Brachybranchus eartheater

Geophagus brachybranchus

Also known as Squarehead eartheater

FreshwaterFish

Brachybranchus eartheater (Geophagus brachybranchus) — Chrumps · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 77–84°F (25–29°C)
pH: 5.5–7.2
Adult size: 6.7 in (17 cm)
Minimum tank: 106 gal (400 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Guyana and Suriname rivers
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

This is a sand-sifting eartheater from the Guianas, a peaceful, gregarious cichlid that does best in a group of five or more so the mild pecking order spreads out. It works the bottom constantly, taking up mouthfuls of fine sand and sieving out food through its gills, so a soft sand floor is not optional. It is peaceful for its size, but it is a large fish, so give it space and pair it with other calm, medium to large community fish. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp, and mysis, letting plenty reach the sand. A tank of around 400 liters or more, and a long one, suits a group.

In the wild

Geophagus brachybranchus lives in rivers and creeks of the Guiana Shield in Guyana and Suriname, over beds of sand and fine gravel. Give it a deep bed of soft sand it can sift without harming itself, some driftwood and rounded rock, and gentle current. The water is warm and soft to neutral, often tea-stained, so hold 25 to 29 C and a pH of 5.5 to 7.2.

Good to know

Geophagus brachybranchus belongs to the cichlid family and reaches about 17 centimeters. It is part of the Geophagus surinamensis group of Guiana Shield eartheaters and is a delayed mouthbrooder of medium difficulty: the parents let the eggs hatch on a surface, then take the wrigglers into the mouth to finish rearing them.

Did you know

For decades this fish was shipped and sold under the name of its lookalike, Geophagus surinamensis, and only sorted out later, so many older aquarium books and imports labeled surinamensis were really this or another close relative.

Tank mates

Brachybranchus eartheater is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.