Fire Mouth

[ECCO_]

I actually have 6 F1 firemouths growing out in a 55 the largest of the 6 is probably about 3 inches right now, the plan being to get at least possibly 2 pairs. throw in a BN, and possibly some rainbow fish of some sort.

Cool, ever had praecox rainbows?There a real nice, hardy, active and colourful .
I would reccomend them, there small but fast and should be fine with the firemouths, you might even get them breeding aswell, I've heard they are not too hard to breed.

Well, Im going to go to my lfs a.s.a.p. and see what all they have to offer.
Also, How long should I let the 55gallon cycle before adding fish.

 

[cheesy feet]

salvini, sajica,
Thats what I was thinking of, or trying to
The JD, from what I have heard of them, might cause problems in a 55gal, there wouldn't be much space for them to co-exist.

Then again after all I read about convicts being little devils it might work.When I got one I found out that they arn't too bad when alone.My male grew 7 inches with a big bump, you'd think he would be brutish but he stay'd away from the sevs and only had a few scuffles with the parrots.

 

[cheesy feet]

As long as it takes for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate to not read on the scale.Well low level nitrate shouldn't do much harm, at that time you could add a small fish at to bring up the 'good' bacteria levels in the filter.I don't know the exact time too add fish though as I have never needed to do a fishless cycle, I guess when you add ammonia it should convert to nitrate quickly and dipleat so that ammonia and nitrite is 0 and nitrate does not/hardly reads on the test?
I've heard fishless cycle's end anywhere between 2-5weeks.

 

[ECCO_]

Are severums good?

 

[cheesy feet]

Subadults would, but ime there is a risk on stunting their growth in a 55gal.

 

[shroob]

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_55g.php

Some suggestions on fish for 55G

 

[Wolf361]

Fms are ok for 55 gallon. They don't grow as big as some of the other family names, but they sure do have an temper like most ciclids. They aren't my favorite coz they remain me of red devils.

 

[shroob]

Fms are ok for 55 gallon. They don't grow as big as some of the other family names, but they sure do have an temper like most ciclids. They aren't my favorite coz they remain me of red devils.

How do they remind you of red devils?!

Also, just thought I would say your stocking in your profile isnt the best, I would try and sort that out if its right.

 

[Wolf361]

Fms are ok for 55 gallon. They don't grow as big as some of the other family names, but they sure do have an temper like most ciclids. They aren't my favorite coz they remain me of red devils.

How do they remind you of red devils?!

Also, just thought I would say your stocking in your profile isnt the best, I would try and sort that out if its right.

Coz of their temperant. Your profile are you talking about.

 

[shroob]

FM arnt nearly as aggressive as red devils, you can have FM in a community tank (with the right tank mates and not a breeding pair - though witha large enough tank you can.). Red devils are one of the most agro cichlids, you would need a very big tank to put them in with something else, and I wouldnt even think about a breeding pair with any other fish.

About the profile, before you changed it, you had the fish listed in a 20gallon (oscar, pacu etc), they may be under 5" now, but they grow, and grow quick, I hope you have a plan to rehome them very soon.

 

[juanveldez]

having both the fms and the RD, along with a Grammodes, the temperment between the two is very polar, you have the FMs being the big babies, and the RDs are crazy agressive, mean, and deadly little blighters.

 

[Wolf361]

Man when I got my first FM I was shocked at how agressive it was. It was battling other fish to protect a tree trunk in the tank. It was also being annoying to other fish that weren't even near the trunk.

Besides they are to small for me, and petland hardly if ever sales them anymore coz they aren't hot salers like the clown knives and stuff.

 

[shroob]

Man when I got my first FM I was shocked at how agressive it was. It was battling other fish to protect a tree trunk in the tank. It was also being annoying to other fish that weren't even near the trunk.

Besides they are to small for me, and petland hardly if ever sales them anymore coz they aren't hot salers like the clown knives and stuff.

Each fish has a different personality, you probably got a pysco of a FM (or it was breeding and had eggs in the trunk or something, seeing it as its cave). However most FM arn't like that, they are quite peaceful for cichlids, not on the level of say, a red devil, midas or dovii. People often say severums are fairly peaceful, however mine is an exception it beats on any other fish even glassbanging my finger. Just goes to show every fish is different.

I dont know what you mean by being too small, and petland stuff, can't really understand your point there.

 

[Wolf361]

What I meant to say was FM's don't sale that well at petland and not even knife fish do either. Alot of rare and beauiful fish are disappearing from the stores coz ppl don't buy enough of them to be considered hot salers.

I haven't seen a FM being sold in petland in months. I miss all the rare fish.

 

[Gage]

in my experience, your goin to want aggressive tankmates, like convicts or something on those lines, i get a kick out of people teling other people firemouths are peaceful, in my experience they are just as aggressive as a Carpintis, and with mine, more aggressive then my 7" flowerhorn, which potentially is more aggressive then a RD. maybe mine is just a psycho, but it goes to show u cant judge a fish becuz of the typical behavior of most of its species.