Fire Mouth Cichlid Adeventure Build

[Jason7894561230]

Hey All,
So i have this tank that has Mbuna cichlids in it. You may know it you may not, but anyway its becoming too hard to look after. So ive decided to go SA since i wont need to do 2 50% water changes a week and yeah.
So ive decided on Firemouths, im gunna get 2. They are around 4cm at the LFS.
So i have a few questions, ive of course researched until my brain has melted so anyway this is my tank:
Size = 43gal
Basically the questions are:
1) What are they like?
2) When do they devolop colour?
3) General tank requirements
4) Anyone else got any? If so please post your set up.
5) Breeding, whats gunna happen there?

 

[dpeco33]

Love firemouths..one of my favorite fish

 

[5x5]

Hey All,
So i have this tank that has Mbuna cichlids in it. You may know it you may not, but anyway its becoming too hard to look after. So ive decided to go SA since i wont need to do 2 50% water changes a week and yeah.
So ive decided on Firemouths, im gunna get 2. They are around 4cm at the LFS.
So i have a few questions, ive of course researched until my brain has melted so anyway this is my tank:
Size = 43gal
Basically the questions are:
1) What are they like?
2) When do they devolop colour?
3) General tank requirements
4) Anyone else got any? If so please post your set up.
5) Breeding, whats gunna happen there?

I've had a trio of firemouths for a year now. They were about 2 inches when I picked them up and they range from 4 - 5 inches now (the 2 males are 5 and the female is 4). Overall, they are a great fish if you house them alone or with similarly low aggression cichlids. Firemouths can chase each other, but they don't do any real damage. I've kept them with an Oscar and chocolate Cichlid in a larger tank and it's worked out very well.

They color up fairly early an you'll see the
Bright red throats as early as 1 - 2 inches. I my experience, they rapidly change colors with mood and due to dominance. My largest male is typically the only one showing a red throat.

There are no special tank requirements. Keep the nitrates down to a reasonable level and they do prefer sand, as they sift it for food.

I couldn't tell you about breeding. I've had mine a year and no fry. I wouldn't be too concerned about it if you only have 2.

 

[5x5]

hey all,
so i have this tank that has mbuna cichlids in it. You may know it you may not, but anyway its becoming too hard to look after. So ive decided to go sa since i wont need to do 2 50% water changes a week and yeah.
So ive decided on firemouths, im gunna get 2. They are around 4cm at the lfs.
So i have a few questions, ive of course researched until my brain has melted so anyway this is my tank:
Size = 43gal
basically the questions are:
1) what are they like?
2) when do they devolop colour?
3) general tank requirements
4) anyone else got any? If so please post your set up.
5) breeding, whats gunna happen there?

 

[HUKIT]

If your going with firemouth then I'd look at others in the Thorichthys genus, I have pasionis, maculipinnis, and meeki. You'll get loads more color and the chance to own fish that everyone and their brother doesn't have, here is a couple of mine that are starting to color up. Firemouths are cool fish but the genus certainly has some better options in my opinion.

Plus I'm a little confused as to why mbuna would be anymore work than any other species of cichlids? Weekly water changes and daily feedings would be the same whether it's new world or old.

 

[5x5]

If your going with firemouth then I'd look at others in the Thorichthys genus, I have pasionis, maculipinnis, and meeki. You'll get loads more color and the chance to own fish that everyone and their brother doesn't have, here is a couple of mine that are starting to color up. Firemouths are cool fish but the genus certainly has some better options in my opinion.

Plus I'm a little confused as to why mbuna would be anymore work than any other species of cichlids? Weekly water changes and daily feedings would be the same whether it's new world or old.

I was wondering the same thing regarding the PWC maintenance. My assumption is that the poster was doing the "African overstock method", causing the excessively high waste production. If that's not the case, I wouldn't expect 2 Thorichthys species to be any less work.

 

[cichlidcasey]

Love foremouths. A pair of them should do ok in a 43 gal tank. Depending on how you feed or if you overfeed maintenance should be relatively easy. I have 2 Texas cichlids and 6 convicts and I do 25% ever two weeks. My water levels are good the water is clean and the fish are happy. I also have good bottom feeders and in a 56 gal talk I have filtration for a 150 gal tanks. I change my water as needed or as it evaporates.

 

[Tigerosx]

They are one of my favorite fish I have. had mine for a few months now growing fast.

 

[Jason7894561230]

Hey all,
Thanks for everyones interest in the thread
5x5 thanks a lot for the help! Although, regarding the two males if i happen to get two males will they fight in the tank or will the be peaceful?
Hukit thanks a lot for your input, i absolutly love that genus of firemouth although in australia our stock is still quite limited and finding firemouths is hard enough haha
Also i think i should clear up on something with the extra work. I was indeed using the over stocking method and im very anal about water changes and doing the ones that i was doing was getting to be hard work and decided for a change because of homework, tennis training and other factors.
Ill post a photo of the tank once im home from school (its 7.30am in oz) to give you an idea of what itll look like. Ill also do a simple drawing of the scape i plan on doing
Ill give you a plant list:
Amazon sword
Java moss and fern
Thin Val
Im actually going to put some of these in terracotta pots for something different and we'll just have to see how that turns out!
But im super excited for these fish because they are so amazing and beautiful and im just so excited ahahah

 

[HUKIT]

Although, regarding the two males if i happen to get two males will they fight in the tank or will the be peaceful?

No they are all all bark and no bite, you'll see lots of gill flaring but no actual damage or fin nipping.

 

[Jason7894561230]

Ok great! I also just found a different genus of firemouth online!
Its the ellioti, is there any different requirements or anything different about these fish?

 

[Borderlesscott]

Thorichthys aureus and pasionis are my favourite, never seen them for sale in the UK though. I would love a pair of pasionis, seen them in a shop in Holland and they where stunning.

 

[Tigerosx]

No they are all all bark and no bite, you'll see lots of gill flaring but no actual damage or fin nipping.

So true the Gill flare is so cool to watch. Nice bright orange red love it.

 

[cichlidcasey]

Do they have as much personality towards ppl like Oscars and other larger cichlids?

 

[5x5]

Do they have as much personality towards ppl like Oscars and other larger cichlids?

They are middle of the road. They are way more interactive than a tetra, but I don't find them as engaging as something like an Oscar or pike.

 

[HUKIT]

They are middle of the road. They are way more interactive than a tetra, but I don't find them as engaging as something like an Oscar or pike.

I've had fake plants with more personality than firemouths, if that's what your hoping for than that is not fish for you.

 

[cichlidcasey]

I had Oscars I thought were really engaged with me but this pair of Texas cichlids are real attention hogs but there like a one person fish and care less bout my wife.

 

[HUKIT]

Its the ellioti, is there any different requirements or anything different

Ellioti and pasiones tend to be a little more aggressive than meeki, nothing to bad but you'll notice fin nipping and a little more damage.

 

[Jason7894561230]

Thanks Guys for you input, but ive decided to go with the Meeki for severel reason. But mostly it was because of convenince because that shop is located an hour and a half north and im not driving so yeah haha.
But im very happy to get the Meeki
How can i make the water like brown? If that makes sense, like in their natural habitat i noticed that its brownish water. Will my diftwood do this even after its severeal uses before?

 

[5x5]

Thanks Guys for you input, but ive decided to go with the Meeki for severel reason. But mostly it was because of convenince because that shop is located an hour and a half north and im not driving so yeah haha.
But im very happy to get the Meeki
How can i make the water like brown? If that makes sense, like in their natural habitat i noticed that its brownish water. Will my diftwood do this even after its severeal uses before?

It's called a blackwater environment and the tannins that leech from the driftwood will cause this brownish appearance. Eventually the driftwood will stop leeching tannins and you'll have to add peat moss to your filter.