With a name like ‘Firemouth,’ you’re either expecting a fish with a propensity for hot sauce or a fish with a mouth the color of fire. Unsurprisingly it’s the latter!
They have a fiery personality like their namesake but are relatively easy to care for as far as Cichlids go. While being territorial like most Cichlids most definitely are, this species is not terribly aggressive unless you’re in the breeding season.
Found in the wild in the tropical warm freshwater rivers of Central America, Firemouth Cichlids (Thorichthys meeki) are hardy and adaptable. They are considered an invasive species in North America and have also proliferated in Australia, the Philippines, and Singapore.
This spread across the world was due to human interference and release into the wild, which is never a good idea.
They do, however, make a great beginner Cichlid for those wanting to expand their tank repertoire. Their vibrant coloring makes them a wonderful showpiece fish any hobbyist would be proud to show off to visitors of the tank.
Let’s get into all of the important information you’ll need in our care guide if you want to get your hands on a Firemouth.
Firemouth Cichlid Behavior
Despite the reputation Cichlids have, the Firemouth is by far one of the most docile and peaceful ones. This is what makes them so popular for budding Cichlid aquarists. The prospect of having one of these personable, vibrant fish without all the added aggression is exactly what makes them so appealing.
It’s important to note here that this is all dependent on a couple of factors:
- They are not in the breeding season.
- They feel their habitat is up to scratch.
Your Firemouth will quickly let his feelings be known if the tank conditions are not satisfactory and to their liking. This can be anything from overcrowding, insufficient food, or ample space to swim, hide and dig.
Cichlids love to dig in the substrate, which is why sandy types suit them best. They sift through the muddy river bottoms in the wild in search of food and pump out anything indigestible through their gills. It’s a type of siphoning behavior.
Firemouths tend to be active swimmers and will prefer to hand around the mid-layer of your tank along with regular trips to the substrate to poke around and dig.
Another interesting feature is that the males will resort to a warning signal if they feel their territory is being encroached upon or during breeding to ward off other males. They will puff up their gills and billow out the lower area of their jaw to make themselves look larger and more intimidating.
These fish are great parents and care for their fry until they free-swim, taking turns guarding them until they are self-sufficient.
Did you also know that Firemouths like to rearrange things in the tank to their liking too? It’s possible to move something in the tank only to spot it back in its original place in short order. They are quite particular about the placement of things, so that can be fun to observe.
Firemouth Cichlid Lifespan
The Firemouth can usually survive 8-10 years on average but have been known to survive years longer if kept in the right conditions.
This means that you are looking at a longer-term commitment than much smaller, docile fish, and this needs to be taken into account.
We will discuss more on tank requirements a little later in this article.
Firemouth Cichlid Appearance
What distinguishes the Firemouth is that they have red on the underside of their body, in fact, almost the lower third of their body.
They have a silvery-white or blue-olive body that is always punctuated by a large black dot on their operculum. That’s another clue that signals you’re looking at a Firemouth.
Their fins have red trim along the edges and have rays along with the occasional blue spotting.
Males are more vibrantly colored than females and run larger at around 6 inches in length. Females can get from 4 – 5 inches in length.
They have large, long dorsal fins that run the length of the body and similarly shaped anal fins that are long and run along almost the full length of their underside. A large, classic fan-shaped caudal fin rounds off the shape of this fish.
They are showy, center-stage fish which attract a lot of attention when anyone visits your tank and are bound to generate a lot of questions out of interest.
Firemouth Cichlid Habitat And Tank Requirements
We know these fish are naturally found in the often slow-moving waters of tropical rivers of Central America. They can enjoy faster conditions and particularly shallow waters also.
These carnivorous fish require plenty of space to thrive.
Firemouths need special attention to water parameters and require monitoring to keep them happy and healthy.
Let’s take a look at the specifics for keeping your Firemouths at their fiery, brilliant best.
Tank Conditions
While not a schooling type of fish, Firemouths like to choose their own territory. They enjoy a little bolt hole to hide within when they require some ‘me time’ or want to retreat.
It’s important to remember that in their natural habitats, the water is quite murky and dark. They don’t have a lot of visibility, and bright lighting or surrounding may encourage their hiding behavior. Not what you want from your showstopper!
They don’t need a lot of lighting and are exceptionally well suited to finding food and getting around using their senses.
Because they dig, it’s best to keep substrate on the softer side, like self-leveling sand.
Feel free to add in vegetation but beware that live plants can be uprooted, so floating options make a great choice. Great plants to try include Eel Grass, Java Moss, and Sagittaria.
Caves and rocks or driftwood are a must for creating individual territories and will offset the color of your Firemouth beautifully.
However, be sure to keep areas for open swimming as these fish are extremely active and like to patrol.
Filtration should be thorough and powerful such as a canister type, external filters, and add an extra sponge filter. They need zero nitrites and ammonia, so your planning for filtration is essential.
Water changes will need to be done each week with at least 30% per change.
Water conditions should be noted, tested regularly, and maintained as follows:
- pH of 6.5 – 8.0
- Water hardness 8 – 15 dGH
- Temperature between 75 – 86ºF (24 – 30ºC)
- Nitrates < 40ppm
- Lighting can be LED-based but dim to appear like deep, murky water
Tank Size
The minimum tank size needed is 30 gallons for a single Firemouth. Ideally, you would be better off at a starting size of 40 or 50 gallons for a single, and then add another 5 – 10 gallons per additional specimen.
Choosing Tank Mates For Firemouth Cichlids
For once, we have a lengthy list of options for a Cichlid! The choices seem endless compared to other Cichlids we have written about.
They are an ideal community fish but keep an eye out for the breeding season. That’s when aggression can run riot, and you may need to separate them from the others to avoid injury.
Here are your best bets if you are taking on Firemouths into your tank:
- Green Terrors
- Jack Dempsey Fish
- Severums
- Oscar Fish
- Plecos
- Silver Dollars
- Clown Loaches
- Blue Acara
- Convict Cichlids
- Pictus Catfish
- Rainbow Fish
- Swordtails
- Platies
- Cory Catfish
- Rummy Nose Tetras
You will want to avoid any shrimp and most snails as they will often get eaten. Firemouths love nibbling on crustaceans, so they are to be avoided unless you are purposely using them as a live feed.
One other point to mention is that you should avoid mixing Firemouths with African Cichlids as they do not tend to live harmoniously together.
Firemouth Cichlid Diet
Cichlids, in general, are not fussy eaters. They tend to gobble anything in their path and can often overeat.
Ideally, they need high-quality food fed in smaller portions twice daily.
In the wild, they like crustaceans, root around for other edibles, and sometimes pick at greens.
A high-quality, balanced flaked or pellet food is a good base to start with. But you really should not leave it there.
Mixing in some live or frozen protein like brine shrimp or bloodworms is ideal. You can also try blanched veggies, but in all cases, use a substrate vacuum to remove anything that isn’t eaten, or it will foul the water.
Firemouth Cichlid Common Health Issues
Being a hardy species, Firemouthss don’t have any special requirements when it comes to their health besides the obvious excellent water quality and condition.
Ich, also known as White Spot Disease, is a freshwater parasitic infection that presents as white spots on the body, fins, and gills.
Increasing the tank temperature gradually up to 86ºF often takes care of it, but if not, you will need to medicate.
Head and Lateral Line Erosion is another thing to keep an eye out for. It presents as pitting around the head area. This is a dietary issue, and you should rethink the quality of what you are feeding your Firemouths or add more variety to their diet. Consider live foods a few days a week along with nutritionally complete flakes and some green.
Other than that, be observant of any unusual behaviors or manner of swimming. Ensure that their feeding is consistent and they are getting adequate nutrition.
Firemouths, like most Cichlids, are all about exceptional water condition and excellent filtration to keep it that way.
How To Breed Firemouth Cichlid
Breeding Firemouth Cichlids makes for a rewarding first breeding project for the hobbyist.
They are monogamous fish who are very involved in the upbringing of their fry, which is certainly not the case for many species.
What makes them such a great breeding project?
For starters, you can probably purchase a breeding pair that are already bonded. If you can’t, you can have a Firemouth-only tank set up and get a mixture of males and females. 6 – 8 specimens would do, and you can let them pair off naturally as they would in nature.
Another great reason is that when the female spawns, the eggs are not hidden away and can be seen all over flat surfaces, including the tank glass. This makes it easy to monitor if eggs are being consumed and to observe all of the stages of the breeding process.
Like other Cichlids, this monogamy lends itself to regular spawning if you have a breeding pair. You will need to plan on how to deal with fry accordingly since they can spawn anywhere from 100 – 500 eggs each time. That’s a lot of fry to deal with.
The parents will look after the fry for a time even after they are free-swimming, which is pretty unusual for many fish species. The pair will take turns guarding the fry before that free-swimming point protecting them from harm and predation by anyone else in your tank community.
Conclusion
These are a great gateway Cichlid to get you started and on your way to a more experienced level of care for a species in the aquarist hobby. They say once you start getting into Cichlids, you often don’t look back and take them up as a challenge.
With such a huge range of Cichlids on the market and an array of beautiful, vibrant colors, they are a special Family of fish to take on.
As your experience and confidence grow, you can try some of the more aggressive species if you dare and regale your friends about their behaviors and lively personalities.
Firemouth Cichlids are not only beautiful to look at and observe, but they could be the start of a beautiful Cichlid friendship.
