Fire Mouth Cichlid Adeventure Build

[HUKIT]

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.

Or you could use Azoo's black water extract, it's fairly inexpensive contains vitamins, works well, and is harmless to fish and inverts.

AZOO CORPORATION=

 

[Borderlesscott]

You will love them, I have to admit my Firemouth Elvis is possibly my favourite fish - he is a pig around feeding time and square's off against my male Rainbow cichlid, but thus far no real aggression - it's like 2 women with handbags when it comes down to any fighting, one moves forward one moves back, repeat over and over again - then they both swim off in a huff. He gets between my male and female rainbow during breeding at times and takes the heat of the female, so much so that when she is fed up with the male attention she goes and swims with Elvis for security. I might have just got lucky with my Firemouth, he is my first so I've no long term experience with them, but my one has bags of personality and I can hand feed him.
Add loads of bogwood for the backwater look, you might want to do a quick boil of if it just to make sure anything inside it is dead, a quick boil won't release to many tannins, dried Almond leaves and peat balls are also fantastic at giving of tannins. The black water look really adds to the look of the Firemouth, any plans on tanks mates?

 

[Jason7894561230]

Thanks a lot Border! That was a great story, Elvis sounds like quite a character aha!
Thanks on the black water advice, i think the driftwood will be able to do it and when it runs ou ill look to buy some peat moss!
As for tankmates, maybe snails or something that eats algea, i dont want anything too much in there, so possiably a small group (3) of SAE. But i just want the beautiful firemouths!
Which im getting today! When it night time over there, im getting my first firemouth fish! Im going to get a pair and they are around 4cm or so.
Pictures when i get home!

 

[Tigerosx]

Thanks a lot Border! That was a great story, Elvis sounds like quite a character aha!
Thanks on the black water advice, i think the driftwood will be able to do it and when it runs ou ill look to buy some peat moss!
As for tankmates, maybe snails or something that eats algea, i dont want anything too much in there, so possiably a small group (3) of SAE. But i just want the beautiful firemouths!
Which im getting today! When it night time over there, im getting my first firemouth fish! Im going to get a pair and they are around 4cm or so.
Pictures when i get home!

Well good luck with your purchase I think you will be pleased. I came home today to find that my female is holding. Both male and female are territorial atm not scary aggressive tho but the most aggression I've seen from the two since I bought them.. Just thought I'd share, again good luck with your tank and enjoy

 

[HUKIT]

Well good luck with your purchase I think you will be pleased. I came home today to find that my female is holding

May I ask what she is holding?

 

[Jason7894561230]

Well I went and got my two beauties! They are 4cm and both have a red throat BUT they are flashing!!!! How do I fix this? Please help!

I also got four hockey stick tetras

 

[Jason7894561230]

There we go, sorry about the crappy quality

 

[Jason7894561230]

Ok so ive put some salt into the tank and done a water change, raised the temp to 80, ill continue doing water changes for a week. But i have a concern my paraments are as follows:
Ammo 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 0ppm
The tank is cycled and everything? Why these paraments?

 

[garfy]

Your Nitrate should read something and your water looks a little cloudy.

 

[Jason7894561230]

I think i need to re test tomorrow, because i ahvent used my test kit in ages! So maybe its just not right. But water isnt cloudy it was a little but its clear and settled down now, it looks cloudy because of the ipad quailty pics which are quite low so they are pixalated...
Is salt and heat and clean water good treatment?

 

[garfy]

I think I'd find out my true water parameters before I treated for anything.

 

[Jason7894561230]

They seem to be better now, they aren't flashing anymore, but I'll keep up with m water changes.
They are so cute too! And they have some red on their throats already. And the penguins are reall settling in nicely, I'm gunna get some more plants too soon...

 

[garfy]

Once your sure that your parameters are where they should be one 50% water change a week should keep them there as your not overstocked.

 

[Tigerosx]

May I ask what she is holding?

Eggs, her stomach is considerably larger and both male and female found a spot in the tank and their defending it like a last stand. Never have they been like this so it's obvious their getting ready. At the same time my convicts r goin for round 2

 

[Jason7894561230]

Once your sure that your parameters are where they should be one 50% water change a week should keep them there as your not overstocked.

Ok thanks Garfy, no sign again of any flashing but i did wake up to see the water very cloudy? After it had settled down and everything...
Any segguestions on what that could be?

 

[garfy]

Cloudy water suggest to me that either your filter(s) need cleaning or you filtration is not up to task.Another reason could be if you have added new substrate and not rinsed it properly.

 

[Jason7894561230]

I just cleaned the filters in their own water before i got the fish, i have 3 filters on the tank currently and i havent added any new substrate. Could this be a bacterial cloudiness?

 

[garfy]

A Bacterial bloom usually occurs whilst the tank is still cycling.Do you have plants in your tank?

 

[garfy]

Decaying plants can cause bacterial bloom.

 

[Jason7894561230]

Yeah I have some thin Val in there and there and eventually I'll be adding amazon swords, but the tank has since cleared up and looking beautiful. I'm taking pictures as we speak