Firemouth Compatability

[sebn]

So my beautiful GBR passed away after having her for a couple of years, and i am left wanting another cichlid. I have a 29g(uk gallon) tank, 130ish liters. It has been running for well over a year with no issues, regular water changes, testing etc.
 
I currently have a shoal of rummynose tetras, lemon tetras, some albino corys and a clown plec. I have a load of wood in the tank and lots of live plants and sand substrate, all these fish are fully grown having been in the tank since it was started.
 
I am considering getting a firemouth as i want a cichlid that is larger than the gbr but obvioulsy not a monster due to current tank size limitations. I would be getting a small (2-3 inch) firemouth.  I understand that as the firemouth grows the rummynoses could potentially become snacks for it but I know that firemouths are considered to be one of the less agressive larger cichlids and their bark is often worse than their bite so this gives me hope that my stocking plan could work. As I would be getting a small firemouth it would grow up with the other residents of the tank and not feel as though its territory is being invaded. I would expect some initial agression whilst the fish is introduced to the tank, to set the pecking order but i would hope at 2-3 inches it would be unlikely to cause any serious harm.
 
I understand that its a pretty hard question to ask as every fish is going to be different in personality, and as long as i provide ample hiding places/caves that the cichlid can claim, does this sound lke a viable plan?
 
Does anyone who has kept firemouths in community tanks care to share some experiences?
 
We are planning on buying a new house within the next year and a larger tank is very much on the agenda.

 

[simplyfish]

I've kept a pair of Firemouths in a similar size tank and they worked quite well. It was an Aquaone 620T which is similar volume to what you've said there.
 
They were in with Columbian red fin tetras and I don't remember any issues with aggression towards tank mates. I had them for about 3 years and they had grown to a reasonable size by then. To be honest I was getting to the point I felt they needed a bigger tank, they weren't overly cramped but could have down with a bit more swimming space. As things went I had to break down the tank and give the fish away.
 
I've kept a number of the 'semi-aggressive' cichlids over the years, I generally try to make sure there is nothing too small in with them, but have found they usually display their best and seem most relaxed when there are other 'dither' fish in the tank.

 

[star4]

I know many people do keep "dithers" with cichlids, personally I think it is a bad idea and certainly there is the potential for the firemouth to try and snack on the rummynose, even a small one would attempt it. There was a post on here recently where someones firemouth had a neon stuck in its mouth. If you want larger than a GBR you could go bolivian ram, rainbow cichlid, curviceps, keyhole, cupid cichlid any of those would be "safer" for the other fish than a firemouth.

 

[Diesel Trout]

I introduced 2 firemouth and 2 rainbow (juveniles) at the same time because both types of cichlids are considered to be "less aggressive". I already had a tank with established rummynose (15), bolivian rams (5) and red minor tetras (6)  along with a couple bottom feeders in my 75 gallon bowfront.  The new cichlids got along great with everyone, hanging out together; they were the best of friends.  As the firemouths matured they became more agressive, while the rainbows remained placid.  Soon I was down to 5 rummys and the firemouths chase the rainbows incessantly. No one bothers the rams.
 
If you can tolerate some fishloss and/or stressed out tankmates, the firemouth are a beautiful fish but can be more aggressive than you might think.  Rainbows are easy going and shouldn't bother any of the other inhabitants.

 

[DrRob]

Agreed, you're likely to lose rummies with firemouths once they grow up. Colombian red fins are a whole different prospect and are far more capable of looking after themselves than rummies.
 
Firemouths may not be all that into major battles but they're fairly aggressive. The placid reputation they get is that they're not likely to take on any form of major fighting, wheras there are other, smaller cichlids that will happily kill off whole shoals in a short time. You shouldn't underestimate them though, as they may not bite to badly but they do bark a lot and their barking is enough for the smaller tetras to be in trouble.

 

[sebn]

Thanks for the advice everyone, i shall have to think about it a bit more.

 

[simplyfish]

I'd agree that if I was going for Dither fish I wouldn't want anything with a future snacking potential... I've read lots of people saying that if introduced to the small fish when juvenile then they are fine, but I suspect there is a finite point where this becomes unsustainable.