redstriped eartheater
Geophagus surinamensis · Cichlidae · omnivore
Eartheater from French Guiana and Suriname, up to 17.2 cm, that digs the bottom in search of food. It is caught commercially and used in aquariums.
Also called: acará-tinga, acará-bicudo, acará-pitanga, redstriped eartheater
- maximum
- 17 cm
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the redstriped eartheater
who is the redstriped eartheater
The redstriped eartheater is a freshwater cichlid, up to 17.2 cm. It lives in the Saramacca and Suriname rivers, in Suriname, and in the Marowijne, between Suriname and French Guiana. It stays in channels of mud and sand and in calm areas near waterfalls. It is omnivorous, with a tendency to eat plants, and digs the bottom with its protrusible mouth to find food. The parents form a pair, keep the eggs in their mouth for three days and care for the young for weeks. It is caught for sale and for the aquarium.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the redstriped eartheater; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- The species can produce sounds with the teeth of its pharynx, and it is not known whether this is a form of communication.
identification
Eartheater with a protrusible mouth and a lobe on the first gill arch, typical of Geophagus. Unlike the cará-do-Maroni, which prefers strong current, this species stays in calm channels of mud and sand. It reaches 17.2 cm. The name acará-tinga is the most used, along with acará-bicudo and acará-pitanga.
where found
Saramacca, Suriname and Marowijne rivers, between Suriname and French Guiana. Not recorded in Brazil.
Habitat: Channels of mud and sand and calm areas near waterfalls, with pH from 6 to 8.
rules for the redstriped eartheater
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Bottom-dwelling fish: hold it with a wet hand, remove the hook carefully and return it quickly.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.02512, b = 3.04; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Geophagus surinamensis (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Geophagus surinamensisNames by country and language.
similar species
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: