Yellow Hump Eartheater (Geophagus pellegrini)

A medium growing and colorful South American cichlid, the Yellow Hump Eartheater is known from the Pacific Coastal drainages of Colombia, specifically in the Choco region. Wild specimens are rarely collected for the trade due to challenges collecting in their native habitat, but the species is now bred on a limited scale for the hobby. A hardy and adaptable species, they tend to take prepared foods better than some of their more delicate relatives but like all Geophagus prefer a fine sand substrate to sift through. A social fish when young, they can become aggressive and territorial when they are large enough to form pairs and spawn.