Firemouth (Thorichthys meeki)

Common Name:

Firemouth.

Scientific Name:

Thorichthys meeki.

Family:

Cichlidae.

Class:

Central American Cichlid.

Distribution:

Yucatan Peninsula, Belize, Guatemala.

Size:

Max 5-6 inches.

Diet:

These fish are omnivores and readily accept pellets, flakes, algae tablets, krill, live/frozen foods such as brine shrimp and blood worms.

Water Temperature:

74-82 degrees Fahrenheit (23-28 degrees Centigrade).

Water Chemistry:

dh 1-10, soft to medium hardness preferred.

pH:

ph 7.0-8.5 will be accepted.

Life Span:

10-15 years though there are reports of up to 18 years.

Breeding:

These fish usually breed in conjunction with neighboring pairs in order to form a small colony for protection purposes. During spawning, the male sets up his territory and will court passing females by doing vertical dances with gills open, showing his flanks. Females then either ignore the advance or follow him back to his domain. This is not usually the case on the first try though, as the female may leave and return several times during the male's courting. Once a pair finally forms, they will clean an area around a rock or flowerpot. The female will begin laying eggs, as many as 300, and the male will follow up by fertilizing them. Meeki usually seperate the eggs when laying them, and this is best explained by the low oxygen level in their natural habitat. The female will fan the eggs while the male guards them until they hatch about two days after being laid. The wigglers will feed on their yolk sacs for about 4-7 days and then become free swimmers. Normally the male will stay above the fry to scare away intruders. The meeki colony gives each pair a very small territory, but somehow the fry are kept at home with their parents with few exceptions. Fry are very rarely taken far away from the spawning site. Feed the fry baby brine, daphnia, and finely crushed flake. The parents will stir up the substrate looking for organic matter for the fry to eat as well.

Description:

Firemouths, both male and female, will have a bright red underside that is usually more intense on males. Males will also usually have more pointed and longer dorsal fins. These fish are semi-aggressive but are, for the most part, rather docile. During times of aggression, males especially will flare their gills, exposing an ocellated blotch on each gill cover that is percieved to be larger, more seperated eyes by the opposer. This makes the firemouth look a lot larger than it really is to intruders and, typically, no aggressive action will take place as the firemouth will usually intimidate the opposing fish. Firemouths are known to be one of the most exaggerated gill-flaring fish in the hobby. They are rivaled only by the Green Terror (Aequidens cf. rivulatus) in the span of their flared brachiostegal membranes. These cichlids are safe to keep in several community set ups with fish such as tetras, barbs, loaches, etc., but not with anything too small as it would be eaten. The aggression is very very limited unless they are breeding.

Requirements:

I would suggest a minimum of 20 long for a single or pair. These fish are fairly hardy and since they are from Central America, a ph of 7.0-8.5 with mild hardness will suffice. A soft sand bed will be best for substrate as these fish dig into the earth for food. They are used to slow, stagnant waters so very little current is necessary. Temp should be 74-82 degrees F.

Tank levels:

Bottom Dweller.

Ease of keeping:

Ideal for Beginners.

Nomenclature:

The meeki is listed in the genus Thorichthys which was first created in the early 1900's by a guy named Seth Meek. This genus was used to group smaller Central Americans with deep compressed bodies and long filaments in the dorsal and caudal fins. The most distinctive thing in the genus, though, is the black spot on the gill cover area. Regan decided Thorichthys was a section of Cichlasoma. After Kullander disproved this in the early 80's, Thorichthys has since been reinstated as the genus. Brind called it Thorichthys helleri meeki some time in the 1910-1920 period for the sole purpose of them being collected in open wells for aquarium keeping purposes. Today, though, you will rarely see it considered Cichlasoma as much as you will hear Thorichthys. Some have even placed it in Herichthys, but this is not a genus I would categorize the meeki in when doing research as you will find VERY FEW resources holding that genus.

Miscellaneous:

Firemouths are an interesting species for the beginner who wants a lot of personality, small size and beautiful coloration but doesn't want too much aggression.

Photo Credit:

Photo 1 supplied courtesy and ^© Aquamojo
Photo 2-3 supplied courtesy and ^©Molly.
Photo 4 supplied courtesy and ^©Sum-X.