The Surunimis Geophagus, also known as the Redstripe Eartheater, the Mother-of-Pearl Eartheater, and the Opalescent Eartheater, has a long nose with eyes set high on the head and amber in color. Surunimis Geophagus has a gray-black blotch on its side, resembling an ink smudge. The background color is olive-green to pearl gray, with iridescent blue-green stripes on its sides and small iridescent blue spots on its fins, with the exception of the pectoral fins. Wild Surunimis Geophagus exhibit deep red lateral stripes, which fade in captivity.
The Surunimis Geophagus requires a tank of 50 gallons or larger with a sandy bottom and flat rocks. The rear of the tank should have caves made from stones and roots, and the edges of the tank should be decorated with hardy, potted plants. They are confirmed burrowers, and care should be taken when creating the caves, so that they do not collapse. The Surunimis Geophagus can be kept in tanks with large catfish as tank mates.
The Surunimis Geophagus will pair up and form nuclear families. They are territorial and extremely aggressive during spawning. The Surunimis Geophagus are larvophile mouth brooders, meaning they lay eggs and right before or as the larvae hatch both the female and the male take them into their mouths for protection.
The Surunimis Geophagus is an omnivore and will eat most prepared and frozen foods including freeze-dried bloodworms, tubifex, and ocean plankton, as well as flake food and cichlid pellets.
Approximate Purchase Size: 2" to 3-1/2"
Testimonial By:
Testimonial:
Mitzi Lea Guthrie, OR
I adore this Eartheater! I recently bought a 1 1/2" Redstripe Eartheater (Surinamen Geophagus as shown in the picture) from LiveAquaria.com and am still in awe of this gorgeous baby Eartheater with his colorful & perfect finnage. He immedianly started sifting through the sand looking for food. He'll be going in with other Eartheaters in a 6' tank. Thank you, Live Aquaria :-)
