Smoothcheek eartheater

Gymnogeophagus gymnogenys

Also known as Gymnogenys eartheater

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 61–79°F (16–26°C)
pH: 6.5–7.8
Adult size: 7.1 in (18 cm)
Minimum tank: 79 gal (300 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Common
Origin: Uruguay and southern Brazil
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

A subtropical mouthbrooder for an unheated tank, and a fish that needs a genuine winter to do well. Keep a group over sand in a 300 liter tank and let the temperature fall through the cool months; males color up hard in spring after a proper rest and stay dull without one. It is peaceful for its size. Feed sinking foods and frozen fare, easing off as the water cools.

In the wild

Gymnogeophagus gymnogenys lives in sandy streams across Uruguay and southern Brazil, where winters are cold and summers warm. Keep it across 16 to 26 degrees Celsius through the year at pH 6.5 to 7.8. The seasonal swing is a care requirement, not a tolerance.

Good to know

Gymnogeophagus gymnogenys reaches about 18 centimeters, and males develop a pronounced nuchal hump with age. Many local populations differ noticeably in color, and collectors track them by stream of origin. It is a mouthbrooder, and the cool rest period is what triggers proper spawning condition.

Did you know

Collectors trade its localities like vintages, each Uruguayan stream bottling its own hump-headed edition.

Tank mates

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