Firemouth cichlid
Thorichthys meeki
The firemouth cichlid lives in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, Belize and northern Guatemala, in shallow, slow waters. Males flare their gills to show their red throats and ward off rivals. Omnivorous. It forms pairs that spawn on flat surfaces and raise the young together. The male is larger with more pointed fins.
- Scientific name
- Thorichthys meeki
- Family
- Cichlidae
Fact sheet
General
- Water
- Freshwater
- Group
- Fish
Taxonomy
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Synonyms
- Cichlasoma hyorhynchum, Cichlasoma meeki, Herichthys meeki, Thorichthys helleri meeki
Origin
- Native region
- América do Norte
Water
- Temperature
- 20–32 °C
- pH
- 6.5–8.5
- General hardness (GH)
- 2–15 °dGH
Size and lifespan
- Adult size
- 12 cm
- Minimum tank (volume)
- 108 L
- Minimum tank (length)
- 120 cm
Behavior
- Social life
- Pair
- Swimming level
- Middle
- Diet
- Omnivore
Care
- Care difficulty
- Moderate
Reproduction
- Breeding strategy
- Substrate or cave spawner
Conservation and trade
- IUCN status
- Least concern (LC)
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