Common name: Firemouth cichlid

Scientific name: Thorichthys Meeki

Type of fish: Cichlid

Origin: Central America (Yucatan Peninsula and Guatemala)

Level of difficulty: Intermediate

Max size: 6 inches (can grow up to 12 inches)

Growth Rate: Medium-Fast

Minimum tank size: 30 gallons for one, 75 gallons+ for a group

Diet: omnivore

pH: 7-8

Hardiness: Moderately Hardy

Aggressiveness: Only aggressive to own species, leaves other fish alone

Tankmates: medium-sized and well-tempered American cichlids, well-tempered African cichlids, swordtails, larger tetras, medium-sized catfish, tiger barbs, plecos

Sexing: Males have pointier dorsal and anal fins with long tracers.

Notes: Best kept in tanks with dark substrate to gain maximum color. Substrate-sifting feeder, so sand is preferred. Best kept in groups. Firemouths don't have the strongest bites so they can't do much damage. In my experience, they are very aggressive to other firemouths.