Meeki behavior question

[Red618]

Hey guys so my lfs got in the 5 fm to go with my other that will be a 90 gallon. He has had them in for 4 days and I have been checking in on them. There is alot of agression and gill inflating just with those five. Is this normal.for them in groups? Or as time goes on will they calm down? Hoping people can give me more insight. The 5 range in size from 3 to 4 inches.

 

[mrrobxc]

They will flare at each other until a clear pecking order is established. Add some target fish to diffuse the tension and add one more and let them Grow out until a pair forms. Add plenty of territory markers.

Good targets are live bearers like mollies, swordtails, and deeper bodies tetras. Buenos Aires tetras go well and look like the astyanax tetras they are found with in the wild. Avoid other CA cichlids unless you ant the FM's to be subordinate. A 90 wouldn't be big enough to house another CA cichlids species unless you go with placid dwarfs like cryptoheros nanoluteus or Myrnae.

 

[Stanzzzz7]

Mrrobxc's advice is on point.
Firemouths will flare at each other it's normal behaviour and rarely leads to serious aggression. It's just them forming a hierarchy and it's also part of their charm.
However if you feel things are getting too heated add a couple more firemouths.The more you have the more aggression is diluted.
I don't mean overcrowd them,just enough to dilute any serious disputes within the group.
Give them lots of decor to hide and lots of line of sight breaks.
A shoal of livebearers is also a good addition to a thorichthys tank.
I'm sure they will settle down abit once they have formed their own order within the group.