Geophagus Pellegrini

Originally found in Columbia, the Geophagus pellegrini was first described by Regan in 1912. Growing to about 6 inches in length, this is one of the smaller Geophagus and is rather peaceful. The males will develop a nuchal hump that may turn red. The body is a gray-green with green highlights and black mottling. This fish will eat most prepared aquarium foods and may uproot live plants. As the name implies, the Geo-phagus (earth eater) will continually shift through the substrate in search of food. For this reason the aquarium should have a fine gravel or sandy bottom. Any rocks should be securely placed to avoid having the fish undermine them and cause them to tumble over and possibly break the tank or collapse on the fish. It is best to keep the Pellegrini as a pair or in harem fashion to avoid aggression between two males.

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