Fire Mouth (Thorichthys Meeki) – 4-5cm

The Firemouth Cichlid (Thorichthys meeki), is a member of the Cichlidae family and is found in the rivers of Central America. They are hardy, peaceful fish, well suited for beginners.  It is semi-territorial and can become aggressive during spawning seasons. Thanks to its bright red coloration, it is a popular fish in the ornamental aquarium trade and is typically bred commercially.  Adult size up to 18cm.

Central America is the home of the Firemouth Cichlid. Its natural habitat is the shallow and turbid waters of the rivers in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico Belize and northern Guatemala.

Behaviour

They are a peaceful but territorial fish and are not very good at handling stress.  They prefer larger tanks with more space; this helps them carve out separate territories.  Firemouths are not schooling fish, and in their natural habitat males tend to live separately tending to their own territory.  They are monogamous and are excellent parents. Males will extend their gills and show off during spawning or as a warning to other fish to stay away from their territory.  They do like company from fish of the same species if enough space is provided. Initially, it is best to purchase a pair.

If you watch them closely you will notice they spend a lot of their time around plants. They like to rearrange and move things. This includes the substrate and your fish might also try to move or dig out the plants.

Tank Conditions

Firemouths originate from slow moving rivers with muddy and sandy river beds. Usually, these fish spend most of their time in the lower or mid-section of the river trying to enjoy the protection of the vegetation close to the shoreline.  When setting up their tank try to keep in mind that if you replicate their natural conditions as much as possible, you will reduce the chances of your fish getting sick.

Try to provide plenty of hiding spaces using wood or rocks and plants. Plants should be a bit hardy as they like to ‘play’ with them; Sagittaria or Vallisneria are ideal. Make sure to pot your plants so the roots are protected.  Set the plants around the edges of the tank leaving a space for swimming in the middle. Finally whilst they are not particularly affected by the light, moderate lighting should be used.

A single Firemouth can be kept in a 60 litre tank. However, we advise that you purchase a pair, and they should be kept in a minimum tank size of 120 litres.  Due to their territorial behaviour, larger tanks will result in less stress and healthier fish.

Compatibility

Firemouth Cichlids are the ideal fish in a community aquarium with tank mates of a similar size. They are peaceful fish except when spawning. During this season, they may become aggressive towards other fish and potentially kill any fish invading their territory.  Just keep an eye on your fish and if necessary, think about removing the threatened fish from the tank during spawning.

Males can suffer from harassment from larger and more aggressive tank mates while females are quite good at finding protection under the other fish in the aquarium.

Suitable tank mates could be other similar size South American Cichlids. Make sure to provide a tank large enough to give the fish the opportunity to safely establish their own territory.  Ideal tank mates are active schooling fish such as tetras (serpae, glowlight and rummy nose) and catfish (such as pictus catfish).

It is best to avoid slow-moving fish and species easily bullied such as dwarf cichlids and angelfish.  Also, shrimp and snails might get eaten.

Feeding

These fish are not fussy eaters as they will eat pretty much anything you give them.  In their natural habitats you find them feeding on small crustaceans such as copepods and cladocerans, organic detritus, small invertebrates and molluscs. This is why having shrimp and snails as tank mates might not be the best idea.  They are often seen sifting through mouthfuls of substrate, looking for food.

A varied diet is a key part of their health and its recommended to feed them twice a day in small portions. They will eat flake, live and frozen food. We suggest providing a high quality diet by feeding high quality pellets or flakes.

You can also feed them vegetables such as spinach, spirulina, and a meaty supplement such as brine shrimp or blood worms. Artemia, mosquito larvae and Tubifex are also good supplements.  Freeze dried foods are very good also.

Care

Even though Firemouths are freshwater fish, they can withstand moderate brackish water conditions, tolerating salinity that is about 10% of a normal seawater tank.  They are pretty hardy and if you keep a close eye on water conditions you shouldn’t have many problems.