Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Red Head Tapajos Eartheater
Geophagus sp. 'Tapajos'
Also called Geophagus sp. 'red head Tapajos', Geophagus sp. 'orange head', Tapajos red head
From Brazil: endemic to the lower Rio Tapajos, including its tributary the Rio Arapiuns.1
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Elongated eartheater cichlid
A long, graceful eartheater with a sloping head. Males are brighter, slightly bigger and grow longer fin tips; the species has no head markings and about nine vertical bars on the sides.12
Personality what they are like
Peaceful and sociable outside breeding and will not bother fish larger than a few millimetres.1
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Spends its time sifting the bottom in a group, so it needs a large open area of soft sand.1
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Give soft sand to sift and spread food over three or four small meals a day.1
Home where they are happiest
Warm water of about 26 to 30 C, pH 4.5 to 7.5 and soft (1-10 dGH); a tank base of at least 180 x 60 cm (about 650 litres).1
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Bottom-sifting omnivore; fine sinking prepared foods, small live or frozen foods such as bloodworm, plus vegetable matter.1
Company who they like around
Keep in a group of at least 5 to 8 so it feels settled; pairs form within the group.1
The story where it all began
First exported from the lower Tapajos under the name 'orange head' and later also sold as 'red head Tapajos'. It was popular in the hobby for years before scientists formally named it as a new species in 2022.123
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Both parents take turns holding and guarding the fry in their mouths, which swim freely at about 8 to 11 days old.1
- 2
Wild fish come in two forms, one from the blackwater Rio Arapiuns and one from the main Tapajos channel.1
- 3
DNA work showed it differs by at least 2% in cytochrome b from its closest relatives.2
- 4
Its genus name Geophagus means 'earth eater', after the habit of sifting mouthfuls of sediment.4
Recognised by the official bits
- Taxonomy
- Long known only by trade names; formally described as a new Geophagus species by Chuctaya et al. in the Journal of Fish Biology (2022)2
- Journal of Fish Biology
- Chuctaya, Nitschke, Andrade, Wingert and Malabarba (2022), 'A new species of Geophagus: naming a cichlid widely known in the aquarium hobby as Geophagus sp. Tapajos red head'3
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Red Head Tapajos Eartheater. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Water changeAbout 25% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Glass cleanevery week
- Filter rinseRinse in old tank water, never tap waterevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Seriously Fish: Geophagus sp. 'orange head' seriouslyfish.comused for names, distribution, habitat, size, tank, water, diet, behaviour, breeding
- Crossref record: Chuctaya et al. 2022, Journal of Fish Biology api.crossref.orgused for formal description, diagnostic features
- PubMed 36059085 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govused for formal description citation
- Wikipedia: Geophagus en.wikipedia.orgused for genus name meaning
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.