I may be rearranging my 125. My vieja has became a nightmare. Killer and tormenter. I want to keep my 6 silver dollars. I have always wanted balzani and like other GEOS as well. I like severums as well and thought about doing sevs and GEOS. Could a crowd a tank like this with GEOS and sevs or what's up. I hear mixed feelings the sevs and GEOS are not hardy. Basically can you guys give me the low down on GEOS and tank mates. I see crowded tanks doing great the a trio doing good then hear nightmares too.sorry so vague, on my phone.
geo geophagus balzani threadfin ideas
- Thread starter jason longboard
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First things first. Why do you put caps on the word "geos"?
Generally, sevs and geos go very well together. Not sure who says they don't, but one of the big reasons could definitely be overcrowding. Now sevs and gymnogeos are a different story. The big reason these setups tend to fail is because almost all gymnos require a seasonal cool down period, and people don't tend to give it to them because they don't do their homework in the species they pick up. Luckily though, balzanii don't really need it. They come from the warmer waters of northern Brazil, so their cool down period is very mild. What you can do is keep the temp at 78-82 for 9 months of the year and lower it to 72-74 for 3 months. This will give the balzanii close to the cool down they would normally get (I believe they are much more used to the upper 60s during their cool downs, but that would be too dangerous for the sevs) without threatening the health of the severums.
The sevs will reach 10-12" for efasciatus and 8-10" for rotkeils, while Gymnogeophagus balzanii only reach 4-5". If these are the only two species of cichlid you plan to keep in the tank, I would recommend 2 sevs and 4-6 balzanii (1m:2f ratio).
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No quite sure what you mean but.....
Threadfins (Acarichthys heckelli) are from northern South America and prefer warm waters (high 70s/80s'F), at maturity require a large tank, or they can get aggressive with each other, although they tend to ignore other species.
Gymnogeophagus balzani, are from southern Brazil and Uruguay, and prefer cooler water, low 70s/high 60sF. These are best kept in groups with a high ratio of females to few males.
Threadfins (Acarichthys heckelli) are from northern South America and prefer warm waters (high 70s/80s'F), at maturity require a large tank, or they can get aggressive with each other, although they tend to ignore other species.
Gymnogeophagus balzani, are from southern Brazil and Uruguay, and prefer cooler water, low 70s/high 60sF. These are best kept in groups with a high ratio of females to few males.
My guess is someone who believes geos and severums are not hardy fish doesn't know that much about them, has had them but not kept them properly, or maybe just been unfortunate. For one thing, you need to distinguish between Geophagus with different temperaments or requirements and between geophagus and other seemingly similar eartheaters, such as satanoperca or gymnogeophagus, since their requirements can vary. It also means keeping them with compatible fish, not something that will stress them by being out of their league in aggression, etc.
So, a simplified answer would be yes, severums will work with several geophagus species and some other eartheater types if you select compatible species. Among those I've had work well wiith severums are altifrons, suriname types and G. tapajos red or orange heads (same species, whichever popular name you prefer) and guinacara. Another geophagus, barsiliensis, is really a different fish, despite being currently classified as a geophagus. Balzani are really a different fish, as mentioned above, with different temperature requirements... leading to the less simple answer that geos and eartheaters are a fairly large family of fish, and temperament, water conditions, and compatibility depends which species you're talking about.
As far as crowding, to some degree that's in the eye of the beholder. In any case, from what I've seen severums don't like to be crowded in the sense of too small a tank; I've seen them get mean when people try to do that. However, in a sufficient sized tank you can keep a group of them together and keep them with a decent population of other compatible fish.
But if what you're really interested in is the Balzani, you should think in a different direction regarding temperature and tankmates.
So, a simplified answer would be yes, severums will work with several geophagus species and some other eartheater types if you select compatible species. Among those I've had work well wiith severums are altifrons, suriname types and G. tapajos red or orange heads (same species, whichever popular name you prefer) and guinacara. Another geophagus, barsiliensis, is really a different fish, despite being currently classified as a geophagus. Balzani are really a different fish, as mentioned above, with different temperature requirements... leading to the less simple answer that geos and eartheaters are a fairly large family of fish, and temperament, water conditions, and compatibility depends which species you're talking about.
As far as crowding, to some degree that's in the eye of the beholder. In any case, from what I've seen severums don't like to be crowded in the sense of too small a tank; I've seen them get mean when people try to do that. However, in a sufficient sized tank you can keep a group of them together and keep them with a decent population of other compatible fish.
But if what you're really interested in is the Balzani, you should think in a different direction regarding temperature and tankmates.
