Eartheater

About

Found in the rivers and streams of southern Brazil and Uruguay, this eartheater cichlid, Gymnogeophagus gymnogenys, sits at the cooler end of the South American cichlid spectrum. A detail that makes it stand out from most of its relatives and opens it up to keepers who run unheated tanks in temperate climates. It is a medium-sized geophagine, topping out somewhere between three and a half and six inches, with the broad-headed, subtly patterned look typical of the eartheater group. Like other members of that guild, it spends much of its time sifting through the substrate, mouthing sand and silt in search of invertebrates and organic matter. Breeding behavior is worth noting: this species is opportunistically polygamous, meaning a male will court and spawn with multiple females if the timing lines up, but he is equally capable of settling into a stable monogamous pair bond when only one female is present. That behavioral flexibility is fairly unusual among cichlids. Bottom spawning is the norm. Intermediate-level experience is recommended. Not because the fish is fragile, but because its space requirements, substrate preferences, and social dynamics reward keepers who have spent some time with cichlids before.