Neambi eartheater

Care at a glance

Overview

The neambi eartheater is a peaceful, medium-large sand-sifter, and it is a social fish, so keep a group of five or more to spread out any squabbling. It spends its day on the bottom, taking mouthfuls of sand and sifting them for food, and it will not harm anything it cannot swallow, which makes it a good companion for other calm fish. Feed fine sinking foods in several small servings: quality granules, plus frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp and the like. A deep bed of soft, fine sand is essential. Give it a tank of at least 450 liters so a group has room to work the floor.

In the wild

Geophagus neambi comes from the Tocantins basin in Brazil, sifting sand in warm, fairly clear water. Give it warm, soft to neutral conditions: a temperature range of 25–29 C and a pH of 5.5–7.2. The key is the substrate, a deep layer of soft, fine sand it can pick up and pass through its gills, with open swimming space and some wood or smooth rock to break up the layout.

Good to know

Geophagus neambi belongs to the cichlid family and reaches about 24 centimeters, with a long face suited to sifting sand. It is a substrate-spawning, biparental mouthbrooder: the pair spawns on a cleaned surface, then takes the eggs into the mouth, and both parents share the brood. It was described in 2010, and breeding is of moderate difficulty.

Did you know

Its name honors NEAMB, the environmental research group at the Federal University of Tocantins that surveyed the fish of the Tocantins river; the lab's acronym became the fish's name.

Tank mates

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

• 

  Mango pleco

  Baryancistrus chrysolomus

  Freshwater

  11.8 in (30 cm)119 gal (450 L)81–88°F (27–31°C)
• Wilder's mouse catfish

  Hassar wilderi

  Freshwater

  9.8 in (25 cm)106 gal (400 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Three beacon pleco

  Leporacanthicus triactis

  Freshwater

  11 in (28 cm)106 gal (400 L)79–86°F (26–30°C)
• Rhino pleco

  Pterygoplichthys scrophus

  Freshwater

  12.6 in (32 cm)119 gal (450 L)77–84°F (25–29°C)
• Mekong glass sheatfish

  Kryptopterus limpok

  Freshwater

  11.8 in (30 cm)119 gal (450 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Red fin cactus pleco

  Pseudacanthicus pitanga

  Freshwater

  13.8 in (35 cm)119 gal (450 L)77–84°F (25–29°C)

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

Related species

• Silverspot eartheater

  Geophagus argyrostictus

  Freshwater

  9.4 in (24 cm)119 gal (450 L)77–84°F (25–29°C)
• Winemiller's eartheater

  Geophagus winemilleri

  Freshwater

  9.4 in (24 cm)119 gal (450 L)77–84°F (25–29°C)

• 

  Abalios eartheater

  Geophagus abalios

  Freshwater

  9.8 in (25 cm)119 gal (450 L)77–84°F (25–29°C)
• Dicrozoster eartheater

  Geophagus dicrozoster

  Freshwater

  9.8 in (25 cm)119 gal (450 L)77–84°F (25–29°C)
• Bigspot eartheater

  Geophagus megasema

  Freshwater

  9.1 in (23 cm)119 gal (450 L)77–84°F (25–29°C)
• Panama eartheater

  Geophagus crassilabris

  Freshwater

  10.2 in (26 cm)119 gal (450 L)77–84°F (25–29°C)