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Common Name: Firemouth cichlid
Size: ~4-5" for females and ~6-7" for males
pH:7.0 - 7.6 in nature, though this species is very tolerant of a wide range of parameters. Provided they are properly acclimated, this species can thrive in ph up to 8.5 if not slightly higher.
Minimum Tank Size: 29 gallons for 1 pair or 40 gallons for a small colony
Native Location: Central American rivers/lakes. Slight differences in coloration and body shape may be seen in specimens collected from different regions.
Temperature: 72-76F (Overall health may decline at temps above 76F)
Diet: omnivore (In nature, a large portion of the diet of this species consists of invertebrates and livebearer fry). The best diet would consist of a staple cichlid pellet (I recommend Hikari and New Life Spectrum from personal experience) with treats of live/frozen/freeze dried bloodworms, blackworms, meal worms, krill, brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, etc. Care should be taken not to overfeed this species as overfeeding will lead to bloat. This is especially important if you keep a group of them. The dominant male of the group can and will eat much more than his fair share. I lost the dominant male in my group of Mixteco Golds to bloat caused by him over-eating.
Breeding: Both male and female will guard and clean a spawning location. Female will lay the eggs which are then fertilized by the male. The female will then guard the immediate area while the male patrols the outer area.
Gender Diffrences: Males will have longer extensions on dorsal and anal fin and the tips of these fins will also be more pointed than the rounded fins of the female. Many believe that Males will have a more intense red coloration; however I believe this has more to do with the collection location and quality of the specimen.
Aggression: This ranges from fish to fish but for the most part they are more 'bark' than 'bite'. Typically firemouths are not overly aggressive or territorial except when breeding but they should not be kept with fish small enough to be eaten.
Notes: Firemouths are the "type" species of the Thorichthys genus. These fish all do much better in larger groups as juveniles. It is best to buy as many as 12-14 juveniles of one species to grow up together. As they mature and pair off, several will need to be sold off. It would be best to sell the extras in small groups as opposed to pairs. Provided the tank is large enough (40 gallons or more) 2-3 pairs should be able to be kept together as adults. Firemouths will also do much better with the presence of livebearers in the tank. In nature, livebearers are found in the same areas as members of the Thorichthys genus. The presence of the livebearers lets the firemouths know there are no larger predators around. This means the firemouths will feel safe and will confidently swim around the open areas of the tank as opposed to hiding all the time.
Note on the Thorichthys genus: There are 11 different species in this genus...8 have been described and there are 3 undescribed species. These are divided into 2 groups. Group 1 consists of T. affinis, T. meeki and T. pasionis. The 3 species in this group are identified as having a longer snout and both the upper and lower jaw are the same length making the mouth appear to end in a flat point. Group 2 consists of T. aureum, T. callollepis, T. helleri, T. maculipinnis, T. socolofi and the 3 undescribed Mixteco species currently known as T. sp. 'Mixteco Blue', T. sp. 'Mixteco Gold' and T. sp. 'Mixteco Green'. This group is identified as having a more sloped forehead, shorter snout and the lower jaw is slightly shorter than the upper jaw giving the mouth a slightly downturned shape. The same care and conditions should be provided for all members of this genus. One last note on this genus is that none of these fish will fully 'color up' until they are approx. 18-24 months old. Many hobbyists do not see their true beauty because they give up on them before they fully color up. Give them time and I promise you will not be disappointed.
***Special thanks to Rusty Wessel...a noted and well respected collector, author and breeder of many New World Cichlids--primarily of the Thorichthys genus. I have learned a lot from the different conversations I've had with him and from viewing his setups.
This post has been edited by Jason_S: 28 July 2004 - 01:47 AM
