Firemouth Cichlids

[GouramiFanatic]

I have a 75 gallon tank which had a huge die off several months ago. I lost several of my favorite fish including my Ropefish, my favorite one eyed Yoyo Loach, my favorite Dojo Loach, several Tiger Barbs, and more. I have no clue what happened, but my remaining fish (all bottom feeders) are doing fine.

After the die off I decided to just let these remaining fish die off and then tear my tank down and be done with it, but now I've had a change of heart.

I'm considering getting some Firemouth Cichlids. The water parameters here seem to match their preferences and of course this tank is large enough, but I do still have some questions.

1- Will they get along with my current fish (3 yoyo loaches, 2 dojo loaches, and a 10" sailfin pleco)?

2- Provided they will get along with them, how many adult Firemouths could I keep in this tank?

3- I'll most likely have to get juvies, is there a way to sex them easily? Is there a recommended ration on what to keep?

4- Last question... what kind of tank mates do you keep with yours?

 

[bob mccoy]

well heres my opinion. i love the firemout and they do fight amongst each other .i have a pleco with mine and he dose fine . as long as theres plenty of hiding places for every one then they should be fine. if the other fish is small enough to get it in there mouth they will probably eat it

 

[5x5]

I've had groups of firemouths sharing tanks of different sizes before without any major problems. They will nip and chase occasionally, but I find them to be only mildly aggressive.

 

[GouramiFanatic]

Thanks for the input. I ended up getting 3 of them. From what I'm gathering online, it's nearly impossible to sex them until they actually spawn so time will tell what I've got. Of the three I got, there are two that are about 1.5" long and they spend a lot of time together. The third is larger at about 2" and is normally by itself. I'm hoping that I can get a male/female pairing, but we'll have to see.

I also got 10 tiger barbs. I've read and heard that the barbs are too fast to be "damaged" by the firemouths and that they'll most likely stick to harassing each other instead of the firemouths. I do have backup plans just in case it doesn't work out.

I'm attaching a pic of the firemouths. The one in the middle is the larger of the two.

 

[5x5]

I've had my four firemouths about 6 months and they are about 4 inches. I haven't been able to sex them yet, since they seem to show qualities of both sex. I'll be waiting for eggs to make sure.

 

[Malawi Freak]

Did you try to vent them? That's the sure way to sex.

 

[5x5]

Nah. I've thought about it, but netting them out of my 180 gallon is such a chore. It also gets them on such a frenzy it kicks up the sand.

 

[Malawi Freak]

I hear ya. I hate trying to take them out of my 125. Last time I had to take out 4 maingano and I had to drain the water down to about 3" and take all the rocks out. It was terrible. I always try to vent good when first putting in the tank but it's tough when they are smaller. I just picked up 17 chailosi and was gonna try venting them all but they are around 1.5" and I gave up after the second.