American Cichlids
Firemouth
Thorichthys meeki
Photo: Mattia Nocciola · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Key facts
- Temperature22–28 °C
- pH6.5–8
- Minimum tank200 l
- Adult size15 cm
- Difficulty★★☆☆☆
- TemperamentSemi-aggressive
- WaterFresh
Full profile
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Origin
- Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico), Belize and Guatemala
- Size
- 15 cm
- Temperature
- 22 – 28°C
- pH
- 6.5 – 8.0
- GH
- 6 – 20 °dGH
- Difficulty
- ★★☆☆☆
- Water type
- tropical freshwater
- Swimming level
- low – medium
- Behavior
- semi-aggressive (more likely to threaten than to attack)
- Minimum number of individuals
- 1 or a pair
- Minimum aquarium size
- 200 L
- Diet
- omnivore
- Reproduction
- oviparous; the pair is very attentive to their young
Notes: It has a bright red throat that it displays by puffing out its gill covers to intimidate others. It burrows in the sand. It is one of the Central American species most tolerant of other fish.
