Stripefin eartheater

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep a group in a tank of at least 200 liters at 18 to 26 C and pH 6.5 to 7.5, and allow a cooler winter period. Provide a soft sand bottom for sifting. Feed sinking pellets, frozen foods, and live foods. It is mostly peaceful and does best kept in a group.

In the wild

The stripefin eartheater lives in the subtropical Uruguay River drainage and the Laguna dos Patos basin of Uruguay, Argentina, and southern Brazil. It occupies sandy and muddy margins of streams and lagoons. It is one of the hardiest, most cold-tolerant eartheaters. A tank with sand, wood, and a seasonal cool period suits it.

Good to know

Gymnogeophagus rhabdotus was described by Hensel in 1870 and reaches about 15 cm. It comes from cooler subtropical water and does best with a seasonal drop in temperature rather than constant tropical heat. Males show iridescent striping and spangling.

Did you know

It handles cooler water better than almost any other eartheater, so it can be kept in an unheated tank in a temperate room.

Related species

• 

  Paraguay Eartheater

  Gymnogeophagus balzanii

  5.5 in (14 cm)37 gal (140 L)70–77°F (21–25°C)

• 

  Ellioti cichlid

  Thorichthys maculipinnis

  5.9 in (15 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Firemouth cichlid

  Thorichthys meeki

  5.9 in (15 cm)30 gal (115 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Red hump eartheater

  Geophagus steindachneri

  5.9 in (15 cm)53 gal (200 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)

• 

  Red head Tapajos

  Geophagus pyrocephalus

  6.3 in (16 cm)79 gal (300 L)79–86°F (26–30°C)

• 

  Bandit cichlid

  Guianacara geayi

  5.1 in (13 cm)40 gal (150 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)