Jurupari Eartheater (Satanoperca jurupari)

A large, peaceful cichlid found throughout parts of the Amazon and Guyana Shield, the Jurupari Eartheater has been a popular fish in the cichlid hobby for decades. Unfortunately they are often misidentified in the trade, with closely-related species being confused for the true S. jurupari (which can be distinguished by the pattern of spots and stripes in the face). Like all eartheaters, they are adapted to ingest mouthfuls of fine sand substrate and sift out small food items like insect larvae and crustaceans. In the aquarium, they tend to do best in groups and will coexist with a variety of similarly peaceful cichlids or other fish species, and they are generally safe even with much smaller fish.