# Firemouth Aggression



## iz513 (Jun 24, 2009)

I have a firemout cichlid and he makes me very angry. So many on the internet say that they are a rather peaceful cichlid so i decide to get two. One killed the other when they were still little babies maybe an inch long. Still about the same size i have this firemouth in a 46 gallon bowfront. Also in this tank are a small green severum maybe a little bigger and certainly taller and a small pacu. Don't ask about the pacu I am houseing him for a little while hes the largest at about two inches. The pacu gets destroyed by my firemouth and the green severum is not so bothered but what should i do with this firemouth am i going to have to keep him alone 46 gallons all to himself??????!!!!!!! I see people on youtube with very successful tanks around my size or 55 gallons with quite a few cichlids and nobody hurts eachother are they just lucky as anything or doing something different?


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## iz513 (Jun 24, 2009)

also can firemouths eat small feeders when they are full grown.


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## iz513 (Jun 24, 2009)

so how bout i get a much larger dominant male but a peaceful one


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## DarkRevoultions (Sep 5, 2008)

Maybe the male has some hormone coming and it's making him being majorly aggressive xD happens all the time with animals during mating season. My male blue gourami goes crazy for a while, but then it calms down after and my fishes just loose a few scales, and the finds are a little bit ripped. But I always add in aquarium salt, and I always add in stress medicine. So it's helpful for me.

I agree with the other person who posted. that your severum will probably be next. I have known that severums will fight back if any other fish picks on them. And mine always fights back.

I know that fire mouth cichlids are aggressive especially during mating season. Especially in male fishes. Although you can always try and put him/her in a different tank and then put it back into your tank with the severums. That may help.


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## iz513 (Jun 24, 2009)

ya but for now i just removed the pacu....the severum and the firemouth have lived together in harmony for a month now so i am starting to believe it was the pacu although after the firemouth killed the other one it started attacking my smallest severum but it has never shown signs of aggression towards my larger severum who is a little bit longer and taller that the firemouth


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## DarkRevoultions (Sep 5, 2008)

iz513 said:


> ya but for now i just removed the pacu....the severum and the firemouth have lived together in harmony for a month now so i am starting to believe it was the pacu although after the firemouth killed the other one it started attacking my smallest severum but it has never shown signs of aggression towards my larger severum who is a little bit longer and taller that the firemouth


Oh that is good  but you should probably take out the small severum then. Otherwise you might find out that your small severum will be very stressed, and probably die.


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## iz513 (Jun 24, 2009)

DarkRevoultions said:


> Oh that is good  but you should probably take out the small severum then. Otherwise you might find out that your small severum will be very stressed, and probably die.


i dont need to take out the small severum cause its in its own ten gallon its less than inch and the firemouth and the larger severum are now alone in the 46 gallon


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## DarkRevoultions (Sep 5, 2008)

iz513 said:


> i dont need to take out the small severum cause its in its own ten gallon its less than inch and the firemouth and the larger severum are now alone in the 46 gallon


Ah I see. So how big is your smallest severum? Mine is about 2-3" from nose to tail. It is growing nicely, but it will take about a month until it reaches 4-6"


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## iz513 (Jun 24, 2009)

my green severum is maybe two inches or a lil more


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## DarkRevoultions (Sep 5, 2008)

iz513 said:


> my green severum is maybe two inches or a lil more


Oh I see. I don't know how long they take to grow larger, but mine is already growing. I don't know if fishes have their growth spurt...

My severum is already nearly 4"


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