When I got my first betta a year ago, he would flare at me whenever I look at him and he still does to this day. But man, my Firemouth Cichlid is something else...



I guess the first mistake was my mom buying it from nnnnnn, she said it was look at her so she bought it. Anyway, he/she is 3 inches who has been here for a week and for the first few days would hide whenever someone looks at the tank. But lately it's been flipping out trying to charge through the glass, biting and I guess "flaring" it's gills at me like I was trying to pick a fight with it.



Not sure it's the temperature. It's summer, but I manage to keep the water temperature at around 84 to 82. I went far as to buy it Hikari Cichlid pellets even though I got a dozen of other sorts of tropical fish food. The tank is 29 gallons with lots of plastic and real plants and is accompanied by another firemouth, a betta and a crayfish. Believe it or not, those guys get along pretty well.



What in the world is wrong with it?



Edited for inappropriate words.

keeping a Crayfish a betta and a two firemouths if i were you i would be happy that the firemouth being stroppy at you is your only problem,

i'm pretty sure firemouth's go a bit nuts when getting ready to breed do you have a pair ?

The Crawfish leaves them alone unless they get too close to his cave. Betta just hangs around the top of the tank and hides above the plants, if the cichlids get too close, he only flares but never chases them.



I have a pair, but the other firemouth is around 2 inches and I don't even know the gender of both of these cichlids.

oh and I want to apologize for the topic title :X

Apology accepted. Sometimes simple words seem like no big deal,but as this is a Family Forum,sometimes the simple words are picked up by the young. Better to just try and keep it clean.

if you get a side view look at them one of the ways of sexing them is the end of the dorsal fin at the top rear on females ends neatly and on the male it is extended (has a whip like bit on the end)

It's normal, they can be aggresive from time to time. Some individuals are more aggresive then others. I kept a betta with my firemouth as well, it was a female. She died, but not due to the firemouth.