Variations
1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Tapajos red head eartheater
Peaceful; best in a large community of peaceful species.
- Tapajos red head eartheater eats animals up to about 4 cm. Neon tetra only grows to 2.5 cm.
- They need different temperatures (26–30 °C vs 21–25 °C). No setting suits both.
- Tapajos red head eartheater eats animals up to about 4 cm. Cardinal tetra only grows to 3 cm.
- Tapajos red head eartheater eats animals up to about 4 cm. Black neon tetra only grows to 3.2 cm.
- Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 26 °C.
- Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 26–27 °C.
155 species in our list are a good match.
Care and water
Behavior
Peaceful; best in a large community of peaceful species.
- sand
Food
Sinking pellets, frozen foods and live worms.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Both sexes develop the red-orange head from sexual maturity (about 8-10 cm SL). Males are more intensely coloured, slightly larger and have longer fin extensions; some dominant males develop a nuchal hump.
Health
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Breeding
Mouthbrooder · Hard
Larvophilous biparental mouthbrooder: the pair spawns on a stone like an open spawner, and after about 2-3 days the larvae are taken into the mouth; both parents share brood care.
Keep a group of 6 and let a pair form, or one male with several females.
A 350 L tank with a sponge or gentle filter, fine sand to sift, a few rocks and open swimming space.
Clean warm water, big regular water changes and varied protein foods.
Eggs hatch after about 72 hours and the fry are free-swimming at 8-11 days. No egg count found.
The brooding parent holds eggs and fry, releasing them at about 1 cm; feed newly hatched brine shrimp.
- Coarse or sharp substrate
- Stressing the brooding fish
- Infrequent water changes
Where it lives in the wild
The story of the tapajos red head eartheater
Known in the hobby since about 1991 as Geophagus sp. 'Tapajós red head' or 'orange head', it was finally described in 2022 as Geophagus pyrocephalus ('fire head'). It is endemic to the lower Rio Tapajós, and both sexes get the red-orange head.
This eartheater is still undescribed and is traded as Geophagus sp. 'Tapajós red head'. It comes from the clearwater Rio Tapajós in Brazil. Males develop a red head and long fins.
- Males develop a bright red forehead.
- It filters sand for food like other eartheaters.
- It is still traded under its locality name.
Sources
16 facts checked with sources
- Scientific namecorrected
Described in 2022 as Geophagus pyrocephalus Chuctaya, Nitschke, Andrade, Wingert & Malabarba, 2022. Seriously Fish still lists it as undescribed G. sp. 'orange head' (= 'red head Tapajós'); FishBase has no public page yet. Seriously Fish warns one form is misleadingly traded as G. sp. 'Araguaia orange head'. Keep 'Geophagus sp. Tapajos' as an other name.
Chuctaya et al. 2022, J. Fish Biol. 101(6): 1388-1404 (PubMed 36059085) · AMAZONAS Magazine (2022): Geophagus sp. Red Head Tapajos has a New Name · Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer, 2024): Geophagus pyrocephalus (= Tapajós Red Head) - FamilyChuctaya et al. 2022, J. Fish Biol. 101(6): 1388-1404 (PubMed 36059085)
- Size
Seriously Fish 25 cm SL (larger figure used, per size rule). Aquarium Glaser says 16 cm maximum; most aquarium fish stay well under 25 cm.
Seriously Fish: Geophagus sp. 'orange head' (= 'red head Tapajós') · Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer, 2024): Geophagus pyrocephalus (= Tapajós Red Head) - TemperatureSeriously Fish: Geophagus sp. 'orange head' (= 'red head Tapajós')
- pH
Legacy 5-7 sits inside Seriously Fish 4.5-7.5.
Seriously Fish: Geophagus sp. 'orange head' (= 'red head Tapajós') - Hardnesscorrected
Legacy had none.
Seriously Fish: Geophagus sp. 'orange head' (= 'red head Tapajós') - Smallest tankcorrected
180 x 60 cm base x 60 cm height = 648 L (Seriously Fish's figure); with 35 cm height 378 L. Legacy 350 L, sized for a group of 5-8.
Seriously Fish: Geophagus sp. 'orange head' (= 'red head Tapajós') - Group sizecorrected
Legacy 1.
Seriously Fish: Geophagus sp. 'orange head' (= 'red head Tapajós') - TemperamentSeriously Fish: Geophagus sp. 'orange head' (= 'red head Tapajós')
- Swimming level
Eartheater; sifts sand.
Seriously Fish: Geophagus sp. 'orange head' (= 'red head Tapajós') - Care levelcorrected
Legacy 3 (difficult).
Seriously Fish: Geophagus sp. 'orange head' (= 'red head Tapajós') - Where it livesSeriously Fish: Geophagus sp. 'orange head' (= 'red head Tapajós') · Chuctaya et al. 2022, J. Fish Biol. 101(6): 1388-1404 (PubMed 36059085)
- Male or femalecorrected
Legacy implied only males have the red head; females have it too (Seriously Fish: orange most extensive in dominant males).
Seriously Fish: Geophagus sp. 'orange head' (= 'red head Tapajós') · Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer, 2024): Geophagus pyrocephalus (= Tapajós Red Head) - Breeding
Legacy 'mouthbrooder' confirmed; both parents brood.
Seriously Fish: Geophagus sp. 'orange head' (= 'red head Tapajós') · Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer, 2024): Geophagus pyrocephalus (= Tapajós Red Head) - Eggs and youngcorrected
Legacy 50-150 eggs is unconfirmed (no source gives a count).
Seriously Fish: Geophagus sp. 'orange head' (= 'red head Tapajós') - Storycorrected
Legacy said males develop the red head; both sexes do.
AMAZONAS Magazine (2022): Geophagus sp. Red Head Tapajos has a New Name · Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer, 2024): Geophagus pyrocephalus (= Tapajós Red Head)