firemouth and tetra community, or something BIGGER?

[Jmart159]

If you want a green terror, I say go for it. Mine was a great fish and was easily one of, if not the most beautiful fish I've ever had. Also, once he got big, he never bothered any fish that he didn't see as threat. I will tell you, he did go through phases though. Sometimes he would be very outgoing and sometimes he would still act a little shy. Another thing to consider is that this tank would be pushing the limits on size. If you were wanting to possibly do a pair I would go with the jack Dempsey. They normally bond well and I've never had a Dempsey pair that showed aggression towards each other. They tend to be lurkers though. However, I kinda like that about them. What ever you do, I wish you the best of luck. Oh and there is nothing wrong with swapping out fish every now and then. This hobby is meant for our enjoyment and if you don't like your fish, you won't like your tank and it defeats the purpose of having one.

-JMart

 

[Bigcatfishrule]

If you want a green terror, I say go for it. Mine was a great fish and was easily one of, if not the most beautiful fish I've ever had. Also, once he got big, he never bothered any fish that he didn't see as threat. I will tell you, he did go through phases though. Sometimes he would be very outgoing and sometimes he would still act a little shy. Another thing to consider is that this tank would be pushing the limits on size. If you were wanting to possibly do a pair I would go with the jack Dempsey. They normally bond well and I've never had a Dempsey pair that showed aggression towards each other. They tend to be lurkers though. However, I kinda like that about them. What ever you do, I wish you the best of luck. Oh and there is nothing wrong with swapping out fish every now and then. This hobby is meant for our enjoyment and if you don't like your fish, you won't like your tank and it defeats the purpose of having one.

-JMart

YES YES YES! I completely agree. Don't worry, I am not interested in a pair, as I don't want the hassle of finding a home for the babies (at least not yet). I just want the GT, my current BN and MAYBE some dithers (like tiger barbs, I've had them with a gt in this size tank before with no issues)

 

[swifty]

I'd avoid dithers with GT. They are nasty IME. Mine ate black skirts that were near full grown (2-2.5"). Decent as a "wet pet" though, that's for sure.

If you want a fish you wont get bored with, get a midas or a flowerhorn. They are worth the 55/75g they need.

@cyberman You have great looking firemouths. Your largest one is actually the video I seen that made my decision on getting a firemouth. That was nearly 2 years ago, and since then I've removed him in favor of jack dempseys. He was wreaking havoc on my smaller dempsey/convict, and wouldn't leave my silver dollars alone. He was also pretty shy. I had him for so long but he would still occasionally swim off when I came close, yet the dempseys would sit at the top going crazy.

Great fish though, maybe one day I can give one a real setup to thrive in like yours. I'm finding that in the largest of tanks, multiples of the same type of species (firemouths, dempseys, etc) seem to do well, and dont battle to the death.

 

[Bigcatfishrule]

Yeah, ok, I probs won't have dithers, just the BN. Yeah I used to have a Midevil, he was an awesome fish, but I can't get a tank big enough at the moment.

 

[Rivers2k]

I can spend ages watching my Firemouth community... Its my world of Firemouths and they can be so rewarding.. they constantly spare but rarely harm eachother... its a passive form of aggression if you know what I mean

[video=youtube;LePRHYzilq4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LePRHYzilq4[/video]
A community of Firemouths

I really like this tank what size is it and how many FM do you have? I got wrigglers from my FM last night. I think I am going to let nature take its course and see if there are any survivors. I had 12 survivors from my Honduran Red Points that I moved out last night so I might have some more meeki here soon.

 

[Cyberman]

Sounds like you've made your mind up mate - just fishing for opinions to back up your mindset.... Firemouths really do tend to do better with OTHER FIREMOUTHS... a Species tank. I've had a green Terror. It is a boring species in my opinion but you'll have to learn that yourself in due course.

Although it may appear that I am like that, I do in fact highly value the opinions of everyone who posted here. The firemouth was a fish that I got as I didn't have the room for anything bigger. Now I do. The poll, and indeed this thread, wasn't so much to inform me what to do, but to see what other people would do. True, when I did post the original question, I was a little conflicted as to which direction to go in, however I shortly thereafter made up my mind, but I am still interested in seeing what others opinions are. One thing that has really helped me cement my decision is the firemouth spending the last few months almost continuously hiding up the back of the tank, despite being the biggest fish in there and having plenty of dithers. I now have the option of a larger tank, and with it, the opportunity for a larger, more active (and therefore far more interesting and pleasing) cichlid.

 

[Murrayt]

On the contrary, my GT follows me wherever I go in my 135 gallon aquarium. He loves to chase me around, but is very tolerant of all the other tank mates. My Female Festae tries to protect him from me which is also pretty entertaining. I say a GT in a 50 would still be an equally fun experience. Eventually you may want to upgrade your aquarium and add a few other CA Cichlids. You can use dithers, but a 50 may be tricky to successfully pull off.

 

[Rivers2k]

Your experience is in a 135 I don't think a GT is going to be very active in a 55. Large Cichlids in smaller tanks seem pretty lethargic. My GT is extremely beautiful but is also very inactive and that is in a 75. IMO 55 should not house cichlids bigger than 6"

 

[cichlidfish]

I've been wanting a firemouth community but I haven't had the luck others have. I bought 6 and ended up w/ 2. The others were killed by one dominate one who now lives w/ much larger cichlids. The other has healed and has her own tank. A pair would be nice for that tank.



Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

 

[Bigcatfishrule]

I've had a green Terror. It is a boring species in my opinion but you'll have to learn that yourself in due course.

Yeah, I suppose with each fish having a different personality, people will have different experiences with them. The GT I looked after for a friend in my old tank for a couple of weeks never stopped roaming around. It was an extremely interesting fish to watch IMO. Each to their own I guess. As long as everyone enjoys the fish they have, then thats good.