Tips For Trying To Breed Firemouths

[minnnt]

I have got a pair of Firemouths that are starting to pay each other a bit more attention of late, showing each other good colouration and flaring of the gills (doesn't seem to be in an aggressive way) and they seem to be doing a fair bit of swimming slowly around each other. Is there anything i can provide for them to try and encourage them to breed? Would a coconut cave be good for these? I have a few pieces of slate that i can arrange into a make shift cave for them if this would help?

Any advice appreciated.

Cheers, David.

 

[Jnoosh]

When mine first bred they had a small barrel in the tank with two holes and it was filled with sand, she would stay inside the barrel and he would sit in the front entrance chasing away anything that entered the open space in-front of it.

The eggs were all laid on the side of the barrel, stuck to it, the female then went on to bury the eggs in the sand inside the barrel, well, dig a hole to put them in!

I guess they have to feel they have somewhere suitable for the fry before they get going!
They were kept with a gravel substrate before and started to breed within a few weeks of me changing to sand.

I also fed them live foods, brine shrimp, blood worm and daphnia.

Not sure if any of the above is any use to you mind!

Good luck with the breeding.

 

[Verminator89]

Just a quick note. I don't believe female firemouths "flare" their gills. I have been lead to believe that only the males do this. A female may have a face-off with a male, but they won't flare their gills. Males flare their gills, and from my experience with 4 juvi's i bought it was the 2 males who always flared their gills at each other and swam in circles. By flaring their gills, i literally mean they pushed out their gills horizontally away from their bodys, swimming in circles jostling with each other.

Distinguish the two behaviours and you'll know if you have a pair showing off to each other, or two males squabbling for dominance/females.

I hope that doesnt burst a bubble?

 

[Jnoosh]

My current pair of firemouthes, are also my first pair, so maybe mine arent normal but...

My female flairs up at the male, and when ever any other fish come towards her nest. She flairs up just like the male but the gills are no where near as red as his.

 

[minnnt]

I wouldn't say they were fighting. I have just watched some videos on Youtube of FM's fighting with other fish and it definately isn't that. When i had my male on his own he would really flare them out towards other cichlids, but it is definately different behaviour. They also have different fin shape and the one i believe to be a female has a more rounded body/belly. I am 90% sure they are opposite sex. I can't get them to stay still for long enough to get any decent pics though... as usual! lol. They definately have more colour now than the previous 3-4 weeks.

Thanks for the replies, keep em coming please!