30gal firemouth

[luisrcrx]

Lolololol wow maybe i should of asked about 2 oscars in a betta bowl lol

but seriously thanks for the info. i like fms but im limited to 30gals and i want to have a planted breeder mabye black convict cichlids?

 

[jaws19]

i keep my convicts in 30 gallon no problem... just fire mouths are a little large.

 

[cichlidbuddy]

whats the footprint of a 30g breeder?

 

[japes]

Honestly, if you want to have a planted breeder tank you could do a pretty nice little setup with Bolivian or German Blue Rams, can even fit some Tetra in there with them. They only grow to 3" or so if my memory serves me correctly and they maintain all of the characteristics of their bigger brothers.

Laetacara curviceps (Flag Cichlid), Laetacara dorsigera (Redbreast Acara), and Cleithracara maronii (Keyhole Cichlid) are also possibilities for such a small tank, they're 3.5"-5"~ Dwarf Acaras that are community friendly if you want to keep a few Tetra or other community fish in the tank with them.

 

[Bderick67]

plan on setting up a 30gal planted fm tank, how many can i put in a 30?
in a heavily planted tank will they pull up on the plants? My tex rips up random plants in my 75, i also have a little fm in there that will go to the 30 but i dont know if he pulls up plants too.
and lastly if i throw in some ghost shrimp to take care of any algae issues will they eat the shrimp?

All this advise, and not one of these jokers though to ask the dimensions of your tank A tank with a footprint of 36" x 12" would be fine for a FM pair. A 30" x 12" would be a little cramped, but do-able.

FMs have been bread over and over so many times that most are not of strong gene pool and will likely not get beyond 5", 6" max. You'll need to come up with a pair so buy 5-6 juvies and grow out until a pair forms, then get rid of the others.

My FMs never bothered my plants, you will need to give them a cavelike area where they can move gravel though. Most likely the ghost shrimp will be eaten.

i keep my convicts in 30 gallon no problem... just fire mouths are a little large.

Covicts and FMs are basically the same size fish. IME cons are not plant friendly.

you can sex firemouth by the shape of their dorsal fin if its shorter and rounded off then its mostlikey female but if it has a long pointed dorsal then its a male

This is untrue, the pics below are of my female. I lost my male a few months back though and the pair can be seen in the folloeing threads

Firemouth Cichlids with Fry

Firemouth vs. Convict...Battle to the Death

 

[cichlidbuddy]

i asked what the footprint was. but only to remind people it was a 30g breeder. definately good for a pair.

 

[luisrcrx]

All this advise, and not one of these jokers though to ask the dimensions of your tank A tank with a footprint of 36" x 12" would be fine for a FM pair. A 30" x 12" would be a little cramped, but do-able.

FMs have been bread over and over so many times that most are not of strong gene pool and will likely not get beyond 5", 6" max. You'll need to come up with a pair so buy 5-6 juvies and grow out until a pair forms, then get rid of the others.

My FMs never bothered my plants, you will need to give them a cavelike area where they can move gravel though. Most likely the ghost shrimp will be eaten.



Covicts and FMs are basically the same size fish. IME cons are not plant friendly.




This is untrue, the pics below are of my female. I lost my male a few months back though and the pair can be seen in the folloeing threads

Firemouth Cichlids with Fry

Firemouth vs. Convict...Battle to the Death

wow thats your female! very nice fish! i guess i have to get a bunch and hope for a pair

 

[luisrcrx]

thanks alot for the info

yep i knew the ghost shrimp whouldnt make it i just throw them in there to do alittle cleaning as my fm picks them off, i get them in bulk 100pk so im not to worried

 

[cookiemonster]

do you realize that the FM will get 7 inches and sometimes more and your gonna keep a pair in a tank that is only 30" wide for life.
and they aren't ganging up on you they are just settin you strait

If you can show me a seven inch plus firemouth, I'll eat my hat.

It's not that I don't agree with the point your are making, but don't get carried away.

 

[klmt]

you could do 30 gallons for life but bigger is better, also the shrimp will probably get eaten, and mine have never touched my plants.