Firemouth Cichlid
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
| Firemouth Cichlid Conservation status: Secure | ||||||||||||||||
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 A juvenile Firemouth | ||||||||||||||||
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| Thorichthys meeki (Brind, 1918) |
The Firemouth Cichlid is one of the "typical" and most commonly seen (in pet stores) of the Cichlasoma-type South American cichlids. Originates from Central America. A somewhat deep bodied, grayish fish with green-blue flecks and red trim on the dorsal fin, their coloration is average with one exception: a bright orange-red "flame" on the underside of the jaw/body. This can range from hardly noticeable to eye-catching depending on the fish, its sex, and whether it is in a breeding mood.
Firemouth Cichlids prefer a well planted environment where it can find protection. Its native environment is one of slow moving water. Their native substrates are sand and rock bottomed canals, ponds, and rivers. They live in the low and middle water levels. Firemouth Cichlids natively live in a tropical climate and prefer water with a 6.5 - 7.5 pH, a water hardness of 10.0 dGH, and a temperature range of 79 - 86 °F (26 - 30 °C). While they are omnivorous, their diet mainly consists of algae.
Firemouth Ciclids will grow up to 17 cm (7 in). They are relatively peaceful except for mated pairs, which follow the typical cichlid behavior of aggressively defending their territory. The fish have been used scientifically in behavioral studies.
See Also
- List of freshwater aquarium fish species
- AmericanCichlids.Com - Firemouth Profile (http://www.americancichlids.com/firemouth.htm)
References
- "Thorichthys meeki" (TSN 169787) (http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=169787). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. N.p.: Integrated Taxonomic Information System, 2005. Accessed on June 22 2005.
- "Thorichthys meeki (http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=4676)". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. May 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.
