Demon Eartheater
Satanoperca jurupari
Cichlidae
About
The demon eartheater is a peaceful, sand-sifting cichlid from the Amazon basin of northern South America, ranging from Peru and Colombia to the river's mouth in Brazil. Despite its ominous name it is gentle for its size, spending the day taking mouthfuls of fine sand and filtering out edible morsels through its gills. It is a gregarious, shoaling fish that forms a loose dominance hierarchy and is best kept in a group over a soft sand bed in a spacious, well-filtered tank.
Care
Keep a group of 5 or more in a large tank (450 L+) with a deep bed of fine, soft sand for natural foraging. Provide warm, soft, slightly acidic to neutral water with good filtration and gentle flow. Peaceful with most tankmates but becomes protective when breeding.
Diet
Omnivorous sand-sifter that forages on small invertebrates, larvae and detritus. Feed sinking granules and pellets alongside frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp and daphnia, always over fine sand it can sift.
Tankmate compatibility
Avoid (271)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.
Telling males from females
What works for this species, most reliable first.
- Extended finsStrong · from about 8 months, and later in a suppressed male
On many cichlids and killifish the male's dorsal and anal fins draw out into trailing points as he matures, while the female's stay rounded.
- VentingA hint only · only on a mature fish, easiest when she is in breeding condition
The method breeders use when the answer has to be right. Hold the fish upside down in a wet hand or soft net and look at the two openings ahead of the anal fin. The forward one is the anus; the one behind it is what you are reading.
- Adult sizeA hint only · only across animals of the same age
In many cichlids, catfish and loaches one sex simply grows larger — usually the male, though there are well-known reversals.
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Frequently asked questions
- What tank size does a Demon Eartheater need?
- A Demon Eartheater needs an aquarium of at least 450 litres (118.9 US gallons) with a footprint at least 180 cm (70.9 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
- What water parameters does a Demon Eartheater need?
- Demon Eartheater does best at 22–29 °C (71.6–84.2 °F), pH 5.5–7.5 and a general hardness of 2–12 °dGH.
- What group size does a Demon Eartheater need?
- Demon Eartheater is a social species — keep a group of at least 5 so natural behaviour emerges and stress stays low.
- Is the Demon Eartheater suitable for beginners?
- Demon Eartheater sits in the middle of the difficulty scale — manageable for a careful beginner who has done the reading, but it has specific needs worth researching first.