Fire

[gian krlo]

I just got three little 4-5cm firemouths, im getting 3 more on friday or saturday.im planning on having two pairs, i already investigated and have a complete ideology of them. But i want to know what cha know from you knowledge or experiences!!

From what size they start breeding and form pairs, its there anyway to determine their sex besides the pointed finns??? Can someone help with the sex of these, or what they think they are.

Sorry for the bad quality but i was in a hurry and my cam didnt have batteries.

 

[TheMightyOscar]

mine always started pairing at 3 inches

as for different ways of sexing, females have less reddening on their undersides, i never went by fins, females can get pointed fins also, its more of a faded red, while the males are bright

those 2 in the pics are way to young to sex

 

[gian krlo]

thanks!!

i have another questions about this dudes, mmm can i get a pair of just this three??? or i have to get three more so ill be sure ill get one or two and the other two alone will go away.

i have seen them since they arrived yesterday, and i realized the bigger one push the other two, one that is smalles just push the other one as the bigger one does, but the one pushed by the other two dont do anything about it and seem to dont care about them when they push, anyway they are all day side by side the three of em. NONE have any injury they are brand new lol, why is this?

 

[TheMightyOscar]

it's likely you will get a pair out of those 3, you have better chances with 6 though

and the pushing is just their way of establishing dominance

 

[gian krlo]

ok thanks for all the help mighty, so i can go better with three more?, they are now alone just with wild caught red hook, the albino oscar its gone cause it was 12cm long and the FM are 4-5cm so the oscar would eat them in the next months cause he grows way faster lol.

the dominance push will last.....how much?? usually males do that or females too?

 

[TheMightyOscar]

yes, you would do better with three more

it probably wont stop, they just wont do it as much

when i had mine, they would push the others around all the time until they started getting older, they did it less and less, only when one came to close to him or his cave

 

[gian krlo]

Hey i just saw the little one flare for first time and i say he is definately MALE , his gills were RED like BLOOD, and i think the other two are females cause they have orange-pinky gills.

here are the two "females" in a pic i took cause it just crossed my mine a pic lol.
the biggest one is in here but i think it is female cause she was pushing the little one and this one just flare to her and they stoped. the "male" is no in this pic, he also is the one with the most pointed finns.

i think this is the neatest pic i have ever take lol.

 

[gian krlo]

THE ONE THAT I SAID WAS MALE IS FEMALE, SHE PUT EGGS YESTERDAY NIGHT!!!!

i think she ate them cause she is little but yesterday she was shaking and moving rocks in front of the biggest firemouth, but, when they put eggs is because it have a pair wight??

 

[Caveman]

You more then likely have a pair seeing as Firemouth are one the easiest Cichlids to breed. First time breeding arent always a success give them time and it should work out.