Quarantine/Grow Out Tank for Fire Mouth Cichlid

I am requiring some info please. I have experience with freshwater community fish, but am about to begin a new foray into SA/CA cichlids. My new tank is still several months away. My local Petco has been carrying some very nicely colored Fire Mouths for the last month, it's unusual for them to carry this fish. I was wondering what some of you experienced cichlid people thought about an idea I had. In my new tank I had planned to have a Fire Mouth along with 5-6 Tapajos, 2 Blue Acara and a few Severums, all fish that are supposed to be compatible but faster growers. I have read that Fire Mouths are very slow growers and was wondering if it would be wise to purchase one now to give it a chance to get a little growth on him. For now he would be be going into a 13 gallon tank that has been seeded from my 55 and I am using to grow out plants for the new tank, sooo HEAVILY planted. He would be in the tank either by himself, or with a very small BN pleco. Thanks in advance. : )

 

you definitely could. lots of people buy common plecos as tiny little things, and it would be kind of weird putting it straight in a 100 gallon tank right? it makes more sense, at least to me, to put it in a smaller tank until I wanted to put it in a bigger one, or until you could afford a bigger tank, because who knows, maybe you are looking to be more financially stable in the years it takes it to get very large.

 

thanks

 

Aren’t firemouth one of those fish that seem to really struggle when not in a group?

 

Good question. From what I can find online and from asking my local fish guy, it appears they are fine by themselves but I've seen several posts on here that says to put them in numbers so I'm a bit confused. I've read they are do not school and in the wild males live alone. I was looking to get a male and wasn't interested in breeding.