quickly, with dominant fish bullying weaker ones relentlessly or the whole group becoming skittish and unsettled. Within a proper group, a clear pecking order develops and makes for genuinely interesting observation. Breeding records in captivity are essentially nonexistent, though substrate spawning similar to B. cupido is the reasonable expectation. This is a rewarding species for intermediate keepers willing to do things right from the start.