Newbie Question

F

Fishy101

AC Members
Mar 16, 2007
11
0
0
Hello,
I've just purchased a 29R gallon tank, and in the process of fishless cycling right now. I want a fish with some "personality", instead of a bunch of hyper tetras. I was looking at just a firemouth cichlid, but I don't want him\her to get lonely. Is it a mistake to get two in such a small tank? I read to buy 5 or 6 juvies, and let them pair up, but my LFS won't go for taking the unwanted back. I was also thinking about getting 1 firemouth and 1 blue acara, both about 2" at the LFs. Would that be a bad idea?
 
Fishy101 said:
I want a fish with some "personality", instead of a bunch of hyper tetras.
Click to expand...

I know what u mean! :rolleyes:

After ur tank cycles, why not look at Rams? (Sorry cheap plug there, I just love them)!

If I'm recalling my memory correctly Firemouths are very territorial and will aggressively defend their 'turf', and may not be the best tankmates for other less aggressive and/or smaller fish. I know 2 ppl w/ Firemouths and they have them in species tanks.

The acara's are a gorgeous fish, but quite a bit larger...

Other options to look into may be Keyholes, Rams, Apistogramma, and Kribs. Kribs can be territorial, but really only during mating.
 
You could keep two firemouths in a tank that big. They are usually pretty peaceful but can be very territorial and aggressive. It all depends on your individual fish.
 
IMO, I would not keep two firemouths in a 29.
 
Thanks for the quick responses. I have one yay and one nay on 2 firemouths in a 29. Anyone care to break the tie? :) What about the Acara?

I did see kribs in the store, and thought about those. How many kribs should I put in a tank? Aren't they territorial as well when breeding?

I don't remember ever seeing "ram" in any of the fish stores I went to (which is pretty much every one in San Diego). I'm looking at a picture right now, and they look cool. The tap water here is pretty hard, and the ph is at 7.8 with just conditioners right now after 2.5 weeks of cycling. Would they be ok with that?
 
SLOW acclimation and should be okay (but look into each fish before buying them to make sure that this is within their tolerance).

Also, a good habit is to ask the LFS what their water paramaters are. That way you will know what process (i.e. acclimation rate, or other measures) that you can use to add them safely.

What is ur hardness and alkalinity? Most cichlids like nice clean soft water (soft not being the same as water softened by conditioners for house use). Cleaner the better. If ur tap is really hard u may need to treat ur water to reduce the total hardness. pH is okay as well and u can always modify this, but I would advocate that u don't, or at least not with chemicals.

I don't know Firemouths well enough to answer you, but I do from watching them that they can be pretty aggressive even amongst themselves.
 
I don't have a test for the hardness...yet. The owner of my LFS is about a quarter of a mile away, and he told me the water in this area is definitely on the hard side. Something to keep in mind when selecting fish.
 
you should go with a smaller cichlid like the dwarfs. and DO NOT put firemouths or the acara in the 29 gal that is way to small. and make sure you do your research on any fish before you buy them. if you are doing research on the fish you like then you should have know that a pair of firemouths or a acara would be to large for the size tank that you have.
 
I appreciate the input. I will look into smaller fish - rams, kribs. I just needed some feedback, because a lot of the websites I researched said a pair of firemouths would be ok in a 30. It did sound a little fishy, pardon the expression. I guess I just wanted to believe! ;) Of course, in petco, the plastic card on the tanks says that a tiger oscar can be in a 30g tank. ;(
 
I have a fire mouth in my 29 gallon, also some rams. they get along splendidly . also have angels as well as two corys. All my fish swim well togehter and get along nicely. As soon as I get my camera fired up I will tak a pic for ya :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom