Why won't my firemouths grow?

[Caliban07]

I have 4 firemouths in a 46 gallon. I definitely have at least one male who has really coloured up. The problem is he isn't getting any bigger.

The biggest is what I think is a female as the colour is quite pale and the fins aren't as long. The other 2 I'm not sure.

The other problem is that none of them have paired up. The female definitely seems to be the boss of the tank. Are they holding back on growth because they are being dominated?

I thought the male should outgrow the female?

Parameters are how they should be with ph around 7.5

Are there too many fish in the tank? I'm worried they are being stunted.

They don't get a great feed. I feed them twice if I'm home to feed them otherwise it's just the once on sinking pellets. I know they need more variety but they will not eat from the surface.

Maybe I should feed then bloodworm too?

The female is the only one that seems to be growing but she is definitely more lenient towards the male.

I'm worried if I return the other 2 then the male will get chased in to a corner and they won't pair up. I've been waiting for then to pair up now for around 8 months but if have expected the male to have outgrown the female by now.but he is literally the same size as when I got him.

Any ideas?

Thanks

 

[Plecolover18]

It all takes time, Cichlids are slow growing but to speed up the growing processes feed them meaty foods.

 

[schoeplein]

I've found offering a variety of food gives fish the best growth and color. Half my cabinet is stocked with a variety of flake, pellets, dried worms, and occasionally I'll pick up a variety of frozen and live food. Outside your vegetarian fish, all others I've dealt with benefit greatly from a varied diet.

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