Description
Geophagus sveni are South American cichlids and are native to the rivers of Brazil. The sveni is a type of Geophagus, which translates to earth eater, and they will display some interesting behavior in your aquarium. Like most Geophagus species, theyll sift through the sand or substrate constantly looking for left over food.
One of the first things that stands out about the Geophagus sveni is the coloration. They are arguably the most beautiful of all the geophagus species, with bright blue and red through their bodies, tall spiked dorsal fins, and long filamentous fin extensions. All of this combined make them a showstopper in any tank, and definitely worthy of being a centerpiece fish.
Similar to other Geophagus species, they can be slower growers relative to other cichlids, but if youre patient and let these fish grow into adults, there isnt much that can top them. As full-grown adults, theyll usually max out around 10 inches, with some topping out a bit smaller.
Tank Size
Due to their medium to large max size, I would recommend a decent sized tank as well. I wouldnt recommend keeping adult sveni in anything less than a 75 gallon tank. You may be able to keep sveni in a slightly smaller tank as they are growing out, but once they hit that 6-7 inch range, you really need a 75 gallon or larger. Thats what I currently have my group in, but I also have a larger tank order processing, and theyll be getting an upgraded tank size in about a month.
My largest sveni is about 5-6 inches, so my sveni still have a lot of room to grow, along with getting some larger fin extensions.
Keeping Geophagus sveni in groups can help avoid some aggression between each other, and Ive found that youll have the best luck keeping them solo, in pairs, or in groups of 5 or more. It can be hard to manage them if you have 2 males and 1 female for example, as the males will likely fight. Sveni are usually one of the more peaceful Geophagus, but like any cichlid, there could always be an outlier where you one that is aggressive. Keeping the appropriate male to female ratio and a larger tank will give the best chances of success with them.
Water Parameters
Since Geophagus sveni are South American cichlids, theyre ideal tank parameters are going to be in lower PH and softer water, along with tropical temps. For PH, anywhere from 6-7 is ideal, while temps can range from the mid-70s to lower 80s. I actually have hard water and high PH in my area and the sveni have done just fine and are growing and healthy. In my opinion, if you keep consistent water parameters in a cycled tank with regular water changes, and keeping nitrates level low, the sveni should do great long term even if they arent in the ideal PH/hardness levels.
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