Callolepis firemouth

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a firemouth relative from southern Mexico, kept much like other Thorichthys: as a single fish or a bonded pair rather than a group. It works the lower part of the tank, sifting sand and grazing, and it is mostly peaceful but a settled pair defends its patch at breeding time, so give it space and pick calm, similar-sized tankmates with care. Feed a varied diet of sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp, and mysis, with some vegetable content. A tank of around 250 liters or more, with a sand floor, rock, and driftwood for cover, suits a pair.

In the wild

Thorichthys callolepis lives in clear, rocky creeks and headwaters of the Coatzacoalcos basin in Mexico, in warm water with some flow. Recreate that with a sand floor, smooth rock and driftwood arranged into territories and hiding places, and gentle current. The water runs neutral to slightly hard, so hold 24 to 29 C and a pH of 7.0 to 8.2 with good filtration.

Good to know

Thorichthys callolepis belongs to the cichlid family and reaches about 17 centimeters. It is a firemouth-type cichlid, but instead of the vivid red throat of the common firemouth it shows rows of iridescent silver-blue scales, which its name, meaning beautiful scale, describes. It is a substrate spawner of medium difficulty, a pair cleaning a surface and guarding eggs and fry together.

Did you know

Thorichthys are called firemouths for the red throat that dominant fish flare during standoffs to look bigger. This species trades most of that red for iridescent blue-green scales, so its display leans on shine rather than a burning throat.

Common questions

Related species

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  Yellow-cheek firemouth

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• Yellow firemouth

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• 

  Blue flash firemouth

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• 

  Ellioti cichlid

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• 

  Firemouth cichlid

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• Blackgullet firemouth

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