Fire mouths

[Despreauxb]

So I'm planning on getting fire mouths, I've heard they do best in pairs vs just one. I've also read that it should be a male/female pair. Do they pick their own mates or can I just get one of each and that will work? How can I tell the difference between the sex? I want to try to grab smaller ones instead of adults.

[Colin_T]

Adult males have longer more pointed dorsal (top) and anal (bottom) fins. They also have a lot more red around the throat.

Adult females have shorter more rounded dorsal and anal fins and not a lot of red around the throat.

However, poor quality males don't have much red and can have short round fins.

Juveniles are hard to sex. Look for longer pointed fins, which should be males, and if possible, get a group of 8-10 young fish and grow them up together. Let them pick their own mates.

[rlederer]

Originally Posted by Despreauxb

So I'm planning on getting fire mouths, I've heard they do best in pairs vs just one. I've also read that it should be a male/female pair. Do they pick their own mates or can I just get one of each and that will work? How can I tell the difference between the sex? I want to try to grab smaller ones instead of adults.

Firemouths are easy to breed but they are aggressive fish, so they need to be in a tank of their own. Provide hiding spaces, like flower pots.