# Rehousing Jewel and Firemouth Cichlids



## SpongeGarnov (Oct 18, 2019)

So I have a 55g grow out tank with a blood parrot, 2 Gold Severums, 3 Firemouths, and 2 jewel cichlids. I initially set up the tank as a grow out tank for the larger south american cichlids (which I know get very big, a 90-125g is on the way), but a guy came into my LFS with a the two spotted jewels which looked super unhealthy, so I decided to adopt knowing that they are africans and are one of the most agressive and territorial species out there. I decided to risk it and put them with the SA's, just to hold them somewhere. Fast forward about a month and they seem to be doing completely fine, which leads me to believe I have two females. They're still small but theyre bigger than everyone in the tank except the blood parrot, and they only mess with each other. I noticed some torn fins on my severums though, so my initial thought was the jewels. I got a spare 30g to have space to rehouse if I needed to, but I'm not sure. I've read that Firemouths are fin nippers, so I might move them instead. Should I move the Jewels or the firemouths?

Thanks for the help.
Side note: The tank might sound crowded and overstocked, but the severums are about the size of a quarter and the firemouths are smaller than that. The jewels are about as long as my thumb, and the parrot is roughtly the size of my palm. So they have room to grow until I find a bigger tank.


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Hard to predict what is happening, aggression can be from the same species as they will compete with each other, or from territoriality. Are the Jewels acting territorial? When cichlids are juveniles the aggression is not as bad as adults.

In any event you might make the 30g a Jewel Cichlid tank and keep the others together. Not sure what your long term plan is.


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