# Fire Mouth Cichlid (or other largish) in a Community Tank?



## catty_sam (Dec 19, 2013)

Hello all, I'm setting up a 38 gallon tank (3 foot long) and am toying around with what to do with it. The most appealing option is to move the fish that are in my 20 gallon and add to the species that I already have, then make maybe a new addition or two. I'm still a ways off from doing much to it, I'd just like to bounce around some ideas.

My stocking would look like this:
2 Bolivian Rams (one male and one female)
6 Hatchet fish 
6 Serpae Tetras
4 Peppered Corydoras 
a dozen or less Ghost Shrimp 
and then one larger cichlid or a pair of smaller ones. 
Driftwood, rocks, and real plants.

Should this stocking be functional? I was originally wanting a pair of Blue Rams, but then my heart became set on a Keyhole Cichlid. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there's an easy way to get my hands on one short of having to order it, which I prefer to not do. I may be able to special order one through a fish store that's an hour away, but I'm trying to avoid that. While buying supplies in Petsmart today I saw Fire Mouth Cichlids and they caught my eye. Googling them seemed pretty unhelpful. Does anyone here have any experience with them? Would one be a good candidate to try in my new tank? I keep reading horror stories about breeding pairs, but I only want to keep one. Opinions on keeping one in a community tank seem pretty split. I realize that my shrimp may get eaten, but I don't mind replacing them since they're pretty cheap.

If Fire Mouths are a no-no, are there any suggestions for other SA cichlids that have a better chance of getting along in my tank?


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## catty_sam (Dec 19, 2013)

The more I research, the more unsure I become! I think for now I'm just going to stick with the species I already have, unless I luck up and find a Key Hole, or maybe a pair of Apisto. If time goes by and I'm feeling froggy, I might try the Blue Rams, as they're at Petsmart right now and should be easy to acquire. Maybe one day when I'm no longer an apartment dweller I can set up a large, proper CA/ SA cichlid tank with FMs.


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## CjCichlid (Sep 14, 2005)

I'd probably stray away from a Firemouth as well with that stock. Have you considered Festivums?

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile53.html


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## catty_sam (Dec 19, 2013)

I'd never heard of them up until now, but they look gorgeous. I'll have to add them to my list and keep an eye out for them. Are they fairly flexible when it comes to water hardness? I'm going to try to keep my water on the soft side since most of my fish prefer it, but the profile for the Festivums says that they prefer harder water.


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## notho2000 (Dec 8, 2012)

I don't think a Firemouth is a good idea since the needs of a fish from CA is a poor fit for what you describe you want to achieve. Festivums are from SA (black water and white water) and the water there is low pH (<7) and low hardness and will do best under these conditions. They can be shy fish and will occupy the upper levels of the tank so it would be important to have lots of structure in the form of driftwood and plants (plastic or real) that reach to the surface). Also get at least two or three if you decide on them. They would be very compatible with the other fish you mentioned. Here's a pic of a pair of my 'insignis' in a 180G SA biotope tank. I highly recommend them..


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## catty_sam (Dec 19, 2013)

Thanks for sharing that picture 
They do sound like a good fit. If they like to stay in the upper level of the tank that's a big plus, too, because everything but the hatchets stays closer to the bottom, and the top half can look a bit bare. 
It sounds like a great suggestion, thank you!


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## notho2000 (Dec 8, 2012)

You're welcome.


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

I agree with all said above, and add those ghost shrimp will be food sooner or later


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