Red Head Bahia Eartheater (Geophagus sp. 'Bahia Red')

Choose the Red Head Bahia Eartheater, an orange-headed eartheater from eastern Brazil

The Red Head Bahia Eartheater is a sand-sifting South American cichlid sold under the trade name Geophagus sp. 'Bahia Red', and also listed as Geophagus sp. 'Bahia'. The name points to Bahia, a state on the Atlantic coast of eastern Brazil. Our photographs show the look the name describes: a silvery-grey, finely scaled body, a bright orange-red head and gill cover, one dark blotch in the middle of the flank, and long pale blue fins with light spots and red-tinged tail edges.

It is not a formally described species. Fish of this kind belong to the 'Geophagus' brasiliensis group, the relatives of the familiar Pearl Eartheater (Geophagus brasiliensis). Seriously Fish notes that this group still needs a definitive classification and that colour and body shape vary from river to river. Scientists are still naming its members: in 2018 Mattos and Costa described three new species of the group from coastal river basins of north-eastern Brazil, among them fish from the Rio Buranhém and Rio de Contas basins in Bahia. Nobody has yet matched the trade fish called 'Bahia Red' to one of these names, so the care on this page is built on the published profile of G. brasiliensis, the best-studied member of the group, and we say where that is an assumption.

Check the names on the label

The word "eartheater" comes straight from the genus name: Geophagus joins the Greek words for "earth" and "to eat". These cichlids take mouthfuls of sand, sift out anything edible and pass the rest out through the gills. For a UK fishkeeper that means one thing above all: the Red Head Bahia needs a soft sand floor, a large aquarium and clean water, and in return it is a calm, busy, colourful fish that spends its day working over the bottom.

Tell it apart from our other red eartheaters

We also keep the Red Pearl Eartheater, a red trade strain listed as Geophagus brasiliensis sp. red, and the classic Pearl Eartheater. All three belong to the same group. On our photographs the Red Pearl is orange-red all over with white pearl spots, whereas the Red Head Bahia keeps its red to the head and has a silvery body. The Red Head Tapajos Eartheater is a separate, long-snouted Amazon fish from another lineage. If you plan to breed, keep one form per aquarium so the young stay true to type.

Know exactly what you receive

One purchase supplies one live Red Head Bahia Eartheater. The size option is "Standard": the fish is sent at the size currently available, which is a young fish well below adult size. Sex is not chosen or guaranteed, because young eartheaters cannot be sexed reliably and the differences described under breeding appear only as they mature.

The photographs show the form, not the individual you will receive. Young fish usually show less colour than adults, and a fish that has just travelled is often paler for a few days. Seriously Fish stresses that wild G. brasiliensis differ a great deal in colour and pattern from one locality to another, so expect some variation between individuals of a trade form too.

Decide how many to order

• One fish: a striking centrepiece for a large community aquarium with robust, peaceful tank mates.
• A pair or a small group: grow on several youngsters and let a pair form. Males in this group are territorial, particularly when spawning, so leave enough floor to separate territories and be ready to rehome a surplus male.
• One brasiliensis-group form per tank: keep it apart from other red or pearl eartheaters if you want to breed true.

Read our delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee information before you order, and have the aquarium running, heated and matured before the fish arrives.

Plan the aquarium around a large adult

No adult size has been published for the 'Bahia Red' form itself. Its relatives are big fish: Seriously Fish gives G. brasiliensis a maximum of 250 mm standard length, measured from the snout to the base of the tail, and FishBase records 28 cm total length. Males grow larger than females, often significantly so. Plan for a fish of this order, even though the youngster you receive is small.

For G. brasiliensis, Seriously Fish asks for an aquarium base of at least 150 × 45 cm, about 304 litres, for long-term care. OATA gives at least 300 litres for American cichlids over 15 cm and for the more aggressive species. Both point to the same answer: a 300-litre aquarium with a long, deep floor is the starting point for one adult or a pair, and a group needs more.

Run a three-step space check

1. Measure the floor: length and front-to-back depth matter more than height, because the fish lives and feeds on the sand.
2. Map the territories: a spawning pair claims a patch of floor around a flat stone, so the rest of the community needs room to keep clear.
3. Work out the true volume: our tank volume calculator turns your dimensions into litres for sizing the filter, heater and weekly water change, and our stocking calculator helps you check the rest of the community.

Stand the aquarium away from radiators, windows and draughts. OATA advises a heater all year round, a position out of direct sunlight and away from loud noise and vibration, and overhead lighting to keep a regular day and night.

Lay a soft sand floor with open space

Seriously Fish says a soft, sandy substrate is ideal for G. brasiliensis, though not essential, because it sifts the floor less than the true Geophagus species do. We still recommend sand: you see far more natural feeding behaviour, and coarse gravel can damage the mouth and gills of a sand-sifting cichlid. OATA likewise recommends fine gravel or sand, because many American cichlids dig or sift when feeding or breeding.

Divide the floor by function

Place stones directly on the glass before adding sand, so digging cannot undermine them, and keep the sand layer even. Leave a broad strip of open sand along the front: this is where the fish spends most of its day.

Keep water values steady inside the overlap

Seriously Fish lists 18–28°C, pH 6.0–8.0 and 1–15 dGH for G. brasiliensis, a habitat generalist recorded from fast and still, clear and murky waters, and from coastal lagoons where some populations have become tolerant of salt. OATA's general guidance for American cichlids is 22–27°C, pH 6.5–8.0 and 4–12 dGH. Because the 'Bahia Red' has no profile of its own, we suggest staying inside the range where both sources agree.

Match your water to the targets

UK tap water ranges from soft in much of Scotland, Wales and north-west England to hard in much of the south and east. Soft and moderately hard supplies usually suit this fish as they are; in a very hard-water area, mixing tap water with reverse-osmosis water brings the hardness into range. Stability matters more than a perfect number, so do not chase pH with chemicals. Treat every water change with a tap water conditioner, as OATA advises, to remove chlorine or chloramine. Your water company's postcode checker shows your hardness, our water matcher compares your readings with this fish's range, and our water chemistry guide explains pH, GH and KH.

Filter hard and change water often

Seriously Fish describes these cichlids as susceptible to deteriorating water quality and says they should never go into a biologically immature aquarium. Its advice for G. brasiliensis is to over-filter, with external canister filters, a sump or both, and to change at least 50–70% of the water every week. For a tank of about 304 litres its equipment note suggests two filters rated around 610–760 litres per hour each. When maintenance or diet falls short, it warns, the fish can develop head and lateral line erosion or stunted growth.

A sifting fish keeps fine particles in suspension. Use fine mechanical media to catch them, and keep sand away from filter intakes and impellers, which it wears and blocks.

Follow a weekly routine

1. Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH; OATA recommends testing at least once a week.
2. Change a large share of the water with conditioned water at the same temperature: OATA's minimum is 25% a week, and Seriously Fish advises 50–70% for this group.
3. Siphon waste from the surface of the sand without stripping the whole layer.
4. Rinse mechanical media in removed tank water, never under the tap, so the filter bacteria survive.
5. Check that the heater and thermometer still agree.

Our guide to aquarium filtration covers canister filters and flow, and our explanation of the nitrogen cycle shows how to mature a new tank before any eartheater goes in.

Feed a varied, mainly sinking diet

Studies cited by Seriously Fish show G. brasiliensis to be a generalised omnivore: wild fish eat plant material, aquatic invertebrates (particularly midge larvae, ostracods and water fleas), fish scales and fry. It takes mouthfuls of sand and sifts them now and then, but less than the true Geophagus. In the aquarium, Seriously Fish recommends good sinking dry foods as the staple, with regular meals of live or frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp.

Build one measured meal

• Staple: a quality sinking pellet or granule small enough for the fish's mouth.
• Meaty food: thawed frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp or mysis several times a week.
• Plant matter: a pellet with vegetable content, to match the plant material found in wild diets.
• Portion: what the fish clears in a couple of minutes, split into two or three small meals rather than one large one.
• Clean-up: siphon leftovers so they do not rot in the sand.

Feed where the food reaches the sand, so the eartheater can sift for it, and make sure faster midwater fish are not taking it all first.

Introduce it calmly to a mature aquarium

Only add the fish to a filtered aquarium that has run long enough to handle waste: ammonia and nitrite must read zero and the temperature must already be in range. OATA's floating-bag method works well: switch the aquarium lights off, float the sealed bag for about 10 minutes, then add small amounts of aquarium water to the bag over up to 20 minutes, and release the fish with as little bag water as possible. Our guide on how to acclimatise new fish walks through each step, and our cichlid care guide covers the basics shared by all cichlids.

Use a first-week checkpoint plan

A new cichlid often hides and looks washed out for a day or two. Rapid breathing, gasping at the surface, clamped fins or lying on the bottom are not normal and call for an immediate water test.

Choose tank mates that respect its territory

Seriously Fish describes male G. brasiliensis as territorial, particularly when spawning, and warns that very small tank mates may be eaten. In practice the Red Head Bahia suits a large community of robust midwater fish that are too big to swallow and leave the floor to it, plus bottom fish that keep to caves rather than competing for open sand.

Screen each companion

Check any planned mix with our tank mates tool, browse all South American cichlids, the wider South American cichlid category and our Geophagus eartheaters, or see more centrepiece fish for a large aquarium.

Watch for problems early

OATA describes a healthy fish as having clear, bright eyes, undamaged fins, intact scales, no ulcers or bumps, normal swimming and steady breathing; clamped fins, flicking against décor and shimmying are warning signs. With large eartheaters, the most important long-term warning is pitting around the head and along the lateral line, which Seriously Fish links to poor maintenance or diet.

Pair each sign with an action

Test before you treat: most health problems in large cichlids follow a fall in water quality, so note the readings and any recent changes first.

Breed it as a substrate spawner

Seriously Fish lists G. brasiliensis as a biparental substrate spawner, so both parents guard the eggs and young. Males grow larger than females, and most dominant males develop a nuchal hump, a fatty bump on the forehead, to some degree. No breeding reports are published for the 'Bahia Red' itself, so treat the steps below as guidance for the group.

Set up for a spawning

1. Start with youngsters: grow on several young fish and let a pair choose each other.
2. Offer a spawning stone: a flat, smooth rock in a quiet part of the aquarium.
3. Condition the pair: clean water inside the range above and plenty of frozen foods.
4. Give them space: the pair defends the area around its eggs and young, so move or screen other fish if they are being chased.
5. Feed the fry: once they swim freely, offer newly hatched brine shrimp or finely powdered food several times a day.

Keep only one brasiliensis-group form in a breeding aquarium so the young are pure Red Head Bahia Eartheaters.

Answer Red Head Bahia Eartheater buying questions

What is a Red Head Bahia Eartheater?

It is a sand-sifting South American cichlid sold as Geophagus sp. 'Bahia Red' (also Geophagus sp. 'Bahia'). It belongs to the 'Geophagus' brasiliensis group of eastern Brazil, the relatives of the Pearl Eartheater, and has not been given a species name. Our photographs show a silvery-grey body, an orange-red head, a dark flank blotch and long, pale blue fins.

Is it the same fish as the Red Pearl Eartheater?

They are close relatives in the same group, but they are sold under different trade labels and look different on our photographs: the Red Pearl Eartheater (listed as Geophagus brasiliensis sp. red) is orange-red all over with white pearl spots, while the Red Head Bahia keeps its red to the head and has a silvery body. If you need one particular look for a breeding project, ask us before you order.

How big does the Red Head Bahia Eartheater grow?

No adult size has been published for this undescribed form. Plan for its best-known relative: Seriously Fish gives Geophagus brasiliensis a maximum of 250 mm standard length (without the tail) and FishBase records 28 cm total length. Males grow larger than females.

What size aquarium does it need?

Plan for at least 300 litres with a long, deep floor. Seriously Fish asks for a 150 × 45 cm base (about 304 litres) for G. brasiliensis, and OATA gives at least 300 litres for American cichlids over 15 cm. A group needs more space than one fish or a pair.

What water conditions does it need?

Keep it steady inside the overlap of the two published ranges: 22–27°C, pH 6.5–8.0 and 4–12 dGH, with zero ammonia and nitrite and nitrate no more than 20 mg/l above your tap water. Seriously Fish gives a wider 18–28°C, pH 6.0–8.0 and 1–15 dGH for G. brasiliensis.

Does it need sand?

Yes, we recommend fine, soft sand. Seriously Fish calls sand ideal for G. brasiliensis, which sifts less than the true Geophagus, and coarse gravel can damage the mouth and gills of a sand-sifting cichlid. OATA also recommends sand or fine gravel for American cichlids.

Can I keep it with other cichlids?

In a large aquarium, yes, with peaceful South American cichlids of similar size. Avoid aggressive bottom-dwelling cichlids that compete for the same floor, and keep it apart from other brasiliensis-group eartheaters if you want to breed true. Very small fish may be eaten.

How many fish come with one purchase?

One live fish of the standard size currently available, normally a young fish well below adult size. Sex is not chosen or guaranteed.

Consult the care references

• Seriously Fish: 'Geophagus' brasiliensis — profile of the Pearl Eartheater and the 'G.' brasiliensis group: range, habitat, size, aquarium base, water values, maintenance, diet, behaviour, sexing and spawning mode.
• FishBase: Geophagus brasiliensis — maximum recorded length, environment values, distribution and IUCN status of G. brasiliensis.
• Mattos & Costa 2018: Three new species of the 'Geophagus' brasiliensis species group — peer-reviewed description of three new species of the 'G.' brasiliensis group from coastal river basins of north-eastern Brazil.
• Seriously Fish: Geophagus megasema (notes on the G. surinamensis group and the orange head form) — names, upper Madeira distribution and habitat, size, aquarium base, water values, maintenance, diet, group behaviour, sexing, biparental mouthbrooding and the G. surinamensis group.
• OATA: How to look after American cichlids — UK group-level guidance for American cichlids: water values, tank sizes, substrate, heating, acclimatisation, health checks and weekly maintenance.
• Tropical Fish Co delivery policy — current dispatch days and Live Arrival Guarantee terms.