Firemouth aggression

[xwing]

I did say it was a general rule that depended more on the type of fish and mixing was not recommended I didn't go into huge detail but great info

 

[Freakgecko91]

Ok for the sake of argument say I have just a blue acara, butterfly pleco, and a convict. I know the convict is female, not sure what sex the acara is yet. It's a 55g tank with two aqua clear 110's. Where would you go from there stocking wise? Just looking for advice and different points of view.

Edited my post with suggestions for ya

 

[adkjoe]

Edited my post with suggestions for ya

I definitely like the t. Maculipinnis, don't know where I'd find one besides ordering online though. Now, as far as fully stocking the tank down the road I'm guessing its a better idea to get a couple of each species instead of one of these, one of those etc... Correct? When I find a species I like and think would go well in the tank should I buy in pairs?

 

[Freakgecko91]

I definitely like the t. Maculipinnis, don't know where I'd find one besides ordering online though. Now, as far as fully stocking the tank down the road I'm guessing its a better idea to get a couple of each species instead of one of these, one of those etc... Correct? When I find a species I like and think would go well in the tank should I buy in pairs?

Correct, stock a pair of 1-2 species as your centerpiece, add a school of dither fish, something that schools, is fast, and is hardy (I use black neons, or serpae will work with the semi-aggressive cichlid species). Then you can add some cats or bottom feeders, hoplo cats are a good armored cat, so are green brochis (which are pretty common and like to be in groups). That's how I like to stock a new world tank.

Thorichthys maculipinnis are uncommon, but not unseen. I've seen them at few stores here in Michigan, but I do have a fantastic LFS. Online is not a bad way to get your fish. You can find species that are unavailable in your area, making them more desirable, thus a better breeding project

 

[adkjoe]

When you say stock a pair I take it you mean male and female. For example, male and female convict and a male and female fire mouth as a centerpiece.

 

[Freakgecko91]

When you say stock a pair I take it you mean male and female. For example, male and female convict and a male and female fire mouth as a centerpiece.

I'd say avoid a convict pair at all cost. They breed like crazy and you won't be able to get rid of the fry. You could do two, m/f or f/f pairs of cichlids as the centerpiece basically.

 

[adkjoe]

Gotcha, great advice thank you. I guess the only other thing I'm curious about is for a 55g with 2 different paired species how many schooling fish would be appropriate? hypothetically since you mentioned it say black neons. I think I've read 6 make a school? That seems like a lot though for a 55g.

 

[Freakgecko91]

Gotcha, great advice thank you. I guess the only other thing I'm curious about is for a 55g with 2 different paired species how many schooling fish would be appropriate? hypothetically since you mentioned it say black neons. I think I've read 6 make a school? That seems like a lot though for a 55g.

I'd say 10-14

 

[Freakgecko91]

Gotcha, great advice thank you. I guess the only other thing I'm curious about is for a 55g with 2 different paired species how many schooling fish would be appropriate? hypothetically since you mentioned it say black neons. I think I've read 6 make a school? That seems like a lot though for a 55g.

I'd say 10-12 and then a couple bottom feeders ( lessen the school of neons to 8-10 if going with a school of lg Cory cat like brochis)

 

[adkjoe]

Oh wow, a lot more than I thought. Excellent Advice I really appreciate it! I will do some research.

 

[Freakgecko91]

Oh wow, a lot more than I thought. Excellent Advice I really appreciate it! I will do some research.

No problem! Glad I could help

 

[aquariumsB2cool]

In my experience firemouths are wimps, put in a larger fish and he'll settle down. Maybe an Oscar. I have an Oscar, two green terrors and two firemouths in a 55g

 

[Freakgecko91]

In my experience firemouths are wimps, put in a larger fish and he'll settle down. Maybe an Oscar. I have an Oscar, two green terrors and two firemouths in a 55g

That is terrible advice. A 55 is not big enough to support ONE Oscar, let alone an Oscar plus other good sized fish. The bioload on oscars is quite large, not to mention they reach up to 12". Then you have green terrors, which reach 8-10", and finally meeki that reach 6". Your tank is ridiculously overstocked, and is likely to crash in the long run due to ammonia or territorial issues. I would barely recommend that stock for a 125 gallon. Oscars and green terrors are highly susceptible to HLLE (head and lateral line erosion) from high nitrates, which are bound to happen with a tank that small with that stock.

 

[erikmoseley]

That is terrible advice. A 55 is not big enough to support ONE Oscar, let alone an Oscar plus other good sized fish. The bioload on oscars is quite large, not to mention they reach up to 12". Then you have green terrors, which reach 8-10", and finally meeki that reach 6". Your tank is ridiculously overstocked, and is likely to crash in the long run due to ammonia or territorial issues. I would barely recommend that stock for a 125 gallon. Oscars and green terrors are highly susceptible to HLLE (head and lateral line erosion) from high nitrates, which are bound to happen with a tank that small with that stock.

^^ +1 Most definitely!