# geophagus "red head" tapajos and plants



## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

i've recently picked up some geo. "red head" tapajos which are only about 2" right now and i have them in my planted tank, i've moved some things around to make more open space for them to sift etc. most of the plants i'm not worried about, i've got a couple amazon swords and some valiserna with really deep roots that haven't been moved in a bit. the plants i am worried about are some crypt wenti an lucens. the geos only take little bits of sand at a time, so i thought they might have time to grow their roots and secure themselves, but even with just little nibbles at the sand around them at a time they are already exposing the roots. i love the look that the crypts give the tank but does anyone with experience with red head geos think that i should even bother keeping the crypts? or should i quit while i'm ahead with them?


----------



## CrypticLifeStyle (Jan 16, 2013)

Redheads, and Geo Leucosticta's are the fish i started planted tanks with last December. Mine are adults though, so the sifting, and digging was a bit more extreme. Took a few months of constant replanting, but eventually i won that battle, and have determined a heavy planting of the tank has pretty much been trouble free for me for at least 3 months now. 

Whether thats the answer i dont know, but for me it has worked. Dwarf sag though i cant get to grow in the same tank as them, but plants with good roots should work for you. Part of what to look for is where is their favorite sifting area's if any, and what plants are they ones being dug up, and take them out of the tank, and just custom tailor your own situation til it works for you. 

Plants with cichlids is tough as is, but with earth eaters it definitely takes more patience, and out smarting them.


----------



## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Good to hear you were able to make it work. One idea I've been toying with is putting stones around the base of the plants so they can't really get in there as easy. What plants did you have in your tank?


----------



## CrypticLifeStyle (Jan 16, 2013)

Personally i try to avoid rocks in Geo tanks as it just takes up real estate within the tank, and they prefer a sandy environment, and dont care much for rocks except to spawn on. As far as plants go basically they are all species of swords, crypts, vals, i have anubias on suction cups attached to the tank glass, stem plants in bunches like ludwigia's, several Bacopa species, ferns hot glues to driftwood. So many more i'm just too noobie to name. There's pics in my profile of what i've gotten away with.


----------



## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

Thanks for the info, this is actually pretty helpful. I think I have a better idea of what I want to do now. I might set up a new tank for my shrimps and might throw the crypts in there and then just use a couple more swords and bigger anubias varieties. Just to keep it easy and have space for them to sift. How deep did your red heads dig? Should I think about either adding more sand to my sand cap or un-dieting it? My sand cap is about 2"


----------

