This species is relatively rare in the hobby but sometimes available from specialist retailers or private breeders. Though described in 1992 it was first collected much earlier and has been in the hobby since the late 1970s, being known as ‘Wangenstrich-Erdfresser’ (cheek-stripe eartheater) in Germany.

It’s one of just five Geophagus species not to be included in the nominal G. surinamensis ‘group’ of closely-related species within the genus along with G. argyrostictus, G. gottwaldi, G. grammepareius and G. harreri.