|
Personal notes:
When I got these F1 Geophagus steindachneri from my friend Joeri in November 2003 I never though that I could become so fond of them. Their colours are not very spectacular, but they were and still are very active cichlids and a joy to look at. I chose to put sand in their tank as they are shifters. They indeed appreciate this substrate as they're always moving it around to find food. They're no bulldozers like some Malawi cichlids are, but they stir the sand enough to prevent dirt accumulating everywhere. Soon after introduction they started spawning and the females carried fry several times since then. The males are really fun to watch when they spawn as they shake intensively with their mouth open. All in all it's not very difficult to spawn them. I didn't save the fry though as my friend Joeri already had raised hundreds of them. Their are peaceful fish as they don't bother about the much smaller Hemmigrammus bleheri and the Nematobrycon palmeri. Their aggression towards each other is rather mild too. I've read in different websites that keeping two males in one tank is impossible as one of them can be killed. I indeed noticed some fights, and some lip damage caused by jaw locking, but never one with a fatal outcome. All in all they are attractive and very hardy cichlids for a mid sized South American tank.
Two males displaying in my 750L tank
Shuddering and shaking to impress the other steindachneri...
 
Click for a larger image.
Click for a larger image.
Photo of the Month - Janurary 2005
A very cute sight: the fry leaving their mother's mouth. Click for a larger image.
The last little Geophagus seeking shelter again in the safe mouth of mommy. Click for a larger image.
|
