Geophagus sp. "Altamira"

Remarks:  Geophagus sp. "Altamira", also known as the Altamira geophagus, are an eartheater rarely seen in the hobby with not much being known about it. What is known is that they can be found in the transitional zone between the Brazilian highlands and Amazonian lowlands located in the municipality of Altamira in the state of Pará, Brazil. As this area around the Rio Xingu already has many Geophagus sp. in the Altifrons group and the fact that Geophagus sp. "Altamira" bear a heavy resemblance to Geophagus altifrons, it is believed that the Altamira geophagus is likely either a subspecies or locality of Geophagus altifrons. However, this has yet to be confirmed.

  Like Geophagus altifrons, young or stressed Geophagus sp. "Altamira" are silver and can be extremely difficult if not impossible to tell apart from many other species of Geophagus. Healthy adult Geophagus sp. "Altamira" display orange/red fins dotted with blue and bodies covered in electric blue scales. These scales practically glow especially in tannin-stained water. Both males and females can grow impressively long trailers especially on their ventral fins, but they do tend to get a bit longer on males. The most identifying marker to look for to tell Geophagus sp. "Altamira" apart from Geophagus altifrons is to look at the dark spot on the middle of the body. In Geophagus altifrons, this spot is very small, being only two scales in width or absent entirely. This spot is far larger in Geophagus sp. "Altamira" and is almost always present.

  Like all Geophagus, Geophagus sp. "Altamira" require a sandy substrate due to their earth-eating habits. They sift mouthfuls of sand through their gills, pulling out bits of food to eat. Gravel presents a very high probability of choking or refusing to eat. Also like their close relatives, these fish do best in groups of 4 or more but can also do well in single male and female pairs. Due to their large size, adult Geophagus sp. "Altamira" should be kept in an aquarium that is at least 90 gallons if kept as a single, breeding pair, but 125 gallons or more is needed if they are to be kept with other fish. When spawning, they can become territorial as they are protective parents and they have a good chance of swallowing tank mates that can fit in their mouths. These behaviors should be taken into consideration when planning a tank for these wonderful fish.