Almost killed my firemouth

[Lady Hobbs]

At least I think I did.

Like a dope, I dumped those 10 gourami's in her tank hoping some dithers would bring the firemouth out of her constant hiding. She paid not one bit of attention to them and still remained in hiding. (All these crummy gourami's did was give the tank an ammonia spike.)

I removed the gourami's (the 7 that lived) into the community tank, did a big water change on the firemouths tank and everything was back to normal. Last night I checked water condition in the firemouth's tank and there was still a low reading of ammonia....barely detectable....so I dropped in Jungle Lab ammonia tabs since I had just did that water change 3 days ago.

I get up at 5 am this morning and here is the firemouth, sitting on the bottom where she always is but not in her cave. The water was really crummy looking, hazy and a slime was on the glass with bubbles on top of the water. I actually pushed her with my finger to see if she was still alive and she barely moved. She was quite black, as well. (This makes me think nitrites.)

I just did a 75% water change and water is clear again but I don't know what did this. It was nice and clear until I added the ammonia tabs.

I just wonder now if I ended up having a nitrite spike as well. I can't imagine parmeters getting too far off with all the "large" water changes that I do weekly. I'm out of nitrite test solution so was unable to check it.

Dumping 10 gourami's in that tank at once messed stuff up for sure.

Now I am back to my original problem with this fish trying to get her to come out of her cave and move around some. Never had a fish like her ever. Her tank is in the bedroom, I keep her light off most of the time and she has a dim tank. She should be out and about more often.

Last night at the store I darned near got her some firemouth friends. Should I? Since she showed no aggression towards the gourami's, I doubt she would bother small firemouths. The store has them for only $4.....stupid gourami's were $6....... I was thinking of adding 2 more females to her tank and also thought of adding one male.

You tell me? I don't want a male bullying her with her being such an INTROVERT so wondered if she would be ok with a couple girlies.

I just feel bad for her because according to the guy I got her from, she has always been a hider. How much fun can that be for her. All I want her to do is swim around like fish are supposed to do and actually come out of hiding to eat.

sorry so long!

[nanaglen2001]

Ias it possible you can take an all over pic of her tank, maybe including some details???

I am on a holiday, so I have some time to ponder over your problem.

It may be a tank set up problem, maybe a problem of the fish personality, maybe a hidden sickness.

And what kind of other fish are in her tank right now, whats the substrate, what kind of decoration???? Lots of questions, I know, but the more details I got, the better are the chances to help your fish.

If I cant, I know some people who are a lot into the Firemouth/Thorichthys in general topic.

[Rue]

Poor fishy!

Remember it's best not to add too many new fish at once...rule of thumb is a max. of 6 - with that number largely depending on the size of the fish and the capacity of the tank...

I wouldn't add anyone new until your tank stabilizes again...

[Lady Hobbs]

Nanaglen, I will try to get a pic later. My batteries are too low right now to get a picture off. She is alone in the tank.....29 gallons. I removed her cave because, altho it gives her security, she won't leave it and doesn't know when she's being fed. She sit in that cave until all the food has fallen to the bottom and mucks up the water.

Not much more I can say about it. Rocks and fake plants. I would like to plant it but I know the lights required for plants would really scare her.

She is something else!

[gm72]

Yikes, sorry to hear of this trouble. It sounds like the Jungle tabs somehow reacted with something else in the water?

[Incredulous_Ed]

ooh, that basically sucks. hope he gets better.

[2manyfish]

Sorry to hear about the problems you're having!

Just to be on the safe side, do a couple more small waterchanges to see if that will perk up your firemouth.

Seems to me you have three choices. One would be to really fill that tank up with decor. Have tons of hiding spots. Heavy on the plants, rocks, caves. That might convince her that she always has places she can dart into if she feels threatened. Add a couple of dithers. No not gouramis, something fast and flashy like 3 rosy barbs. 1 male 2 female. They will be all over, very active and on the plus side they will eat algae too.
Another choice would be the exact opposite. No decor at all! Absolutely bare except for gravel. Sometimes if a fish is put into this kind of situation it makes them bolder!
The next choice would be to get another smaller firemouth and see if that helps at all. Maybe it would work, but then again, maybe it won't. Will you have a place to put the odd firemouth if it doesn't work out??


Anyway, whatever choice you make, good luck to you Hobbs! :c3:

[nanaglen2001]

2manyfish is exactly of the same oppinion I am.

You said you use fake plants cause too much light would scare the fish, what about drifting or swimming plants?? They give shelter from above, and dimm the tank a bit.

Then get some huge roots/wood, and rounded bigger stones, lets say from a creek or river nearby. Those you can stack together in a way, they form caves. But attention, put the stones directly on the bottom glass, and maybe fix them with a drop or two of aquarium silicone.

The roots and stones put together in maybe two or three spots of your tank, so the form something like islands. Take care they form caves, but they need to be big enough for a fully grown Meeki.

Very handy comes a dark background. I use a black one. It gives the animals an impression as they are swimming along a river or pond bank. Shelter from the side.

Then you could use some bolder dither fish, maybe a nice school of colorful Mollies. They will use the hole tank, including the surface, so your Meeki will notice there isnt any danger, so you stand a pretty good chance, the fish will get a bit bolder in some time. Mollies and Meekis live together in their natural environment in Yukatan, so Mollies are the perfect dither fish.

If she is a bit bolder, you may introduce a little school of juvenile !!!! Meekis, so you might see your female chose a nice fellow in some months, and maybe she will start to spawn.

With juvenile I mean Meekis which are lets say 1,5 to almost 2 inches, and still having not much color. Your female wont see them as enemies, and should get used to them.

[Lady Hobbs]

Poor fishy!

Remember it's best not to add too many new fish at once...rule of thumb is a max. of 6 - with that number largely depending on the size of the fish and the capacity of the tank...

I wouldn't add anyone new until your tank stabilizes again...

Ridiculous wasn't I? I am constantly telling people to not add too many fish all at once then go and do it myself. 20 lashes for me!:27:


Thank you andrea and barb for the great suggestions. I will redo her tank better today and add even more cover. I do have some floating plastic plants I can use. She is actually out and about more since I took her cave away from her. (What choice does she have.) She has got to be the most timid fish I've ever had. I think she must have been picked on an awful lot and got into this hiding bit some time ago as the guy I got her from says that's all she did when he had her.

I think I will get another firemouth and see how she does with it.

[Rue]

...it won't hurt to try another Firemouth...but I wonder if you should try another girl?

[Lady Hobbs]

I think I will get a male. The ones in the store are mighty sassy but of course they are all crammed together in a small tank.

That is if I can actually buy a fish around here without ick.

[nanaglen2001]

But then, be sure the male is SMALLER than your lady, cause males are much more dominant. And maybe you find some nice Lifebearers as dither fish.

[Lady Hobbs]

I got a male today but afraid she is after him constantly. I also added some giant danios which she pays no attention to but she sure doesn't like that other firemouth. I hate thinking of setting up a 10 gallon for him until he grows up some but may be forced to.

[nanaglen2001]

Hiding places, hiding places and again hiding places.

Of course she doesnt like the other Meeki, cause he is an intruder in HER territory. Give both hiding places and wait it out.

Usualy Meekis should be introduced at juveniles (when they still school) or both Meekis should be introduced into a brand new tank together, then they dont have territories, are both afraid of the new environment, and so have other things to worry about in the beginning.

I just sketched a typically FM tank layout (if you dont mind)

[2manyfish]

Go ahead and totally rearrange the tank before you take out the male. Remove the females cave and replace it with something else, in a different location too.
Nanaglen that's a nice drawing! And if you can Hobbs use something in the middle like Nanaglen has in her drawing to break up the line of sight. In the fishy world "out of sight out of mind" is a very true statement!

Good luck!

[Rue]

Nice sketch!

[Lady Hobbs]

Hey, you drew a good pic and of course I don't mind. I appreciate all suggestions I get here and it's why I ask the questions, girl. I even listened and moved things around in my tank a bit other than Big Girls cave I left as it is since she is happy there. The rocks at the back left are spaced closer so she can't get in there to bug Little Boy.

I have no wood. What I have is all in my planted tanks and for my featherfins. I will need to get more and been wanting to place another order for it anyway. I am going on another rock hunt today before winter sets in and they're 5 ft under snow. I keep a big box of rocks in the closet.

I wonder, at times, what my family would think if I dropped dead and they'd have to clean my apartment. I have a closet with rocks, a closet with cut up bits of styrofoam (for the background I never did) a box of tree branches, styrofoam coolers for fish, an empty 10 and 20 gallon and the stand, bags of unused fish gravel, decorations I don't use.........yadda, yadda, yadda.

And since apartments are so NOT cool, also my shovel, rake, rock salt, the wooden canopy for my 55 gallon, and a full 50 lb bag of soil master select for planting tanks. And of course I can't forget the tools and paints, etc. GAWD!

When my mother died, she had bingo chips, yarn, 25 purses and bags and bags of clothing. LOL My clothes would fit in one bag, I think, but it would take a pick up truck to haul out the fish stuff!

[2manyfish]

Your tank looks nice Hobbs!! thumbs2:

I know what you mean about the fishy stuff!! It's weird the stuff you collect and how quickly it builds up!
I've already arranged with a local fish store owner that if I die suddenly my husband only needs to call him and he will come and get all the fish and tanks. As far as the other stuff he can take what he wants...and boy do I have the stuff!
That way my family doesn't have to deal with 'what do we do with all these fish and tanks??'

[waskita]

boleh ikutan ga?

[Lady Hobbs]

Don't know what that post is about.

I cleaned those closets today and took 3 loads to the dumpster out back. Now I feel better.

[2manyfish]

Wow! You need to come over to my house and help me get rid of fish stuff. I have a real problem with letting go of even the smallest thing when it has to do with fish! :help:
Do you charge much? :c2: