Geophagus Questions

[outsider1911]

i put a hoplarchus psittacus in with my red heads and i really enjoy his presence in the tank.

 

[Dego510]

Your red heads may already be breeding, but with other fish in the tank like barbs and angels, the fry may be disappearing before you get a chance to see them. If you don't really care about keeping fry, then no big deal.
When my Geo altinfrons spawned, and they were very secretive, they would regularly pass eggs and fry back and forth for one to mouth brood, allowing each to feed separately. But other fish in the tank would pick off young during the exchange, until none were left. Not until I separated the mated pair to its own tank, was I able o keep fry.
Waiting until a pair forms, then giving them their own tank has worked well for me with many Geophagines. And then removing the male back to the community when fry are free swimming, because he can get pushy after a while.

You could be right but I do look for spawning behavior or full mouths whenever I pass the tank. I did see a pair cleaning a rock and doing the mating dance the first night I brought them home. I wasn't able to stick around for the whole thing, so I don't know what happened, but obviously no eggs or fry. That was back in June and hasn't happened since.

I typically do water changes once every 2 weeks. I'll increase it to once a week and see what happens.

 

[Dego510]

I think I'm going to add a Rokteil to my community. Should I just get one? Or do they do better in pairs or groups?

 

[DarylMac]

I don't think it matters whether you keep a Rotkiel in pairs, groups, or as a single specimen. You will certainly get some different behavior if you keep multiples - you may even get breeding behavior if you manage to obtain a pair.

One thing to keep in mind is that a pair of Rotkiels will certainly exhibit more aggression than Red Head Tapajos will during spawning... I'm not going to suggest it will be unmanageable aggression, but you may want to keep it in mind when decorating the tank... Make sure there are lots of areas where the Geos can seek refuge from the Rotkiels if they eventually pair off and spawn.

Coincidentally I just yesterday added a female Rotkiel to my already established tank (which houses 6 Geo. Winemileri and a male Rotkiel)... If I get lucky I may be able to give you first hand advice on Rotkiel behaviors while spawning.

 

[jamntoast]

you could do a lot with a group of geos, like people said, heros would be cool. you could do a bigger species of geo, it would work but i would imagine youd want something that looks and acts a little different. as for spawing i second what people have said. once they pair and are comfortable and the water quality is good they will spawn all the time. if they are new or stressed the eggs might not get fertilized and they will eat them. or they might just eat them. as duanes was saying some times they might spawn and you wouldnt even know. my red head spawn regularily, ususally out in the open or at least where is see them but every now and then i will notice them sticking to themselves with their mouths closed tight, meaning they are holding fry.

 

[neutrino]

I've had spawning rotkeils and spawning red head geos in the same tank without much issue-- 135 gal. They took their turns spawning in their respective spots, the 6 ft tank apparently gave them enough real estate to work it out.

...my experience...

Also, not uncommon for them to need time to get some experience before you see fry. So, as mentioned, that could be what's going on. Tank décor can also be a factor at times, whether or not it creates spots where your respective fish can feel comfortable and defend eggs and fry.

 

[Dego510]

I've had spawning rotkeils and spawning red head geos in the same tank without much issue-- 135 gal. They took their turns spawning in their respective spots, the 6 ft tank apparently gave them enough real estate to work it out.

...my experience...

Also, not uncommon for them to need time to get some experience before you see fry. So, as mentioned, that could be what's going on. Tank décor can also be a factor at times, whether or not it creates spots where your respective fish can feel comfortable and defend eggs and fry.

How many Geos and Rokteils did you have?

Anyone have suggestions on how tank decor should be placed? Flat rocks in the back corner of the tanks?

 

[Dego510]

Full Tank Shot - Feel free to make any suggestions that may make the Geo feel more comfortable.
Shots of the Red Heads[

 

[Dego510]

Just got lucky . . . I'm picking up a proven breeding pair of Rokteils tonight from someone local for only $50 (total). They are 1.5 years old and around 6". Whew whoooo

 

[jamntoast]

Just got lucky . . . I'm picking up a proven breeding pair of Rokteils tonight from someone local for only $50 (total). They are 1.5 years old and around 6". Whew whoooo

niiice