Firemouth Cichlid

 Firemouth Cichlid

Do you know what one of the most popular of the cichlidae fish species is? Well its the Cichlid Firemouth ladies and gentlemen. Have you ever seen the Cichlid Firemouth before? I have and I can tell you that this fish is absolutely beautiful. In fact, I have three of my own. I cannot wait to show others my fish tank!

How would you like to learn the "simple secrets" to maintaining and reproducing, lively, bright and healthy Cichlid Firemouths? The following article is going to teach you all about the Firemouth Cichlid. In fact, I will show you how to make Cichlid Firemouth keeping easy for you.

Firemouth Cichlid Information and Facts

The Firemouth Cichlid  has quite the unusually distinctive shape and characteristics. It has fiery devil red colors mixed with deep blues and greys. It is an extremely beautiful fish! Many people will wonder where you got your new exotic pet.

As you can guess, the Firemouth Cichlid is so aptly named because of the fiery coloration on the under side of the fish's mouth. It has a very bright redthroat and belly. This coloring starts at the far end of the tail and will extend all the way around to the mouth. Now the body of the Cichlid Firemouth is generally made up of blue and gray with numerous tiny black specks.


Sometimes you just might even see one that has brown fins streaked with touches of blues. There are many different colorations of this fish. You will almost never see two alike. This is because there are so many different places in the world that the fish live. So it depends on each fishes exact place of birth.

The Cichlid Firemouth can usually be counted on to be peaceful with tank mates but there can be exceptions to that rule. This will be when the fish is spawning. During breeding times, they can be somewhat aggressive towards other fish in their habitat as well as becoming aggressive towards smaller members of their own species. Usually they will do no harm and this can be a very fun animal interaction to watch as a family.

During the reproductive cycle, the male Cichlid Firemouth will predominately continue to display these bluffs towards other fish. The Cichlid Firemouth will assume an aggressive stance where the fish will inflate his fiery red throat sac and gill covers. This is amazing when they do this. You will be astounded. It has been discovered by ethologists that the red coloring itself is intimidating to other fish.

During spawning 100-500 eggs can be produced, and both parents care for the fry. If you are thinking of breeding these fish for profit, then you will be pleasantly surprised. They make wonderful breeding fish and people love to buy them!

For the Firemouth Cichlids habitat, they like a tank bottom of fine sand and substrate that has plenty of hiding places among rocks, wood, and whatever else you would like to place in the aquarium. Plants are also very much appreciated by the Cichlid Firemouth as they love to hide in them and rest sometimes .You will want tp placea more hardy type of plants, such as Sagittaria, around the inside perimeter. Thus leaving an open area in the center for swimming. The plants will need to be potted to protect the roots as the firemouths may try to upend them.

Scientific Information

Scientific Name: Thorichthys meeki

Family: Cichlidae

Origin: Guatemala;Yucatan

Adult Size: 6 inches (15 cm)

Social: Territorial

Lifespan: 10-15 years

Tank Level: Bottom dweller

Minimum Tank Size: 40 gallon

Diet: Omnivore, eats most foods

Breeding: Egg-layers

Care: Easy to Moderate

pH: 7.0

Water Hardness: up to 10 dGH

Temperature: 70-75 F (21-24 C)

Now I know that many people say that "Keeping Cichlid Firemouths is too difficult". Or maybe you have heard other say "They are far too aggressive". and of course the most common misconception that I usually hear of is "You cannot keep them with other fish". All of the above statements are completely false. These fish are super easy to care for. Their aggression is laughable and fun to watch as they do no harm whatsoever and of course the Cichlid Firemouth loves to be around other types of fish in your home tank.

You just need to take the time to learn how to keep Cichlid Firemouths the right way.

I hope you enjoyed reading my article today about the Cichlid Firemouth!

To learn more about the Cichlid Firemouth, please click Click Here!