Shaina

Well since I lost my GT a while ago, I've been debating on what to add to my 90g. I wanted a large cichlid that would have a decent chance of getting along with my pictus, panaque, and angelfish, and be something a little "different."

Enter my usual Friday LFS perusing...and coming across a tank of three juvie "Geophagus surinamensis"...approximately 2" long. I like Geophagus anyway, and this particular find had an added element...most fish brokered by fish dealers as "Geophagus surinamensis"...aren't. They are usually one of several different species that look rather similar as babes. Bonus? I like most of the species they usually turn out to be, they end up within the size range I wanted, and best of all...while they are generally very drab as juvies, they mature beautifully in about 18-24 months, so I have something to work toward.

I had a 3.25" Firemouth and a 2" Albino BN I've been meaning to trade in for a while, so I buzzed home, picked those up, and returned to the store to trade them in and pay the difference for my little mystery fish.

They are currently acclimating in my spare 29g where they will reside for the next two weeks to get over shipping stress, quarantine, and get used to eating my food.

With any luck I'll be able to raise them to adulthood and track their growth until I can figure out for certain what they are

Two terrible bag pics (complete with strong stress bars):

cichlidsmad

might be a

Geophagus surinamensis. or

Gymnogeophagus balzani. you should look both of them up to figure out what it is find a pic of each and compare them to your fish

Shaina

I really can't tell if they are either of the above. Other possibilities include dicrozoster, proximus, albalios...

One of many interesting articles: http://www.amazoncichlids.com/Pages/...inamensis.html

Anyway a couple of pics of them in their 29g. Day two and the stress bars are still apparent, more so on one of them than the other two:

cichlidsmad

umm ok you might have to wait until they get bigger when they get their corect bodyshape and finnage then you should be able to figure it out hopefully

MissMTS

They are so cute Geos are so pretty. I wish I had room for one in my tank!

Butterfly

I know what you mean every time somebody gets something different I say i wish I had some of those LOl
Nice fish by the way Shaina.
Carol

Shaina

Yup, that's the plan They are all eating now though they are very shy. I keep willing them to grow grow grow!

Thanks I'm very excited to see how these mature. I won't have room for all three as adults, but I can trade one of them in later (my LFS is excellent about such things) and it will be a long time before I have to do so.

Thanks Carol

That very wish is one of the reasons I got these...I knew I wanted a big cichlid, but that doing so would "fill me up" in that I wouldn't have room to get more fish, so I wanted to get something that will keep my interest for a long time. I am a cichlid addict anyway, particularly South American ones, and these are something new for me...so now when I see I fish I want but don't have a place for, I can think "but I am still working on my Geo. ID Project!" and the temptation will pass.

At least that's the idea. Either that or I'm going to have to get another tank. I'd have room, because if I did so I'd probably suddenly find myself single lol.

cichlidsmad

my dad tried to put one of those in his african cichlid tank and it got pretty ruffed up but got its act together and became one of the bosses in the tank

Shaina

They have ICH

I'm having flashbacks of my horrible brush with Ich a few months ago when I was getting ready to stock my 90g.

Thank goodness I quarantine...I've never had it affect anyone not in quarantine at least...so happy this is not happening in my display tank

Please send lots of good thoughts and such...hopefully I caught this early enough. They were just starting to become more bold and now they are sick

Amanda

Oh man!! Good luck!

Shaina

Lost the little on overnight. He was in the worst shape of the three when I got him from the store, and I just think he hadn't recovered enough to fight off the parasites.

The other two have improved in the last 24 hours...more open water swimming, less hanging out by the filters to get extra oxygen or rubbing against things. They even ate a little...

*crosses fingers that the other two make it*

MissMTS

I hope they make it Shaina! Sorry you lost the little one Did you raise your temp to 84-86 degrees? I know you probably already know to do this, but it doesn't hurt to check

Shaina

Yeah as soon as I saw the Ich I raised the temperature from 78 to 85 over the course of 8 hours (from the time I got home until I went to bed).

I also removed the silk plants and such to promote better vacuuming of the floor of the tank, which is covered by a single layer of medium-sized smooth gravel (to minimize reflection for the fish's sake yet make it an easy-to-clean quarantine tank), but left the clay pots and hamster tee's that I have on the bottom and the floating plastic plants on the top so that they still have places to hide...trying to find a balance between super-clean and keeping the fish from feeling overexposed.

I've been doing about a 20% water change/day now in hopes of not stressing them out toooo much but still getting to all the gravel...


Thanks for the reminder

navyscuba

Shaina it kinda looks like the Geophagus sp. Bahia but there are little so is hard to say here is a thread about mine.
Convict?

Shaina

That could very well be it, navyscuba...they look very similar to your juvie pic. But I agree, there's really no way to know for sure until they put on some size and start to take on adult characteristics. I kinda hope that's what they are now, though, lol...the adult fish in the profile you linked look fantastic!

Too bad you don't still have yours...I would have taken him off your hands!



Both remaining fish survived the night and are eating, though they still have a lot of visible cysts on them. Every meal they eat and day they survive is one step closer to making it through to the day the last of the Evil Ichs are siphoned out of the tank...

Shaina

Well everyone else survived the Ich and have been parasite-free for a while now and eating well

I don't think they've grown much despite that...maybe if I start playing Mozart for them...(hey it's supposed to work on plants, right? )

Shaina

Moved the Geos to the 90g today...decided they were ready and since I have had a couple Rosy Tetras living in there for a few weeks and they have been doing well, I thought it was safe enough for the Geos as well. There are a lot of spare hiding places available for them if they feel so inclined.

Shaina

Okay, too cool...

In the 29g the substrate is basically a see-through thin layer of gravel to help keep quarantine fish calm but still facilitate easy cleaning.

In the 90g I have a sand substrate...and they Geos are already having the times of their lives throwing and spitting it all over the place. I half expect to see a sand castle by morning.

Both have already eaten, chased a SAE or two, poked at the java moss, teased the Angelfish, and given themselves the grand tour. I think they approve of their new digs.