The T. meeki are growing at a phenomonal rate and have now more than doubled in size. They are all eating with vigour and love everything that touches the surface of their tank.

I thinned out the group by removing 3 of them. The tank was getting crowded with all 8 of them in there.

No signs of pairing just yet.

The deal

About 1 month ago I obtained a wonderful group of juvenile Thorichthys meeki (firemouth cichlid) at a very considerable price. Taking the 8 little cichlids home for just 2 dollars was a deal for a fish I have always wanted that I just couldn't turn down. This great little group came to be at about 1 inch in size and over the past month have grown at a considerable rate on a diet of mysis shrimp, bloodworms, and growth pellets. The largest of the group is just shy of 2 inches. My goal for these growouts is to raise and obtain two pairs. Once I obtain these pairs I plan to breed them, hopefully with spawns from each parents.

These Firemouths are currently housed in a 55 gallon South American tank along with Bolivian rams, Bristlenose plecos, a Green Phantom pleco, and a king tiger pleco. Eventually the Bolivian rams will be moved over to my next project (which I'm dubbing, Planted 2.0, stay tuned for the details.) along with the extra Bristlenose plecos after I obtain a pair from my group.

For more info about the 55 gallon South American tank, check out its journal HERE.

Unfortunately because of their size and shyness, I don't have any decent photos of them to share. Expect some in the future though.