Geophagus Orange head
Geophagus orangehead occurs naturally in the lower basin of the Tapajos River, which is a right tributary of the Amazon River flowing in central Brazil. A small population of fish also occurs in the Aragua River, which is not connected in any way to the Topajos River; moreover, there is a considerable distance between the two rivers. However, fish caught in these rivers, supplied to retailers under one name, although in the opinion of many aquarists, this is not correct, and these fish appear to belong to different species.
The Geophagus sp. "Orange head were described by the German aquarists Christop Seidel and Rainer Harnoss in 1991.
The water in the Araguya River is clear and brownish in colour due to the tannins dissolved in it, which are released during the decomposition of large numbers of tree leaves and their branches at the bottom.
Males are more brightly coloured than females, have elongated bluish-red fins and are slightly larger. Some dominant males develop a peculiar hump on the head as they mature. The body is colored gray with rows of dashes and stripes of orange coloration. The head of the fish is orange. The maximum size of the fish is 20-25 cm.
Orange-headed Geofagus in general is a peaceful fish that does not cause trouble even very tiny fish contained in the same aquarium. Do not want to keep with geofagusovymi orange-headed aggressive or territorial fish, as well as fish that need more stringent water. The minimum number of Geofagus in the aquarium is 5-8. With a lower number, the dominant fish will constantly harass the weaker individuals.
The most important decoration element in the aquarium is the sand substrate, which plays a prominent role in feeding the fish. The fish sieve the sand through their gills while eating, so it must not contain any fine gravel that might damage the gill filaments or even block them.
Additional decoration is a matter of taste. You can place a large driftwood, a couple of large flat stones and some tree branches on the bottom. In nature, the river bottom, where fish live, is lined with a thick layer of tree leaves, but in the aquarium is not recommended to place a leaf litter because of the eating habits of Geofagus, which raises a large turbidity at the bottom, which can quickly clog water filters.
Geophagus orange-headed is very demanding to the quality of water, and therefore launch them in the aquarium only after it is installed in a biological equilibrium. Water parameters: temperature 26-30° C, hardness dH 1-10°, acidity pH 4,5-7,5. Requires good filtration, aeration and a weekly change of ½ of the aquarium water with fresh.
Geophagus orange-head feeds by sifting the substrate through the gills. Despite their relatively large size, the fish require fine food. They are fed with live and frozen daphnia, artemia and bloodworms. They do not refuse flake food containing spirulina. Feed the fish 3-4 times a day in small portions.
Reproduction
Under suitable conditions Geofagus orange-headed breed. Stimulate spawning with a varied and balanced menu and maintaining water quality at the proper level.
Formed a pair of fish picks up a large flat rock, and after a brief period of mating games, the female proceeds to spawn, which lasts several hours. Spawning is batchwise, the female lays several eggs at a time. The eggs incubate for three days, during which time the parents stay near the eggs. As soon as the fry hatch, the producers take care of them. At night the fry hide in the mouth of the female, and sometimes she is helped in this by the male.
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The fry are fed Artemia nauplii several times a day.
