One
of the main reasons Malawi cichlids became popular in the mid seventies
was their brilliant coloration. Who can resist the oranges and blues
of Pseudotropheus zebra? Hobbyists' taste in cichlids is
cyclical, and now the cycle is returning to neotropical cichlids
(picking up Lake Tanganyika ones on the way). One neotropical cichlid
which is beginning to make the rounds in the Pittsburgh area is
the red-hump Geophagus, Geophagus steindachneri.
Since there has been some confusion about the scientific name of
this fish in the past, a brief discussion is in order. The fish
was described by Eigenmann and Hildebrand in 1910. In 1912 C. Tate
Regan described a fish known as G. hondae. Both names were
used for this fish until 1976 when J. P. Gosse decided that G.
hondae was the correct name. After an investigation, this designation
also proved erroneous, and in 1981 Gosse corrected himself, deciding
that Geophagus steindachneri Eigenmann & Hildebrand,
1910, was the proper name.[1]
Another name which has been around for years and has been wrongly
attached to the red-hump Geophagus is G. pellegrini.
[2] Loiselle reports that G. pellegrini has a yellow hump
as compared to the red one of G. steindachneri. [3] At
this year's cichlid convention, doubts were raised whether G.
pellegrini has ever been imported or indeed, if it even exists
as species.
In reality, the naming of G. steindachneri proves to be
much more exciting than does its coloration. Its tan-brown background
with light and dark areas and some spangling in the unpaired fins
is "blah." Even during spawning the colors do not intensify
much.
On a brighter note, what G. steindachneri lacks in color
it more than compensates for in other areas; the most notable, of
course, is the red hump which males sport on top of their heads,
giving them a "horseface" appearance. Though its function
is not fully understood, the hump is known to be made up of fatty
deposits. The size and color of the hump vary between individuals
and are dependent on genetics, diet, and care. Stressed fish may
lose some color in the hump. Keep in mind that G. steindachneri
is just one of the many so-called "hump-head" cichlids,
including Steatocranus cassuarius, Cyphotilapia frontosa,
Aequidens rivuatus, and others.
The lips are another interesting physical feature of this fish.
They are very wide, well-developed, and well-suited to sifting through
the substratum. The fish is able to shovel up a mouthful of sand
or gravel and then chew it clean with his pharyngeal teeth. While
this process would seem to net a large amount of algae, their stomach
contents reveal that they mainly seek the many types of aquatic
insect larvae that dwell in the spaces between and on stones.[4]
Since this process of rooting through the substrate is practiced
in captivity, an aquarium without mechanical filtration will become
clouded with suspended particles. Unlike certain Cichlasoma species,
however, G. steindachneri does not dig massive pits and
move vast quantities of gravel. Rather, a mouthful of gravel is
picked up, chewed, and spat right back out again. Consequently,
they are far less efficient at rearranging plants and the aquarium
interior than most Cichlasoma.
Rather than trying to discourage their mild excavation desires,
I purposely place small-grain natural gravel in their tank. They
seem happier if they have some gravel to root through. In addition.
they can almost match Corydoras catfish in scavenging prowess.
[5]
My own experience with G. steindachneri started when my
pen-pal fish friend from Montgomery, Alabama, Ron Van Zant, sent
me a dozen on August 15, 1981. Then, while attending the North Jersey
workshop in Newark last November, Ginny Eckstein gave me a dozen
more and told me they were G pellegrinie. The fish ate
well and grew rapidly. The ones that came from Ron grew larger and
had larger humps than did Ginny's. Ron tells me they were only one
generation removed from the wild. Both strains turned out to be
good spawners.
The maintenance of this fish, while not difficult, is a little tricky.
I have, for example, found red-humps to be extremely intolerant
of dirty water. By dirty water I mean water that is high in dissolved
wastes. Fortunately this problem is easily by-passed by frequent
partial water changes. For example,there have been times when I
noticed that the red-humps were stressed; I would siphon out 50%
of the water and replace with fresh from the tap. By the time I
would be done refilling the tank, the redhumps would be totally
recovered and eagerly swimming, looking for food, and rooting through
the gravel.
Red-humps, which grow to 3"-5" TL, make suitable tank
mates in a community aquarium because they are quite peaceful towards
other fishes. In fact, nearly any Cichlasoma, for example, will
bully a red-hump. Among themselves, however, G. steindachneri
show far less tolerance. Males are particularly unpleasant with
each other. Dr Wayne Leibel, America's Geophagus authority,
states accurately (if not scientifically) that when placed together
in a tank, red-humps can be "mean as all get-out." [6]
Therefore I would recommend that these fish be kept mbuna-style:
large tank, plenty of hiding places, and lot of females to occupy
the attention of the males.
G. steindachneri is a heavy eater for its size. They always
seem to be hungry, devouring all of the standard aquarium fare with
a particular preference for frozen brine shrimp and frozen zooplankton.
The fish will scour the gravel for any food they may have missed.
The fry are equally ravenous.
G. steindachneri is an advanced maternal mouthbrooding
neotropical cichlid, and no pair bond is formed; the lucky male
gets to spawn with as many different females as are ready to spawn.
I have had the good fortune to witness several spawnings. There
is little preparation of the spawning site--no vast quantities of
gravel moved and no rocks scrubbed squeaky clean. Instead, a sheltered
site is decided upon. My fish always utilize a clay flower pot turned
on its side.
Spawning is imminent with the appearance of the breeding tubes.
The female's is short and wide and the male's thinner and longer.
The male chases less dominant fish away and spawning begins. It
should be noted that fish with a more aggressive attitude than the
redhump will probably interrupt and prevent their spawning. In other
words, the red-hump does not become "super-phagus" at
spawning time!
After some quivering and shaking by both female and male, the female
will lay one to five eggs in a row on the base of the pot.[7] Without
turning around, the female backs up and picks up the eggs in reverse
order of how they were laid. It has not been determined exactly
when the male fertilizes the eggs.[8] This will proceed for an hour
or so, with the male taking frequent breaks to chase away intruders.
While spawning, the fish's colors are only slightly more enhanced
than usual.
It's "Wham, bam, thank-you ma'am" with red-humps. The
female finds a hiding place or two and lays low while the male returns
to proving himself to the other males and showing off for the females.
At this time, it is a good idea to remove the female to a maternity
tank.
Unlike most Malawi mouthbrooders, the evidence of a spawning is
not apparent. There is no huge bulge in the throat or heavy chewing
motions as in the Egyptian mouthbrooder or most mbuna. Instead,
the aquarist should look for a small "pimple" on the lower
part of the throat. [9] I have noticed too that the female's throat
darkens while she is carrying. Also, the female will eat little
or nothing during her one to two week holding period.
The female will continue to take the fry back into her mouth after
they have been released. By sneaking up on the female, one can catch
her as she gulps the fry back in, one by one. Since the growth of
the fry is quite rapid, there comes a time when the female is physically
unable to accommodate all the youngsters. In addition, after a few
weeks she loses interest in them. At this time she can be returned
to the main tank. The fry, in the meantime, joyously gulp vast quantities
of newly hatched brine shrimp and crumbled flake food.
G. steindachneri is an easy fish to spawn. While spawnings
are not particularly large, numbering 26-60, they are frequent,
and the aquarist may find him or herself wading in red-hump fry.
I would recommend this fish to anyone who is trying to meet GPASI's
Breeders Award Program Cichlid class requirement for mouthbrooding
cichlids.
G steindachneri is a high quality cichlid that probably
will never sell well due to its drab coloration. Wayne Leibel sums
it up well: "While this fish won't knock your socks off colorwise,
its bizarre body shape and amazing antics will steal your heart
away." [10]
Notes
[1] Gosse ! J. P. and Kullander, Sven 0. "The Zoological Name
of the Red-Hump Geophagus (Teleostei: Cichlidae)."
Buntbarsche Bulletin 83, April 1981, pp. 12-17.
[2] See, for example, the photo and discussion in Goldstein, Robert.
Cichlids of the World. Neptune City, NJ: TFH Publications,
1973, pp 150-1.
[3] Loiselle, Paul V. "South American Eartheaters: Geophagus
and its Allies." Freshwater and Marine Aquarium (3):
6, June 1980, p. 29.
[4] Taphorn, Donald C. and Lilyestrom, Craig G. "Occurrence
of Geophagus steindachneri in the Maracaibo Basin of Venezuela."
Buntbarsche Bulletin 73, August 1979, p. 8.
[5] ''Like other members of the genus, G. steindachneri
is a far more efficient scavenger than are the great majority of
catfishes offered for that role in the aquarium." Speclan,
Anthony and Winkler, Sally M. "Geophagus steindachneri''
Cichlid Index, American Cichlid Association (2):3, p.2.
[6] Leibel, Wayne. "Neotropical Eartheaters: The Geophagus
Species Assemblage Part III." The Daphnian, Boston
Aquarium Society, February 1982, p. 6.
[7] Wayne Leibel observes that a dozen at a time are laid. Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] A good photograph of this appears in Richter, Hans Joachim.
"The Redhump Geophagus." Tropical Fish Hobbyist,
March 1979, p.12.
[10] Leibel, p. 60.
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