Well my tank is setup and my Firemouths are getting to the age of breeding. Which is more preffered by breeding pots/caves or just a flat rock?
Firemouth breeding question.
- Thread starter Firemouth858
- Start date
The books generally say they are open water spawners, meaning they would prefer a flat rock. However fish don't read books, so it is not 100% they will spawn out in the open.
:iagree: Provide several flat rocks. It never hurts to provide some form of cave that offer protection for the parents and fry. If their are/will be any species that would view the fry as food, the parents have a place to go after they scoop up the fry.
I have 3 (possibly all male) FM's & 1 convict (female) .They checked out the caves and gaps between stones/rocks but never claimed them as their own.
The convict started digging pits after I increased the temp by 1 deg C. The firemouths seemed to like sitting in the pits. She just moved on and dug more. I've since lowered the temp back again, which seems to have stopped her digging. I added a flower pot which the dominant male has claimed. The other male sits on the stones behind the plastic plants, while the smaller male hides in the plants.
I was trying to sex them without taking them out of the water. Thats why I think I have three males.
The convict started digging pits after I increased the temp by 1 deg C. The firemouths seemed to like sitting in the pits. She just moved on and dug more. I've since lowered the temp back again, which seems to have stopped her digging. I added a flower pot which the dominant male has claimed. The other male sits on the stones behind the plastic plants, while the smaller male hides in the plants.
I was trying to sex them without taking them out of the water. Thats why I think I have three males.
depending on age male firemouths are much more colorful especially in the throat area when they display(hence the name.female firemouths are usually much paler in color than males.how young are yours?also,what size tank do you have these in?if you havnt already you will definately see an overload of aggression during breeding.so much so that there could be injury and worse attacks that lead to fatalities.firemouths are waspish,aggressive fish.dont listen to boasters who say they have "angel firemouths".trust the old books and people(me,included) who have kept them with anything and everything.the convict is a little "1 of these things is not like the other"but these two species are known to crossbreed...good luck...
They will spawn in caves and on rocks in the open. You can't always go by colors to find out if they are male or female. I have a breeding pair of firemouths that have spawned 4 times and the female is just as colorful as the male. But keep an eye on the other fish in the tank because they can get aggresive when spawning. I also have one female convict who is very colorful. she live with a female firemouth.
My tank is 40x12x17 inches or 120x30x44 cm.
I think I have 2 males and 1 female FM. Trying to vent them by studying them without taking them out of the water. Also by the colouration. There dosen't seem to any elongation of the dorsal or anal fins like the convict has, maybe just less subtle.
The main male (2"+) is now strongly coloured in his new pot cave. The one that hides behind the plants is now less strongly coloured. The smallest one (1 1/2")which hides among the plants I think is a small male.
The convict on the other hand has elongated fins, but also has the yellow/orange belly and some nice colouration on her dorsal fin.
I'm doing another parameters test then a water change. The FM that I think could be female (2"+)had better colouration.
The smaller FM arrived at a later date as I wasn't sure if I had a pair with the first 2.
I think I have 2 males and 1 female FM. Trying to vent them by studying them without taking them out of the water. Also by the colouration. There dosen't seem to any elongation of the dorsal or anal fins like the convict has, maybe just less subtle.
The main male (2"+) is now strongly coloured in his new pot cave. The one that hides behind the plants is now less strongly coloured. The smallest one (1 1/2")which hides among the plants I think is a small male.
The convict on the other hand has elongated fins, but also has the yellow/orange belly and some nice colouration on her dorsal fin.
I'm doing another parameters test then a water change. The FM that I think could be female (2"+)had better colouration.
The smaller FM arrived at a later date as I wasn't sure if I had a pair with the first 2.