Geophagus Surinamensis : One Or More?

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tattae

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I've read that they do better in small group. But I wonder how it would be if I just keep one surinam as the king of the tank together with a school of some other smaller fish. Has anyone ever done this before? Would the surinam still be active and display its charming character? Or would it get bored and just be lazy?
 
I've read that they do better in small group. But I wonder how it would be if I just keep one surinam as the king of the tank together with a school of some other smaller fish. Has anyone ever done this before? Would the surinam still be active and display its charming character? Or would it get bored and just be lazy?
I haven't kept Geophagus surinamensis before, but I do have 6 Geophagus sp. "Red Head" Tapajos (what a mouth full...), which are very close to the surinams. IMO, I would keep as many as you could together, because it really brings out their character. You can also see the interaction and hierarchy that they have. I haven't kept mine apart, as they're really small and I want to keep them as a group indefinitely, but I don't see why the surinam could not be alone.

Just make sure the tank is well decorated and stocked, so they don't get "bored" and you'll have one stunning fish. They're really great fish and I would recommend them to anyone with a large, peaceful community. :good:
 
Thank you for the reply. The tank is almost ready to house these wonderful fish and I still cannot decide.

1. If I keep just one... Would it be ok if I keep one Geo.Surinam with about 10 blue rams and 20 cardinals? Will the cardinals eventually get eaten?

2. If I keep 5 or 6 of them... What woud be a suitable tank mate? Would prefer something that's really outstanding and let this other fish be the focal point of the tank. Something like Ghost Knife? Any suggestion?
 
Thank you for the reply. The tank is almost ready to house these wonderful fish and I still cannot decide.

1. If I keep just one... Would it be ok if I keep one Geo.Surinam with about 10 blue rams and 20 cardinals? Will the cardinals eventually get eaten?

2. If I keep 5 or 6 of them... What woud be a suitable tank mate? Would prefer something that's really outstanding and let this other fish be the focal point of the tank. Something like Ghost Knife? Any suggestion?
Sorry for the late reply. I don't often go into this section.

Yes, it would be ok to add one to the tank with the rams and cardinals, but I would be more worried about the rams pairing up and fighting with each other. Maybe you could get only a few and add rummy noses or some other tetra instead?

If you got the group, you could keep pretty much anything with them, as long as it doesn't pick on the Geos. Since Geos are so peaceful, a lot of things bully them. A BGK should be ok with them, just make ure you have a big enough tank for them, because they can get up to 20".

What size tank do you have?
 

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