In very small numbers we have received this beautiful Geophagus as German offspring. The species reaches a maximum length of 20-25 cm and is exclusively found in the inlet of the Marowijne River, the border river between French Guyana and Suriname. One of the tributaries of the Marowijne is the Maroni River, known to cichlid enthusiasts for the keyhole cichlid, Cleithracara maronii, named after this river. The Marowijne and its tributaries are not easy to travel to, ornamental fishers never get there, therefore G. harreri was a pipe dream of cichlid fans for a long time. Only in 1998 traveling aquarists were able to bring some animals from the Maroni and breed them. The description specimens of the species scientifically determined in 1976 were collected by Jean-Pierre Gosse, King Leopold III and Heinrich Harrer. The species was named in honor of the latter, known mainly for his book “Seven Years in Tibet” (made into a movie starring Brad Pitt).
Quite untypical for Geophagus is the central dark vertical body band, which reminds very much of the pattern of Guianacara. The many bright spots show already young specimens. G. harreri is considered to be a bit more aggressive than one is used to from Geophagus, but in the large aquariums, which have to be provided for such a fish anyway, this does not matter much.
For our customers: the fish have code 678103 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
