# Yellow labs and Firemouths compatible?



## colhowe1 (Feb 3, 2009)

I'm a new member in this forum. I have kept fish for around 5 years. I've changed from tropical community to malawi community and back to tropical community. I've just emptied my tank of fish apart from a plec that is about 6 inches long. I am definitely getting a group of yellow labs and quite fancy mixing them with Firemouths although I'm not sure if they would be compatible. Can anyone help me here or suggest another fish I can mix with yellow labs? I'm not wanting another malawi community tank. Thanks in advance.


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

No, you are mixing communities.

Firemouths are South American

Labs are African.

They should not be in the same tank for a variety of reasons.

If you don't want another Malawi community, you should re-home the labs. You can use the firemouths to build a nice South American community with the pleco.


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

There are no absolutes, and firemouths are not from south America. Firemouths are one of the smallest, least violent central American cichlids. They can be territorial but usualy do little damage. I am not a purist and have a mostly african tank with a few small central Americans. The aggresion is very minimal, especially between the two groups. I would only try this in a 55 gallon or larger and I would only keep 1 firemouth.


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

Sorry, thanks for the correction from South American to Central American.

Ah, well, I guess I am a purist. :wink: Lack of aggression is not the only criteria I use for combining fish (although it's one of them).


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## Bachachi (Sep 8, 2004)

I tried this combination a few years ago, seemed OK at first but eventually the yellow lab
began to terrorize the firemouth. I eventually had to separate them. I had a 30 gal tank,
but as josmoloco suggested maybe with a larger tank it might work.


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