So i purchased 5 firemouths for my 55 gallon, hoping for a pair, i want to try breeding and was recommended firemouth's. I have noticed 2 of the firemouths have started to swim together and have been cleaning off a slate rock and digging a hole. The one firemouth is a little plump, and the other one is obviously the Alpha male in the tank, is this a siqn they are about to lay eggs ? and if they do will i need to rehome the remaining 3 firemouths ?
Firemouth question
- Thread starter docfishy
- Start date
Sounds like they are getting ready to spawn. Although they are pair breeders, and can certainly be kept as a pair only, I've talked with a few very successful thorichthys breeders (including Rusty Wessel) and they keep their thorichthys in large groups in relatively smaller tanks with great success. I have a breeding pair in a 55, along with a breeding pair of wild type convicts and a few extras of each species with no issue. The tank has several distinct territories and lots of sight breaks and I have had both the meeki and the convicts with fry at the same time. It's not to say that there aren't some nipped fins, but I have not lost a fish to aggression in the tank for over a year.
Good luck with them.
Good luck with them.
Sounds like they are spawning. I would keep the others and see if it works. Firemouths do live in groups in the wild so it should be fine.
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If they spawn it may be a good idea to separate the extras.
But sometimes taking them all out of the tank, leaves the male nothing to take out any hormonal aggression on except the female, and at times kill her. During spawning, aggression heightens, because the pair must be able to defend their spawn from hungry predators. To cement the pair bond, I often separate the extra individuals from the pair with egg crate, but still in the tank. That way, the male can sense and focus aggression at the extras thru the divider, and not on the female.
But sometimes taking them all out of the tank, leaves the male nothing to take out any hormonal aggression on except the female, and at times kill her. During spawning, aggression heightens, because the pair must be able to defend their spawn from hungry predators. To cement the pair bond, I often separate the extra individuals from the pair with egg crate, but still in the tank. That way, the male can sense and focus aggression at the extras thru the divider, and not on the female.
+1 I think a divider is the best option as it still gives the male a place to focus his aggression.
If its a decent sized tank you can keep the other Firemouths in the tank with the breeding pair. I've had 2 spawnings in the same tank, before with the two sets of parents share eachothers fry, with generation after generation of Firemouths being born and growing on together... a proper FM factory tank lol.
FMs don't seem to eat eachothers young.
FMs don't seem to eat eachothers young.
55 gallon might be a little small.(not for the fish but to have enough room for the others to escape the ticked off male) I mean you never know till you try. If the first batch doesn't work out by just leaving them then try a divider.
Firemouths like a tank with the largest footprint of surface space... so a 55gallon tank that isn't to deep is ideal. I keep mine in a 12" deep tank which has the greatest width and depth (front to back).... From my understanding FMs prefer shallower areas for spawning with lots of hiding places and loads of square foot of substraight to set up their territories 
Very important information, I keep my firemouth in deep tank, I didn't know was best a shoes box form tank.Firemouths like a tank with the largest footprint of surface space... so a 55gallon tank that isn't to deep is ideal. I keep mine in a 12" deep tank which has the greatest width and depth (front to back).... From my understanding FMs prefer shallower areas for spawning with lots of hiding places and loads of square foot of substraight to set up their territories
I'm not saying you keep them in a small tank, like a shoe box... I think you're mis-reading my comments.... I'm saying from what I've read and experienced shallower tanks are best for breeding FMs... When I say footprint I'm not saying the size of a human shoe but the general area or space of the surface of the tank should be the biggest possible... i.e. like a shallow area of a lake or lagoon.