firemouth / flag

simplyfish

simplyfish

Medium Fish
#1
Feb 18, 2008
89
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#1
I am a couple of weeks from stocking my tank and keen to try some new fish.

I have always wanted to do a Malawi type tank but my tank is to small, maybe the next one I get will be bigger but till then... I still like Cichlids, they seem to have a great presence in the tank so have considered, Angels, Kribs and convicts. (sounds like a list of LA gangs.....lol )

Am currently looking at Firemouths and Flags, does anyone have any experience with these individually or even better in the same tank. I want to make sure before I buy them they would be good tank mates and be suitable for a 35 gallon tank. Have done some reading around and can see no reason they shouldnt work but you can't beat first hand knowledge.....

looking forward to your input
 

hari-goshi

hari-goshi

Medium Fish
#5
Jan 17, 2009
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#5
It might work if the festivum was bigger than the firemouth. But both types of fish have a big variation in individual temperament so its hard to say for sure. Ive heard the festivums enjoy the company of other festivums , almost like a schoaling fish(research it though , could be wrong) Have you considered trying for a breeding pair of either fish?
 

simplyfish

simplyfish

Medium Fish
#6
Feb 18, 2008
89
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#6
Have never really considered just getting a breeding pair, what would be the best approach for that get half a dozen and see if any pair before getting rid of some later, or just buy one of each sex and see how they get on?

The firemouths are the main fish I want, I think they will be a nice size for my tank and the colours are beautiful. I guess the question should have been what would be good tank mates for them, would like something which would stay towards the top of the tank if possible as I believe Firemouths err toward the bottom of the tank.

Have just had a look on half a dozen different sites and can't see anything about festivums schooling, anybody else had any experience with that?
 

hari-goshi

hari-goshi

Medium Fish
#7
Jan 17, 2009
76
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#7
simplyfish said:
Have never really considered just getting a breeding pair, what would be the best approach for that get half a dozen and see if any pair before getting rid of some later, or just buy one of each sex and see how they get on?

The firemouths are the main fish I want, I think they will be a nice size for my tank and the colours are beautiful. I guess the question should have been what would be good tank mates for them, would like something which would stay towards the top of the tank if possible as I believe Firemouths err toward the bottom of the tank.

Have just had a look on half a dozen different sites and can't see anything about festivums schooling, anybody else had any experience with that?
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Not schooling. I simply meant they enjoy each others company , kind of like a schoal. Ive never kept these fish though so this isnt firsthand knowledge. Firemouths can be very hard to sex so getting a small group of juvies and waiting for two to pair off is about the only surefire methodThere is a video on youtube called 'sexing firemouths' that might help if your looking to buy adults. Firemouths are all over the tank , Ive never had one that stayed near the bottom. :D
 

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simplyfish

simplyfish

Medium Fish
#8
Feb 18, 2008
89
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0
#8
Thats good news about them being all over the tank, a cople of places had suggested they were lower strata dwellers. I always find first hand experience better though...

Great video but still not sure I will be able to differentiate between them in the tank at the store but I will give it a shot, one of the girls there had mentioned the rounder fins being the way to distinguish, but also pointed out some differences between the red and blue stripes in the Dorsal fins.

What have you kept with firemouths? or kept it species only?
 

hari-goshi

hari-goshi

Medium Fish
#9
Jan 17, 2009
76
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0
#9
simplyfish said:
Thats good news about them being all over the tank, a cople of places had suggested they were lower strata dwellers. I always find first hand experience better though...

Great video but still not sure I will be able to differentiate between them in the tank at the store but I will give it a shot, one of the girls there had mentioned the rounder fins being the way to distinguish, but also pointed out some differences between the red and blue stripes in the Dorsal fins.

What have you kept with firemouths? or kept it species only?
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IVe kept them with a salvini and tiger barbs. When they were smaller I kept them with corys. Now they are with a pictus cat in a 75. The color and finnage isnt a surefire method of sexing , so be prepared for adjustments.
This ones about 2 inches , they get more colorful with age.
 

simplyfish

simplyfish

Medium Fish
#10
Feb 18, 2008
89
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#10
The ones I have been looking at are a bit less than two inches at the moment, there are about a dozen in there at the moment (yesterday anyway) think I'm just going to guess at the sexing and grab two for now. Maybe wave a shoe catalogue in front of the tank, obviously the girls will race to the front of the tank, thus separating them in to two distinct groups....

I took the Goldfish to their pond tonight so I have a big empty tank right now. Heater is on but I think it is a bit small for this tank so will pick a new one up tomorrow and hopefully have everything ready them to go in this this weekend.

I have seen quite a few pictus cats round here though they are a decent size bigger than the firemouths, may let them grow a little first. there also seem to be quite a few small plec species available at the mo, rubber nose, bristlenose, bulldog all of which look like they wouldn't get too big for my tank. I saw a nice Salvini though again I think he was pretty big already about 3-4" would i be best off passing on this one and waiting till I see a similar size one?

Great pic by the way, thats exactly what I am hoping for.
 

hari-goshi

hari-goshi

Medium Fish
#11
Jan 17, 2009
76
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0
#11
simplyfish said:
The ones I have been looking at are a bit less than two inches at the moment, there are about a dozen in there at the moment (yesterday anyway) think I'm just going to guess at the sexing and grab two for now. Maybe wave a shoe catalogue in front of the tank, obviously the girls will race to the front of the tank, thus separating them in to two distinct groups....

I took the Goldfish to their pond tonight so I have a big empty tank right now. Heater is on but I think it is a bit small for this tank so will pick a new one up tomorrow and hopefully have everything ready them to go in this this weekend.

I have seen quite a few pictus cats round here though they are a decent size bigger than the firemouths, may let them grow a little first. there also seem to be quite a few small plec species available at the mo, rubber nose, bristlenose, bulldog all of which look like they wouldn't get too big for my tank. I saw a nice Salvini though again I think he was pretty big already about 3-4" would i be best off passing on this one and waiting till I see a similar size one?

Great pic by the way, thats exactly what I am hoping for.
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Thats hilarious , my wife will get a kick out of that*SUPERSMIL. If you decide to get two and both end up being the same sex , make sure the firemouth you replace it with is the same size or at least very close , to avoid bullying and to increase the chance of a compatible pair. The pictus cats get too big for a 35. The salvini arent a good choice in a 35 either. They arent (most arent)terribly aggressive but very capable of inflicting serious injury on fish of similar size. Fights in 35 would be unavoidable. I had several firemouths in with a salvini for about 5-6 months with no problems. One day I noticed the largest firemouth following the salvini around picking at it , it was the first time I had seen any aggression between the two. The next morning the firemouths jaw was torn so badly it couldnt close its mouth. I wouldnt mix the two in anything less than a 75. Sorry I guess i should have clarified that from the beginning.*BOUNCINGS The bristlenoses are very interesting , and they would make great tankmates for the firemouths. Same for the Rubber lips/bulldog pleco.
 

simplyfish

simplyfish

Medium Fish
#12
Feb 18, 2008
89
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0
#12
Thats no problem, the salvini's or whatever I think of will have to wait untill I get a bigger tank. Maybe next project.... Do you think he tried to bite off more than he could chew ;-)

Do you think a handful of decent size tetras would mix well, not talking neon or cardinal size more something like silver dollar or something like that, I'm thinking something that could swim quick enough to stay out of bother when the fm grows, not aggresive to bother the FM whilst its small.
 

hari-goshi

hari-goshi

Medium Fish
#13
Jan 17, 2009
76
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0
#13
simplyfish said:
Thats no problem, the salvini's or whatever I think of will have to wait untill I get a bigger tank. Maybe next project.... Do you think he tried to bite off more than he could chew ;-)

Do you think a handful of decent size tetras would mix well, not talking neon or cardinal size more something like silver dollar or something like that, I'm thinking something that could swim quick enough to stay out of bother when the fm grows, not aggresive to bother the FM whilst its small.
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The silver dollars get pretty big , and they are usually skittish without a proper school . Ive housed mine with tiger barbs , and there are alot of people who use tiger barbs as dither fish to relax cichlids. Firemouths do not need dithers but all the extra movement sure adds to the tank. Lamp eye tetras could work depending on A. the personality of your firemouths B. the size of each fish at purchase time(get grown lampeyes , baby firemouths). Lamp eye tetras are tough and alot more tolerant of water conditions than most tetras.
 

simplyfish

simplyfish

Medium Fish
#15
Feb 18, 2008
89
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#15
Well thanks for the advice guys, picking up the firemouths tonight, so got my best sexing guides to hand....

Will go for either tiger barbs, tetras or poss rainbowfish depending on whats there / what catches my eye.

I have also had to pop a Red tail Shark in there, he was getting to big for his 10G so he will be the only catfish for the moment. He is a little longer but not as fat as the firemouth os similar in overall mass. Might trade him for a small pleco at some point.
 

simplyfish

simplyfish

Medium Fish
#19
Feb 18, 2008
89
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#19
They are fantastic thanks Hari.

Its amazing how much they have changed in a little over a week. Initially they looked almost identical but already the colouration on them is markedly different.

One has turned very dark and has a redder belly whilst the other shows a paler body but darker stripes. This depends on mood and I am trying to work out exactly the sequencing of it but the darkness goes with stress. I moved a large piece of bogwood out and swapped it for a smaller piece to create better runs in the tank. The disturbance caused him to lose his colouration and looked the same as the other untill it settled again.

The 'darker' fish also seems to be the more submissive one and chased by the other.

I will try and get some pictures as it is interesting to see how different they look!

Also added 5 Colmbian red fin tetra and a rubber nose plec. The Firemouths seem happier to come out now the extra fish are there, they were a lot shyer until they had the company.

Many thanks for the advice, hopefully will pan out well, but the tank seems nicely balanced at the moment. Look out for the pictures when I work out how to post...
 

Big Vine

Big Vine

Elite Fish
#20
Feb 7, 2006
3,895
9
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Florida
#20
I'd add about 3-4 more firemouths of the same size if you're dead set on getting a compatible pair...try to pick up a roughly even mix of ones which appear to be more 'characteristically male' and ones which appear to be more 'characteristically female' to maximize your odds of success.
BV
 

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