Firemouth Meeki

[Valkyrie]

I got a little male Firemouth Meeki a while back--it was an impulse buy, I admit, but I knew what I was doing having done research before then--and put him in a fully cycled 30 gallon tank with sand substrate, plenty of rocks and crevices and caves and few plants to hide in (but he still has plenty enough swimming space) and good filtration (research told me they like their water nice and clean). He has always shared it with 6 cory cats, though he seldom acknowledges their existence. Ever since I got him, he's been hiding. He's probably doubled in size and remains the most magnificent Firemouth I have ever seen. He would be the essence of nobility were it not for the fact that he is such a total wuss. I tried putting in a few pearl danios as dither fish--it's too warm for them, but they have to be the hardiest aquarium fish in existence and don't seem to mind--but no go. I rearranged the tank and tried putting in a female firemouth, but she ended up getting her fins chewed bigtime and had to be transferred to a different tank (though even while she was there, he still refused to come out except to chase if she happened to venture by his lair). I don't know what I can do to get the booger to come out where I can see him!! I'm almost tempted to take out all his hidey-holes, but there's no way I'm going to risk anything that would stress him out or make him unhappy and thus vulnerable to disease. But still, the only time he'll dash out of his caves is when I feed him. It's starting to seriously bug me.

Any ideas?

 

[Ferris]

Give him time, most fish take a while to get used to their new home especially after a trip from the LFS, it is normal. When he is settled, you should see a lot more of himas FM's are not particualrly shy.

By the way FM's are new world cichlids so if you have any more questions, you'll get more answers in that forum.

 

[Valkyrie]

New World? Ooops. I'm bad with that kind of stuff. Maybe a mod will move it to the right forum...

I've had my FM for a few months already; he's at least half again as big as he was when I got him, maybe double that size. He's healthy and beautiful. He just won't come out.

 

[freddyk]

Lone specimens can often be shy. I agree with Ferris that time will still help, but if you really want to see anything worthwhile out of him he needs a mate.

A lot of aggression goes on in the process of aquiring a mate and adding a female will inevitably wind up as you've seen. You would need to introduce several females to both to increase the chances of a pair forming and distribute the aggression before it does. If you did this I think the environment could get to aggressive for the cories though.

 

[windtrancer]

i am having the same problem; my two 3" firemouths refuse to move or eat, always hiding behind the rock work. (my tank is just a few days new)

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