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FAQs on Juraparoids, the Eartheaters
Related Articles: Juraparoids,
Neotropical Cichlids, African Cichlids,
Dwarf South American Cichlids, Asian
Cichlids,
Cichlid Fishes in General,
Related FAQs: Cichlids of the
World,
Cichlid Systems,
Cichlid Identification,
Cichlid Behavior,
Cichlid Compatibility, Cichlid Selection,
Cichlid Feeding,
Cichlid Disease, Cichlid
Reproduction,
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Geophagus brasiliensis
Cichlid With Infection
11/11/09
Hi guys, hoping you can help! About 3 months ago I purchased a pair of large
Geophagus brasiliensis. They took a bit of a knock in the shop the careless
guy allowed the bag to drop to the floor but I still had them as they were
such beautiful fish. Within a couple of days of having them, one started to
develop a lump on the side of its head. I put this down to the bump they
received and thought I would wait and see if this 'bruise' went down. The
lump never disappeared or got any better or worse and as the fish seemed
perfectly happy otherwise, eating, healthy and constantly flirting with its
mate. It didn't really concern me too much. In the last week or so the lump
has developed a sort of red pimple in the middle, a bit like a white head on
a normal spot. I've enclosed the best picture I could take. I'm hoping you
can cast some clarity on this as I cant seem to find anything online and im
really hoping this isn't HITH. My fish are in a 850 litre tank with a few
other new world cichlids, there is no aggression between any of the fish and
all my water parameters are normal Many thanks
Dan
< Thanks for the photo. The bacterial infection is coming to a head. When it
pops like a pimple, There will be some redness. At that time I would do a
50% water change and watch the site closely. It doesn't heal right away or
look like it is getting better then treat with an antibiotic like Furanace.
I don't think it is HITH.-Chuck>
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Tankmates for Red Threadfin Acara 09/14/09
Could you tell me which tankmates would be suitable for a threadfin
Acara in a 75 gallon (48") long tank ?
<Acarichthys heckelii, an interesting eartheater cichlid from South
America.>
The Acara would be 1 and a half to 2 inches long.
<For a while at least! These fish will grow rapidly, and should get to
around 15 cm/6 inches within a year.>
Also, are these fish too aggressive to be kept in a species tank, and
what could be done to lessen aggression ?
<They are really much like other Eartheaters, and best kept in large
groups, but your tank would be a bit of a push in that regard. As
juveniles they are somewhat tolerant of one another, but as they mature,
they'd pair
off, and bonded pairs will become increasingly aggressive. Conversely,
non-brooding singletons aren't particularly aggressive at all, and by
cichlids standards, are almost peaceful. So the whole question of
tankmates depends on whether you're keeping one, a breeding pair, or a
group of 6+.
Since they're virtually impossible to sex, unless you have access to a
mature breeding pair, if you want to spawn this species -- a challenge
-- then you keeping a group is the only way to go. A lot will depend on
the tank. Since these fish need open space rather than plants or caves,
the more open the tank, the more the fish will spread out and tolerate
one another. Decorate with just some bogwood and big Anubias/Java ferns
at the edges, and otherwise mostly smooth silica sand (not gravel!). No
point using plants with roots, since they'd be ripped up! Floating
plants good for shade as well as nitrate control. The best tankmates
would be
medium-sized schooling fish that stayed towards the top of the tank,
Giant Danios for example, perhaps even (wild-type) Swordtails if water
chemistry allowed. Nothing too slow or dainty! For the bottom, best to
avoid anything easily bullied. An L-number catfish that gets to around
20 cm/8 inches would be the obvious choice, but a school of Brochis or a
trio of Megalechis might be interesting alternatives. Outside of South
America, virtually any of the medium-sized Synodontis would work well.
Avoid smaller Corydoras or anything that would pecked, harassed, or
otherwise damaged.>
Thanks.
JD
<Cheers, Neale.>
55 gallon FW Stocking
Sand , Jurupari and Rainbow Questions 4/9/09
Hello Crew and Thank You for a great job.
I'm going to set up 55 US gallon FW tank and have some questions about
this.
I want to put sand on the bottom. Home Depot sells sand for
"playground".
They do not specify, what kind of sand is that. Do you have any idea if
this sand is safe for a fish tank?
<In different areas of the country the sand may be different. Get a
small sample and place in it some distilled water. If the TDS or pH
changes then the material is leaching minerals into the water and is
generally not good for use in an aquarium.>
I'd like to keep in the tank 2 Geophagus jurupari.. I do not see a lot
of information about this fish. Some of the internet sites say they are
very touchy and require very soft water. I assume my water is very hard
(pH=8).
Are they really need soft water like discus or rams?
< Wild Satanoperca jurupari do come from areas of soft acidic water.
Most of the fish today are tank bred and do much better in harder water.
They may be maintained in harder water but will probably not breed.>
If that the case, I better choose different species. Please let me know,
if they will adapt to a hard water.
Also would it be aggression problem between 2 Geophagus jurupari?
< They are not an aggressive species. Keep in mind that any eartheater
type of cichlid will constantly be sift food from the sand. If the sand
is too coarse or has angular edges then it will be abrasive and cause
disease
problems.>
I also want to keep 6 boesemanni rainbowfish. If I buy 6 juveniles,
would it be a problem, if I will get more males than females?
<Rainbows will be fine in a group. Males will show their best colors
with some females around.>
I want to plant the tank with different kinds of Anubias, and I want to
add gold nugget Pleco. Is it safe to keep this Pleco with Anubias?
< There are many types of gold nugget Plecos with different
requirements.
Go to Planetcatfish.com and research the species of Pleco you are
looking to get.>
What do you think about this stocking overall? Will this system work?
< The Pleco will probably be wild and may need soft acidic water. The
rainbows on the other hand like hard alkaline water. Maybe look at
something like Congo tetras if you are going to soften the water or get
a
common Pleco that will tolerate the harder tap water.-Chuck>
Thank you, Mark
Cichlid recommendations. For a 20 gal.
5/29/08
I am recently returning into the love of fish, they're more interesting than
snakes, and have been wondering about stocking a tank with Cichlids. I am really
interested in the Jurupari, and possibly some of the dwarf cichlids.
I plan to buy a 20 gallon tank (not much else would fit in my room) and want to
know what would be a good tank mix for it?
<A twenty is too small for Juraparoids/Eartheaters...>
I understand that with Jurupari it is recommend to keep the water extremely
clean, to prevent hole-in-the-head, and that while they are young the gravel
should be thin (Sandy or such...). I would just love to know if a 20 gal is
large enough for one of these beautiful fish, or possibly two. If not, which
Cichlids would you recommend?
<Really, S. American Dwarfs...>
I understand that angel-fish are very sweet (though territorial) fish, one of my
friends owns a pair. Though, I am really interested in a fish like the earth
eaters... It just sounds so fun.
I also want something that I can watch and not stress out, my current fancy
guppies (doing well mind you) stress me from time to time... They like to freak
out all over the tank, interacting with their reflections.
Thanks for the wonderful resource!
Heather.
<Welcome... do avail yourself of the many resources on the Net, library books re
Apistogramma, Nannacara... Bob Fenner>
Geophagus Sucking on Fire
Eel? 11/15/07
I am sitting here watching my 150 gallon tank and I am seeing one of my
Geophagus sucking on the fins of my 3.5 foot Fire Eel -
<Neat!>
What's up with that? The eel is prowling the surface hoping it is dinner time -
an does not even flinch while the Geophagus is sucking on his tail fins...
<Mmm... how to state this... fish mucus has many properties... of use to its
producer, and is a food source to some other organisms. In this case, your
eartheater>
I assume it is sucking cause there are no bite marks or scuffing.
Any thoughts?
Tim
<If causing no damage, I would not be concerned... the Mastacembelid can take
care of itself, assuredly. Cheers, Bob Fenner>
HELP!!!!! I am scared my 6" Jurupari will
not make it over night!! 5/31/07
Jurupari With Hole-In-The-Head Disease
Okay this is the deal, for about 2 years we have had a 55 gallon freshwater
tank and within the first year we had acquired - 2- 1.5" black tetras, 1 - 1.5"
Tiger barb, 1 - 2" Figure Eight puffer, and 1 - 3" algae eater. Every thing was
fine for several months, and then about 6 months ago the Puffer died, we weren't
sure why, probably because I was too busy with an new baby to tend to the tank
like I should have.
< Actually as puffers get older they move to salt water from fresh water. this
is not true for all FW puffers but it is true for most sold at stores.>
We observed the fish and took care of the tank, making sure there was nothing
going to harm the other fish. Since the other fish seemed fine we decided two
weeks ago we would like to get another puffer (they are so much fun.) Well I
went to my LFS in search for a puffer and I came upon a Beautiful 6" Geophagus
Jurupari at the price of $50 - I didn't buy it, but placed an order for the
puffer instead. A week later I came back to pick up the puffer and the "smart"
fish guy was there so I asked about the Geophagus - he said it was a great hardy
fish and that it would be fine with a puffer and the fish I had at home.
< Most puffers are actually brackish fish unless you got a specific species that
is found in true FW. The Satanoperca jurupari actually comes from soft, warm,
acidic waters of South America.>
I said I will take it, and they loaded him up with the puffer and I brought them
home to there new tank. Since this was my first time to purchase a fish that
cost more than $10 - I had never even heard of putting new fish in a QT before
entering them into my display tank. I have always just acclimated them then
added a little of my water at a time over about an 45 min. time period - and
this is what I did with the Jurupari and the Puffer. After being in our tank for
2 days I noticed tiny white specs on the puffer and immediately went to the
computer to learn it was ich. I decided to go with the heat, salt and daily
water changes instead of the chemical route. Since I didn't have an extra tank
and heater etc. I used a large clear acrylic salad bowl and placed it into the
large tank to share the 87 degree temp and air with an air stone and a little
gravel. Concerned about the ich and curious to know more about the Jurupari, I
again turned to the web. I began to realize my water conditions were totally
wrong for the Jurupari. Now I was really concerned my water conditions were
going to stress this beautiful fish. I immediately began to attempt to lower the
hardness, pH, & alkalinity of my tank water with water changes, aquarium salt,
and a pH buffer - I just could not get it down!! After loads of research - I
realized the that the Texas Holey Rock and landscaping gravel I had in my tank
were causing the high alkalinity and water hardness! I immediately removed the
rocks and the next day I removed the gravel replacing it with black Tahitian
Moon Sand for the Eartheater - but now my bacteria is gone and I have began to
notice little tiny holes on the head of my Jurupari! I immediately searched WWM
and found this was HITH! I did as suggested and ordered Metronidazole
(Hole-In-The-Head Guard) from DrsFosterSmith.com, along with Marc Weiss Instant
Amazon, and Vita-Chem. I
did a water change, then administered the HITH meds, now he wont eat and he has
began to get blood streaks in his tail, he hangs out at the top and is kind of
out of balance. Believe It Or Not! I am already in love with this fish!!! I am
willing to do whatever it takes to save these fish!!! Other than not researching
the South American Cichlid before I bought it - Please tell me what I did wrong,
and what I can do to fix it!! Helpless in Houston, Beth
< The genus Satanoperca overall is a very touchy group of fish. They require
very clean soft acidic water to thrive. Anything less that this and they break
down with a long list of maladies that you have now encountered. All of the
changes have created stress in your fish and he has begun to shut down. For the
short term I would isolate him in a 10 gallon tank with and airstone and a
heater. The water would be 50% treated tap and 50% R/O. Set the heater at 82 F.
Treat the tank with a combination of Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace. The Metro
with treat the bloat and the Nitro will treat the bacterial infections in the
fins. Treat on day 1, 3 and 5. On days 2 and 4 just do a 50% water change while
vacuuming out any waste. When the fish acts hungry then you can start to try and
bet him to eat some medicated fish food with Metro in it. In the long term the
big tank really needs softened water. I would recommend using an R/O unit to
remove the dissolved minerals and adding a buffer to acidify the water to a
mildly acidic pH. these fish are bottom feeders so make sure some food gets to
the bottom. They do not like any waste in the water. The nitrates should be
under 10 ppm. This is very clean water and will require lots of water changes.
the other fish will like the new water with the exception of the puffer.-Chuck>
Re: HELP!!!!! I am scared my 6" Jurupari
will not make it over night!!
Finding Nitrofurazone - 6/1/07
> Also, where can I find Nitrofuranace? I didn't see it on
DrsFosterSmith.com.
< They sell it as simply Furanace or Furan-2.>
Can I use API's Triple Sulfa?
< You can try it but I don't think it will be as effective as the
medications I have recommended.>
Am I treating hemorrhagic septicemia, is that what the blood streaks are, or
is it some sort of bloat?
< These medications are good for bacterial and fungal infections. Your are
treating both external and internal bacterial infections.>
I am going to get an extra tank right away - I guess because I will be doing
a 50% water change every day I wont need a filter on the QT tank.
<When you medicate a quarantine tank , the medications are affecting the
biological filtration. You remove the fish waste in the tank with the water
changes.-Chuck> Thank you so much with helping me on the specifics - I am
extremely grateful!!!!!
> Beth
Re:
HELP!!!!! I am scared my 6" Jurupari will not make it over night!!
R/O Water - 6/1/07
> Since I don't have access to RO water right away can I use bottled
distilled for the water changes? It is 0 everything?
< Distilled removes more minerals than an R/O unit so either would be
fine.-Chuck.>
Re: HELP!!!!! I am scared my 6" Jurupari
will not make it over night!!
> Jurupari Needs Treatment - 6/1/07
> WWM Team - THANK YOU for your quick response!!!
< We know how important information is when your fish are sick.>
OK, I bought a 10 gallon tank, wiped it out with distilled water, and filled
it with distilled water.
< Pure distilled water is not needed. Next time mix 75% distilled with 25%
tap water.>
I heated the water to 84 so there wouldn't be a drastic temp change for the
Jurupari - I am slowly lowering it to 82. Right now the tank only has the
heater and an airstone in it. I also put 1 tsp of Instant Amazon and 20
drops of Vita-Chem, since I did a Metro treatment in the big tank yesterday,
I won't treat him with it again today. My main concern is the other medicine
you mentioned - I was unable to locate it online or at the LFS's I have near
my house. I did find API's Triple Sulfate Anti-Bacterial Fish Med that is
for Hemorrhagic Septicemia - should I use this to treat the water?
< I looked in the Drsfostersmith.com catalog and found both medications I
mentioned available. The tri-Sulpha is not as effective as the medications I
had mentioned. If cannot find them then go ahead and try the triple Sulpha.>
The If so, should I do it today and alternate the treatments every day, or
should I wait until tomorrow and do both medications at the same time?
< Treat with both medications at the same time.>
If not, please tell me were I can get the Nitrofuranace and I will have it
next day aired to my house. By the way the Jurupari's fins aren't
clenched anymore now that he is in the Distilled Water - but it looks like
he is also suffering from fin rot - is this also because of the water
conditions, or is this something new?
< The fin rot is a bacterial infection from high nitrates in the water. This
disease will respond to the antibiotics.>
Also, is there an RO unit you would suggest for my tank?
<If you have a 55 gallon tank and you probably need to change up to 30% of
the water every week. This means you need to generate about 20 gallons per
week for water changes. So you need to get one that generates at least 20-30
gallons per week. They are usually sold in Gallons per day. So get a unit
that generates at least 5 gallons per day and you can always lower the
pressure and reduce the amount needed.>
Now. about the big tank, my tiger barb wont eat and he is gasping for air -
it looks like he has dark green patches on his sides and the top of his head
- and maybe one single spot of ich on his back fin (if this is possible.)
Also, yesterday the puffer looked like most of his ich spots were gone and
this morning he was covered with twice as many.
<The ich medication has probably affected the biological filtration. Check
the water for ammonia and nitrite levels. Both should be zero. Reduce levels
with water changes.>
UGH! I feel like this is all my fault! Not researching before the purchase
of new fish. Now I feel like I am in way over my head.
Helplessly trying to reproduce the Amazon in Houston! Beth
<This is all part of the learning process. We are here to help.-Chuck>
Re: HELP!!!!! I am scared my 6" Jurupari will not make it over night!! -
6/1/07
> Treating A Jurupari
> Well after I put the Jurupari in the 10 gallon QT tank he immediately
perked up his fins and biting at the glass as if he was hungry...so I tried
mixing some vita-chem and Metro in with some flakes and letting them dry,
but he seemed to just make a mess with them through his gills. So I thawed
some bloodworms and added vita-chem and Metro to them in a little bowl, let
them soak and got him to eat two servings yesterday. This morning when I
woke up he as floating at the top again with his fins clenched - I tested
the ammonia and it was .5 ppm (How is that possible?)
< All fish waste and uneaten food turn into ammonia. You have no biological
filtration. If he is eating then feed once a day. Feed only enough food so
that all of it is gone in two minutes. Remove all uneaten food while doing
the water change.>
Immediately, I did a 50% water change, tested again and it seemed like it
was between 0 and .25. So administered the Metro and Triple sulfa. After
being in the meds for an hour or se he began shedding some serious slime and
his tail was kind of floating up - I waited a while and there was no change
so I did another 50% water change diluting some of the meds. His fins are
clenched and he seems unbalanced -
and he keeps floating up - and he wont eat again. Do you think he can make
it or does it seem unlikely? I am heart broken and completely consumed by
the issues at hand. Thanks for your help! Beth
<When a fish is stressed it develops a heavy slime so the parasites cannot
get to its skin. Now the medications are diluted and you fed him three times
yesterday. Your fish has gone through a lot. Currently he is not being
treated and just sitting in z 10 gallon tank. If he is strong he may come
back.-Chuck>
Re: HELP!!!!! I am scared my 6" Jurupari
will not make it over night!! 6/3/07
Jurupari Worn Out
This morning my Jurupari was upside down in the QT tank - I looked
closer and he was still breathing - I stirred the water up and he swam up
top, but quickly floated back down to the bottom. He is still at the bottom,
although he is upright now - What should I do? Do you think he is suffering?
< You fish has gone through alot. I would recommend that you keep up with
the daily 50% water changes until he dies or gets better. He is probably too
weak for any medications. Let him rest and build up his strength and see if
he has anything left to fight back.-Chuck> Earth Eater Eating It
1/11/07
I have an adult jupari that I acquired in an adopted 150 tank.
The pH is 7 with 0 Nitrites and very slightly elevated Ammonia .
< Should be zero.>
The tank has just recently stabilized after many weeks of spiking
ammonia and nitrites. The tank has a sand substrate and temp is 78.9.
There are 4 adult Severums and 2 adult jupari and a 3 foot fire eel. One
of the adult jupari started showing eroding spots on the right side of
head. I moved the fish to a 10 gallon tank, added salt and Metrozol per
LFS advice.
< One of the treatments for hole-in-the-head.>
In two days the fish developed a very cloudy lens on his left eye and
other areas appear to be eroding on his head and right side.
Very small but noticeable. Per LFS I have added Tetracycline.
All other fish in the tank appear fine so far. Any thoughts?
< These fish come from the soft acidic waters of South America. They do
not tolerate much waste in their water at all. The store's treatment is
sound advice. Add some high quality food with lots of vitamins and
minerals to build up the immune system. If you fish is still eating I
would try the following. Take an ounce of live blackworms and place them
in a plastic cup with some water. Add the Metronidazole to the
blackworms. This will kill the blackworms. Feed immediately to the fish.
This will get the medication into the fish where it can do the most
good.>
NOTE: I have found and been corrected MANY times on the name of my fish
- some like Jupari, Some like JuRAPi, Some Geophagus preceded by some
Satana....name. It is an earth eater and was sold to me by LFS as a
Jupari. What should it be called? I would be glad to send pic if your
interested. Tim Self
< This fish has historically been sold as Geophagus jurupari. A few
years ago the genus was changed to Satanaperca (Devil Fish). There are
actually a hand full of cichlids in this genus. Two fish that look very
similar are the jurupari and the leucosticta. Care is the same for
both.-Chuck>
Geophagus proximus? 1/1/06
Hey crew, if you would be so kind, I really need an ID on this please.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/27058238/<http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/27058238/>
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/27057790/<http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/27057790/>
Two are 3.5 inches, and the one shown in both pics is 3 inches. Very
healthy and quite aggressive, I'm thinking they need to go...This came
with that rescue tank.
>> From your photos it is hard to tell, but certainly not G. proximus. I
would say they are young Gymnogeophagus balzani but it is hard to tell.
In any event all Geophagines get larger than 5-6". So if you do not want
to have the trouble you may have to get rid of them.
Good Luck, Oliver |
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Oliver... where's the email, pix? |
No, that is definitely not it. It has the body shape just like a
proximus, has the spot, but has a mark under its eye and those tiger
like stripes. Can you think of anything else like this?
>> I can tell you, but I can not from your photo. There are lots of
Geophagus, and they look similar to each other at that size. It is not
proximus for sure, because the location and size of the spot are wrong.
There are dozens of species similar to proximus,
Thank you, Oliver |
Re: Geophagus proximus?
01/01/2006
I'll do some more research myself, thanks for your help!
Send me a photo of the fish lying flat on your hand, and i should be able to
tell you what species it is. O.
Satanoperca jurupari with Parasites
Hi, A week ago, I bought a 6 in Geophagus jurupari from a local fish store.
I noticed that he had black speckles on his fins and body that were raised as
though something were attached to him. On the advice of a marine biologist from
another LFS, I treated the geo for black spot disease using Fluke tabs.
The first day in the hospital tank, the geo was fine. The second day, his
colors turned very dark and he acted skittish. I checked ammonia, nitrates, and
nitrites, all of which tested fine. I did a 50% water change with conditioned
water and continued treatment.
This morning, I found him belly-up on the bottom of the tank. The store where
I bought him now tells me that they only have a 5-day guarantee and that I
killed the fish by using Fluke tabs. They say that I shouldn't use this med on a
"silver-colored" fish because "silver-colored" fish are more sensitive. The
marine biologist at another store says that this is nonsense. Are Fluke tabs
safe for Geophagus? What killed my geo?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Sincerely, Heidi Holz
< Here is what happened. Your Jurupari must be wild did indeed come in with
parasites. It is a parasite with a very complicated life cycle. In the fish, the
parasite is pretty much inactive. It is difficult to treat because the parasites
are under the skin where many medications can't effectively penetrate. The
parasite stays there until the fish gets eaten by a bird or something else.
In the gut of the animal it releases its eggs which are then excreted into the
water. It the water the eggs hatch and then the larvae go looking for a fish to
infect and everything starts all over again. If you had left the fish alone then
it probably would have been fine. Treating him with Fluke-tabs probably did kill
the organism but then all this dead parasites were in the fish with nowhere to
go. Depending on the infection this dead material could potentially poison the
cichlid and kill it. In the future I think I would observe the fish more
carefully before it was purchased. Secondly there is nothing documented about
Fluke-Tabs being harmful to "Silver Fish". I think this was a fabrication by the
store to cover themselves.-Chuck>
Eartheater cichlid
My Eartheater cichlid has developed a cloudy patch over only one eye. I
can't tell if the eye is injured or if it is some type of disease. I've used
Aquari-Sol the last couple of days to see if that would help, but it just has
gotten worse. I was going to try some aquarium salt, but I didn't want to add
the salt if it was not going to help. Thanks for your help.
< Eartheaters sometimes damage their eyes while digging through the sand. Do a
30% water change and service the filter. Treat the tank with erythromycin and It
should be better in a day or two.-Chuck>
Red-humped pellegrini
I was wondering if you could point me to some information on these fish. I
purchased 2 of these from the LFS. I have a 75gal. operating with an emperor
800 filter and a reverse flow under gravel. The only other thing I have in
there is an 8 inch Plecostomus (please excuse the misspelling). I have had
quite a bit of experience with cichlids and have done a lot of reading.
However, I could not find any information on this fish. Such as; Max Size,
tank mates, eating habits. Is this fish an Earth eater?
<Let's see... I better take a look on fishbase.org... under Geophagus...
Yep, still in that genus:
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=12369&genusname=Geophagus&speciesname=pellegrini
Size given there... eating habits... a juraparoid/Eartheater... typical eat most
anything small (dried, frozen/defrosted, fresh), have habit of
mouth/sifting the substrate for food items... Bob Fenner>
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