DEMON EARTH EATER

The Jurupari Eartheater is widespread throughout much of the Amazon River basin, from Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, to the mouth of Amazon River in Amapá, Brazil. It is also known from eastern French Guiana and the Bolivian Amazon drainage (with the exception of the Rio Guaporé). Here, it is found over muddy substrates in quiet waters such as drainage channels, pools, streams, and coastal swamps. The aquarium should be biologically mature and very spacious, with a large expanse of soft sand substrate as these fish like to sift through the substrate in their ongoing search for food items. Provide plenty of hiding places amongst tangles of driftwood and robust planting cultivated on the wood (such as Anubias sp. or Java Fern). Vegetation planted into the substrate is likely to be dug up, so is best avoided. Filtration should be efficient, but water movement fairly gentle, and frequent partial water changes will help keep nitrate to a minimum, particularly important as this species is especially sensitive to deteriorating water conditions. Unless breeding, the Jurupari Eartheater is generally peaceful, and in the wild is found in loose aggregations. In the aquarium, this species is best maintained in groups of 8 or more so that a natural hierarchy can form. This will not only meet their social needs but it will help spread any minor aggression amongst the shoal, so that no one fish bears the continual brunt of any sporadic antagonistic behaviour. Tankmates should be peaceful, occupy the upper levels of the water column, and thrive under the same soft, acidic conditions.

Feeding

Omnivorous. Requires small aquarium foods compared to its adult size. Try to keep it varied with good quality carnivore and herbivore flakes, small sinking pellets, and a mixture of frozen foods such as white mosquito larvae, bloodworm, black mosquito larvae, vitamin-enriched brineshrimp, and daphnia.

Breeding

Ovophilous maternal mouthbrooder. The male fish will stake out a territory centred around a potential spawning site, usually a flat piece of rock or wood. He will then display to the female by holding his fins erect and extending his mouth, whilst shaking in a showy manner. If the female is receptive and allowed to remain in the male's territory, she will clean the spawning site in typical cichlid fashion. When ready to spawn, the female will swim over the spawning site in a series of "˜dry runs"™, after which she will begin depositing eggs in small batches with the male following behind and fertilising them. The female immediately takes the fertilised eggs up into her oral cavity, and the process is repeated many times, until up to 400 eggs have been fertilised and taken into the female's mouth for incubation. Once the female has gathered up all the eggs, the pair disperse, with the female providing broodcare on her own. Many aquarists choose to remove the male from the tank at this point to prevent stress or injury to the holding female. Incubation takes around 14 days (temperature dependent), and upon release, the free-swimming young can be offered baby brineshrimp (Artemia nauplii) and crushed flake foods. The female demonstrates excellent broodcare and will offer the fry shelter in her mouth for a further 3 weeks or so, after which time the youngsters will have become too large to all fit in her mouth at once.