new Firemouths are fighting

[jawzforlife]

On Saturday (22nd) I got a pair of Firemouths. Each about 2 inches long.
I put them in the tank one one starting attaching the other. I called the store/guy I got them from and he said that is normal. That they have to find out who is the dominate one. He said to just let them be. I said OK.

Well they are still at it. How long will it take for the mean one to show he is the boss. I fell sorry for the one who is getting picked on

edit: this is a 25 gal tank, and has plants for hiding spots

P.S. I named them "Youme" and "Dupree"

 

[RoK]

They are fairly aggressive cichlids and are just doing what comes natural to them. You may need to part with one.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Do you know the sexes of the two fish?

Two males probably will never work out. A male and a female may not work out in a tank that small, as there really isn't enough space for the female to hide from an overzealous male (and that's assuming they actually form a pair bond in the first place).

I agree with Rok: you're probably going to be better off only keeping one in your 25g tank.

 

[jawzforlife]

Do you know the sexes of the two fish?

no I don't know what the sexes are.

 

[Sicklid]

One is probably gonna get killed before you can decide to part with one, Jawz... This is a classic example of a Fish Store Salesman saying "Sure, that will work" to any question you have, even if it's putting 2 aggressive fish that in the wild need a three foot square sand pit to claim as territory each and you want to put them in a one and a half foot tank together. Just so they can make $2.00 off of you. Good luck...

BTW, sexing them is tough, but females are usually "plumper" when viewed from above... Sometimes less elaborate fins too, but only when really grown.

 

[Jaybird]

If they are only about 2" long, it would be hard to sex them.

Most of the aggression you'll see between firemouths is them bluffing one another. Flaring out the gills, inflating their throats, etc. They aren't real biters when it come to it, unlike some other kinds of cichlids.

Once they figure out who is the more dominant they will settle down. You will see them have occasional arguments though. I can guarantee that!

 

[severum mama]

JMO, but I don't think they will work out in the long run in a 25 gallon tank, and maybe not at all. My firemouth at adult size is by far the most aggressive fish I own, and have ever owned. He even attacks my pleco, and has shredded his fins. He regularly bites chunks out of my severum's tail and chases my female convict around (he can't bite her because she is smaller and can squeeze into much tighter spaces). I'm even thinking about giving him up at this point because the aggression has gotten worse as of late.

 

[Sicklid]

Between Jaybird and severum mama's replies, this hammers home the fact that individuals of a species can be passive or aggressive, regardless of what everyone "says" they normally act like. One thing is for sure, the aggression is definately high around breeding, so when keeping an individual it is def. easier than a pair... Male/Male you get brawls for territory... Male/Female you get females harrassed because they aren't willing to produce. It's a challenge for sure.

 

[severum mama]

Could Jaybird be referring to juveniles or sub-adults? Mine is definitely at adult size, and aggression has gotten worse as he has aged.

 

[Sicklid]

See, I just told you a lie about cichlids! I missed the fact that SeverumMama had ONE firemouth doing all this terrorizing, and I am warning you about keeping TWO... Many myths surround alot of cichlids, my earlier point was you that never know, some things work for some peoples' stocking choices, some don't. It is good to research here tho! Knowledge is power!

 

[Jaybird]

Geez, Severummama, that is one psycho firemouth!!! I have three in my tank. They all follow each other around and try to look tough. They chase others at times, but they get chased just as often. They are about 4.5"in size, so they are not at full adult size but they are not juviniles either. All three together don't even consider messing with my convicts, but they will try to scare the salvini.

Perhaps the aggression you are getting is because he's always had to fend for himself? Some cichlids do better with other tankmates of the same species. I've never tried raising a firemouth on its own, but my three are the least of my worries. Heck, I even had them in the same tank as Bolivian Rams and Keyholes, until I re-cycled my other tank and relocated the Bolivians and Keyholes.

I can totally see a firemouth chasing a severum. Severums are a relatively peaceful cichlid, while, in comparison, Firemouths are a lot more aggressive.

In the end, it's gonna be the individual fish's personality. Cichlids, by fish standards, are quite intelligent. So, with that intelligence, you can expect a great variation between individuals of a species.