Firemouths bred!

[iloveyouDIE]

Totally unintentional!!

I keep several tanks but one of our more 'fun' tanks is a 55 gallon long containing:

3 firemouths
1 T-Bar
2 Raphael Catfish
6 tiny serpae tetras

The tank is pretty peaceful and the firemouths and t-bar usually are buddies who sometimes race / chase each other around.

We woke up to find that 2 of our firemouths have bred! I haven't seen them yet but my spouse is home and gave me a call when he discovered it.

I've never had fish that bred before but I hear firemouths are very good parents. I was just concerned about the Serpae Tetras as they seem to be trying the most at eating the newborns. Should I move the serpaes, temporarily, to my african tank?

It's a new tank and the africans are still small.. it's the only place they could go without being eaten immediately by my monsters.

Also wondering about when they should be removed. I don't plan on keeping them really so they would just need to grow enough until I can sell / give them to good homes.


Anyone in the philadelphia area looking for firemouths in their future? lol

 

[MonitorSpiderCichlid]

I don't know about Philadelphia, but if you make the firemouth offspring beautiful I might order them online and ship.

 

[ftech69]

How big are your firemouths? I have a pair in a tank with a small pleco. Hoping they'll breed. Good Luck Keep us posted on their status.

 

[iloveyouDIE]

The dad is about 5" and the mom is maybe 3".

They seem to be very good parents, keeping the other fish away and I am glad to have seen them in breeding colors because they are gorgeous. If you put your face up to the tank they will charge you, gills red and flared. VERY COOL.

The babies sleep in the mother's mouth at night, which came as a surprise to my spouse on the first morning. He called me "OH NO THE BABIES ARE GONE AND DEAD!" and then BLOOOOP mom spit all of them out.

 

[chief420]

Got any pics? We just picked jup our first cichlids and we have a <3" Fire Mouth and some other S/A yet to be determined.

 

[Community Disorganizer]

Firemouths are very beautiful cichlids. Their personality differs as much as the weather. I had 1 in a tank with breeding convicts, and he tried to be the boss. I had another in with them and they killed him in less then 15 minutes.