Yes, they get much better color with age, also with a good diet. And of course frequent water changes. They are always at there best the day after a up to 80% water change. I think one of the things that causes these "washed out" or "dull" firemouths is just a lack of patience. I have been in this hobby for many years, and have seen so many hobbiests inspired to keep meeki. But I always hear and see them getting rid of them when after about a year, they are not as "pretty" as they expect them to be. The reality of this is, as any cichlid keeper of many years knows, cichlids don't even reach there "max" size untill they are around 2 and half, or 3 years old. So often times, we see people with year and a half old meeki, expecting them to be 6-7" fish, getting rid of them because they are unimpressed. I encourage hobbiests, to hold on to your "dull, drab" meeki, and give these guys a chance to reach there potential. I think we will find, the strong genes of this very impresive fish still intact. Also I will add, my pair have been raised from day 1 in large 6' aquariums. I think this is a contributing factor as well.
There is a guy who has been line breeding these fish for years. He has produced some very high quality fish, but my fish were orderd from a shop that specializes in saltwater. So I'm sure they are not from some amazing F0 or F1 strain. I strive now, to get close to wild or at least F1. But when I bought these all those years ago, I just wanted a spawning pair. And the meeki in my house, steal the show, and this is up against some pretty remarkable fish.
After having meeki for many year, I branched out a little and decided to give some of the other thorichthys a chance.. I puchased some aureus about 14 months ago. And about 2 months ago, I found myself a bit bored with them. I almost got rid of them. But now a few months later I'm very happy I dident. As they have really started to color up a lot. My point here is, its very easy to do. I really hope you don't this as a thread jack, I am trying to share my personal expericances on the species.
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There is a guy who has been line breeding these fish for years. He has produced some very high quality fish, but my fish were orderd from a shop that specializes in saltwater. So I'm sure they are not from some amazing F0 or F1 strain. I strive now, to get close to wild or at least F1. But when I bought these all those years ago, I just wanted a spawning pair. And the meeki in my house, steal the show, and this is up against some pretty remarkable fish.
After having meeki for many year, I branched out a little and decided to give some of the other thorichthys a chance.. I puchased some aureus about 14 months ago. And about 2 months ago, I found myself a bit bored with them. I almost got rid of them. But now a few months later I'm very happy I dident. As they have really started to color up a lot. My point here is, its very easy to do. I really hope you don't this as a thread jack, I am trying to share my personal expericances on the species.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
