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Should I start feeding him today? And should I like swirl the pellets to make them sink or leave them at the top? Cause he seems to just be cruising around the clump of java moss? Oh ya, I already have Wardley Cichlid Pellets (Mini) waiting for him

EDIT: I've also read that too many worms can cause a FM to bloat becuase they are more leaning towards the herbivore side? So worms as a treat. Has anyone fed there firemouths veggies?

Last edited by PondCometer at 23-Dec-2004 12:22

'grumpy' great name!

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

Thanks PJ it's only temporary looking to move him to a 30

Nice
he/she sure does look very nice, lovely colouring.

I think your gonna need to move him/her to a larger tank eventually.








Last edited by PJ at 26-Dec-2004 05:38

Well I got Freddy to eat by sending a few pellets down to his new favorite spot..here's a quick picture

http://img160.exs.cx/img160/2130/img1888postingsize6bp.jpg



Last edited by PondCometer at 24-Dec-2004 17:28

To be honest, my firemouth rarely comes to the surface to feed, maybe yours is the same way.

I've had some that would come to the surface and others that wouldn't. I do know the one I had that would not come to the surface was always feed sinking food as a juvenile. if, while still in the juvie stage, you can train the fish to come to the surface then you'll open up a lot of options for what you can feed him as he gets bigger.

To be honest, my firemouth rarely comes to the surface to feed, maybe yours is the same way.


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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Alright I dropped 3 (mini) pellets in there, he seems to be swimming around more now. But not to the surface for the pellets..will keep my eye on him

firemouths and related cichlids can get bloat from eating too much, but they can handle high protein foods. I woulnd't feed them worms everyday, but twice a week will be no problem. just don't over feed them. i have lost a few thorichthys and other fish from overeating. my 150 gallon is a large cichlid community and some of the fish are larger than others. some of the smaller fish like to try and eat as much as the larger ones and their system just can't handle it. lost a female honduran red point not long ago this way.

you can try feeding him today...if he doesn't eat then remove as much of the food as possible. honestly, I wouldn't swirl the food. if the fm gets used to having the food sink down to him, he may refuse to eat from the surface. if you can get him eating from the surface you'll have a lot more options open as to what you can feed him. thorichthys are often referred to as "eartheaters" or "substrate sifters" so they're more inclined to eat from the bottom, but they can be 'trained' to eat from the surface as well.

Meet Freddy my 1 inch male/female?? FireMouth Cichlid..I brought him home today..his/her colors are simply amazing and I'm ready to venture into the world of Cichlids, he will be feeding on Hikari Cichlid Pellets Mini..Anyone got some good info that will help me out?

http://img152.exs.cx/img152/7523/img1861postingsize0ym.jpg

Thanks [/font]

Last edited by PondCometer at 22-Dec-2004 22:01

Last edited by PondCometer at 22-Dec-2004 22:01

i'd try to get him on pellets first. cichlids can be kinda picky about getting onto pellets, especially if they get a taste for blood worms or earthworms. you can definitely give the fm the worm treats later on but I'd get him regularly eating a quality pellet like hikari gold or hikari staple first. Hikari sells "Mini" pellets that your little guy should be able to eat.

Last edited by jason_r_s at 23-Dec-2004 12:03

What other easy to find foods would you guys recommend? I just got him yesterday and he's been in the dark tank for about 24 hours. Is it time to feed or give it some more time? Thanks I was thinking of feeding him maybe live bloodworms or chopped earthworms for his first meal to get him to eat? Or go straight for pellets? Thanks

Nice looking little guy/girl. My firemouth was about that size when I got him and IME they grow quickly when young.

The Hikari pellets are good but definitely feed a variety of foods, fish appreciate that just like people.

One thing to remember with the pots is to file the edges after you break them. They can be very sharp and dangerous to fish.

This is Grumpy, who is ~3.5" now:




Theresa_M attached this image:


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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

eventually you'll need larger than 20 gallons if it's a him. if you'd like you can get him a few little firemouth friends and a few platys...freddy will probably feel much safer in the tank that way. then you can keep just a pair as they get bigger and preferably move them to at least a 29 gallon. freddy is a very nice looking firemouth...especially for being so small.

Last edited by jason_r_s at 23-Dec-2004 07:11

Will do, going to get some pots tommorow and do a little pot smashing, always fun

sounds good make he has plenty of caves.

20g..he/she is all alone so I dont see any problems with the tank size..it has a Penguin Mini Bio-Wheel, and a Sponge Filter. Also has Java Moss and floating Anarchis..will look into the krill. He/She is still adjusting so no feeding just yet

how big is the tank. i would feed him plenty of krill and other food with red in it to make his colors nice