TankBud

Uruguayan eartheater

Gymnogeophagus australis

Also known as Australis gymnogeophagus

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature
61–79°F
16–26°C
pH
6.5–7.8
Adult size
6.1 in
15.5 cm
Minimum tank
66 gal
250 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
La Plata basin, Argentina and Uruguay

Overview

The Uruguayan eartheater is a mostly peaceful, temperate cichlid for a long, cool tank. It is a step up from the easiest fish.

Did you know

The Uruguayan eartheater's home rivers can drop into the low teens Celsius in winter, cold enough to kill many tropical fish.

Caring for the Uruguayan eartheater

A group of Uruguayan eartheaters needs a long tank of at least 66 gal (250 L), with plenty of open sand to work. Give them a deep bed of soft sand they can sift without scratching their gills, plus some wood and smooth rock. They spend the day over the bottom, taking mouthfuls of sand and sifting out food.

Keep the water moderately soft to neutral, at a pH of 6.5 to 7.8. Let it run cooler across the year, from 61 to 79°F (16 to 26°C), rather than at steady tropical heat. It is one of the few cichlids you can keep in an unheated tank, with a genuine change of seasons. Feed sinking foods it can pick from the substrate, and include some frozen invertebrates.

Keep a group of four or more rather than a single fish, and let them settle a loose pecking order. The Uruguayan eartheater is mostly peaceful and shares a tank well with other calm, similarly sized fish.

Gymnogeophagus species are mouthbrooders, and this one breeds at medium difficulty. It often keys its spawning to the warming of spring, and a seasonal cool period helps condition it for breeding.

Good to know

The Uruguayan eartheater is a South American member of the family Cichlidae. It is one of the southernmost members of its genus, adapted to seasonal water far cooler than most cichlids tolerate.

In the wild

Gymnogeophagus australis comes from temperate rivers of the La Plata basin in Argentina and Uruguay, near the latitudes of Buenos Aires.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Uruguayan eartheater is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does an Uruguayan eartheater need?

An Uruguayan eartheater needs at least 66 gal (250 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does an Uruguayan eartheater need?

An Uruguayan eartheater is comfortable at 61–79°F (16–26°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.8.

What does an Uruguayan eartheater eat?

A Uruguayan eartheater eats sinking foods it can pick from the substrate, plus some frozen invertebrates.

How big does an Uruguayan eartheater get?

An adult Uruguayan eartheater reaches about 6.1 in (15.5 cm).

How does an Uruguayan eartheater breed?

Uruguayan eartheaters breed at medium difficulty and often key their spawning to the warming of spring. A seasonal cool period helps condition them for breeding. Gymnogeophagus species are mouthbrooders.

Related species