Firemouth Cichlid

[DanHeathcote]

Hi guys,

The firemouth i bought the other day seems to be a bit pale and colourless. All the ones in the shop were. (Apart from this i love him, Really nice fish) The guy told me that they had probably coloured down to detract attention from themselves as they were in a tank with jack dempseys and assured me that they had been very colourfull when they came in. It is only a young fish so i wondered if its colours would come out later? Or, if it just needs some time to adjust to its new surounding? OR, if the guy in the store was talking rubbish and the fish is naturally pale?

Please help.


Also, Spanishguy111 told me these fish were quite easy to breed so i wondered if anyone could tell me how to sex them or has any advise if i wan to have a go at it?

Thanks

 

[phOOey]

I'm not sure if a firemouth could 'colour down', so someone else can answer that. But most of the time when you get a new fish their colours will fade slightly, after a few days he should get back to his regular colour.

Male firemouths will have a redder throat than females and their dorsal and anal fins will come to a point whereas females ones are rounded

 

[Cichlid-Man]

I agree with barb, the move prob. just shocked him. The LFS prob. did not acclimate them and just threw them in the tank a few days earlier....causing their color to become lighter. After getting adjusted it should be ok.

 

[gump clipper]

I got two from my lfs m+f but they both turned out to be male and they fought till the colourfull one ended up caught in the filter and had to be destroyed the other one then became really colourfull, ive now added two opal convicts that have paired up and want to fight the firemouth they really show off as though a big fight is gonna happen but they go there own ways