# Firemouth breeding



## ryno1974 (Dec 6, 2009)

I have a pair of fire mouth in a 30 gallon with no other inhabitants. The first time they laid eggs, I had a couple other in there and the eggs all disappeared one night. The second batch stuck around for a few days, then all of a sudden disappeared. I am assuming that mom or dad are eating them now. They laid their third batch on Friday, and this time I was ready (I think).

I happened to have a spare 10 gallon cycled and ready to go, and since they always lay their eggs on a small terracotta pot I simply lifted it out of the parents tank and placed it in the 10.The 10 has a corner box filer and a heater, no other inhabitants.

Any thoughts on whether or not this will work? Any experience with these guys out there?


Thanks.


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## sucker4plecos (May 30, 2008)

I have had them spawn and there was no problem with them guarding... I had them in a 120 with large annostomus and some other dwarfish sized cichlids and they were very good parents.... it often takes new breeders a couple of tries to figure out how to guard and raise fry..... but firemouths are very territorial and normally prove to be good parents...... The fry sometime seem to disappear because the parents will move newly hatched wigglers to a different location... for these fish they will usually dig small pits in the substrate and might move them several times a day.... sometimes they simply "fake" moving them... I have seen adults move from one location to another without moving any fry..... not sure if this fools other fish or not.... the fry are quite hard to see in dark substrate when they are wigglers..... just watch the adults... they will often "tag" each other for guarding duties..... while the other looks for food or watches the perimeter.......


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