people keep saying firemouths are semi aggressive or peaceful while all of them are aggressive my friend has a firemouth too hes a mean guy just like mine, will flare to other fishes if it cant bite them push other fish around, and even fight. i also saw firemouths at the store they all are active and nippy so i think people should change their profiles, they CAN NOT go with community fish, my question is will my mean 3" firemouth get along with 5-6 tiger barbs in a 20 gallon tank? also where can u buy cheap tiger barbs? the small ones are 3$ each at my petsmart i could save some from walmart quarintine them and stuff but i heard they could cost the same price at walmart as people think tiger barbs are not schooling fish WRONG theyll kill each other in a group of 3 or 4, i dont want to spend more than 20$ on tiger barbs
Aggressive Firemouth
- Thread starter 1411939
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i think firemouths are supposed to be peaceful in a relative way. that is, if you put them in a tank with similar sized or larger cichlids, they'll most likely keep to themselves.
When people suggest things like firemouths as community fish its usually for a considered tank, if you just put an FM with neons and fancy guppies etc its not going to work but if you consider a well stocked tank alongside things like giant danio, tiger barbs or even wild type sword tails or wild type platies it will work, you can then mix tough plecs and other armoured catfish like brochis or hoplo etc. Basically keep it with stuff that can out run them or are tough. Flaring is not really aggression its just a natural behavioral trait of cichlids you will find that many cichlids flare just to tell other fish to move and non territorial fish will just flee rather than fight or flare back.
As far as a 3 inch FM in a 20g, the 3 inch FM is going to keep growing till its adult size. I would consider 30g absolute minimum for one of them with floor space being more important than the height. In that size of tank you could probably do a lone FM with a school of 8 - 10 tiger barbs, as you said tiger barbs are one of those schooling fish that need large schools to spread out aggression. You could probably consider a group of brochis catfish in this set up as well.
On top of all the above, all cichlids have different personalities. Some are hyper aggressive killing everything left right and center where as a fish of the same species wouldnt even dig up plants...
Like most fish when their care is properly considered they will work in a community or sorts but it needs to be planned around that fish as the central fish in the stock.
Wills
As far as a 3 inch FM in a 20g, the 3 inch FM is going to keep growing till its adult size. I would consider 30g absolute minimum for one of them with floor space being more important than the height. In that size of tank you could probably do a lone FM with a school of 8 - 10 tiger barbs, as you said tiger barbs are one of those schooling fish that need large schools to spread out aggression. You could probably consider a group of brochis catfish in this set up as well.
On top of all the above, all cichlids have different personalities. Some are hyper aggressive killing everything left right and center where as a fish of the same species wouldnt even dig up plants...
Like most fish when their care is properly considered they will work in a community or sorts but it needs to be planned around that fish as the central fish in the stock.
Wills
well wow i didnt know that, i still think my firemouth wont get along wit that amount of fish u said, it will just make him more stressed out by chasing all the fishes, even in a big tank like a 55 or 75 i have noticed convicts and firemouths are just as aggressive they have exactly the same aggressive behaviour pattern
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