Geophagus Sveni
Care level: Easy
Max Size: 25cm
Temp: 24-29°C
PH: 6.5 - 8.0
Approximate purchase size: 7-9cm
Diet: Omnivore
Compatibility: Community with caution
The beautiful Geophagus Sveni is a large cichlid from South America. They are surprisingly mild mannered, and unlike most cichlids, they are a shoaling species, so it's best to keep them as a group. Their aquarium should be large and furnished with soft substrate. This is important as the Geophagus (sometimes referred to as earth eater) spends most of its time sifting through sand and substrate looking for left over food. The addition of larger rocks and bog wood adds enrichment and hiding places for the fish to use. Plants are likely to be dug up, but placing large rocks and other heavy obstacles around them may help. Alternatively, Anubias and Java ferns can be affixed to Rocks and wood instead. Filtration needs to be powerful as they are still cichlids and will produce a lot of waste.
Geophagus Sveni are not very aggressive and will cohabit quite well with other fish as long as they're not small enough to be eaten. Appropriate tank mates include medium to large peaceful cichlids, large tetrasr tetras, larger barbs, angelfish, various large catfish. rainbowfish and plecos among others.
They are omnivores and they have very specific dietary needs. Unlike most cichlids, the Geophagus needs smaller sized food, even as fully grown adults as they prefer to sift their food out of the sand. Floating pellets should be avoided altogether as they don't accommodate the Geophagus's natural feeding habits. Smaller sized sinking pellets are recommended along with fresh and frozen foods such as mysis shrimp.
