Paraguay eartheater

Care at a glance

Overview

The Paraguay eartheater is a stocky, sand-sifting cichlid that is fairly territorial, especially between males, so it is usually kept as a single fish or as one male with a couple of females in a larger tank. It spends its time over the bottom, taking mouthfuls of sand and sieving out food, and needs a soft sandy floor to do this without harming itself. It can be pushy at spawning time but is not a relentless killer, and it mixes with robust, similarly sized tankmates that are not small enough to be seen as food. Provide open sand, some smooth rocks and driftwood, and a few hardy plants. Feed sinking pellets and frozen foods such as bloodworm and brine shrimp. A tank of at least 140 liters gives it room to forage and hold a territory.

In the wild

The Paraguay eartheater comes from the Paraguay and Parana river systems across Uruguay, southern Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina. This is a subtropical range with real seasons, so the fish experiences a cooler winter and does best with a temperature of only 21 to 25 C and a seasonal drop rather than constant heat. The water is neutral and moderately soft to slightly hard, so a pH of 6.5 to 7.5 works well. Give it a sandy floor to sift, some rocks and wood for structure, and open swimming space, keeping the tank on the cooler side of tropical.

Good to know

Gymnogeophagus balzanii is a member of the cichlid family, Cichlidae, reaching around 14 cm, with mature males developing a tall, rounded nuchal hump on the forehead. Unlike many of its substrate-spawning relatives, it is a delayed maternal mouthbrooder. The pair spawns on the substrate, and after a day or two the female takes the eggs and larvae into her mouth, where she incubates them for a further week or so before releasing free-swimming fry. She does not feed while holding, and her care continues for weeks after release, which makes this a rewarding species to breed.

Common questions

Related species

• 

  Stripefin eartheater

  Gymnogeophagus rhabdotus

  5.9 in (15 cm) · 53 gal (200 L)

  5.9 in (15 cm)53 gal (200 L)64–79°F (18–26°C)

• 

  Longbody eartheater

  Gymnogeophagus mekinos

  5.1 in (13 cm) · 66 gal (250 L)

  5.1 in (13 cm)66 gal (250 L)61–79°F (16–26°C)
• Uruguayan eartheater

  Gymnogeophagus australis

  6.1 in (15.5 cm) · 66 gal (250 L)

  6.1 in (15.5 cm)66 gal (250 L)61–79°F (16–26°C)

• 

  Tiraparae eartheater

  Gymnogeophagus tiraparae

  4.7 in (12 cm) · 66 gal (250 L)

  4.7 in (12 cm)66 gal (250 L)61–79°F (16–26°C)

• 

  Meridionalis eartheater

  Gymnogeophagus meridionalis

  4.3 in (11 cm) · 53 gal (200 L)

  4.3 in (11 cm)53 gal (200 L)61–79°F (16–26°C)

• 

  Purple earth eartheater

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  4.3 in (11 cm) · 53 gal (200 L)

  4.3 in (11 cm)53 gal (200 L)61–79°F (16–26°C)