Care
The Firemouth Panchax occurs in heavily vegetated coastal swamps, quiet brooks, and the slow-flowing portions of rivers. These delightful top-dwellers are an ideal choice for small, heavily planted aquaria. The tank must be mature and have myriad of hiding places amongst driftwood and thick vegetation, which should include floating species to help diffuse the light. Filtration should be efficient but water movement gentle, as most populations of Firemouth Panchax are found inhabiting sluggish waters. Small, frequent partial water changes are a must to keep nitrate at a minimum. As a gregarious species, these fish should be kept in groups of 8 or more. Juveniles are very peaceful, but the males may bicker a little as they mature - this does not usually pose any problems in heavily planted aquaria where there is an abundance of visual barriers. Tankmates should be of similar size and temperament, avoiding any tiny species which could become a snack. Ideal companions could include small anabantoids, Corydoras catfish, deep-bodied tetras, dwarf cichlids, small-medium sized barbs, rasboras, and small Loricariids (suckermouth catfish). May also be seen on sale as Redchin Panchax.
Feeding
Small frozen foods such as mosquito larvae, daphnia, cyclops, baby brineshrimp, vitamin-enriched brineshrimp etc.
Breeding
Firemouth Panchax are relatively easy to breed, and in densely planted aquaria, small numbers of fry are likely appear from time to time. However, if you wish to raise a larger number of young, a separate breeding aquarium should be set up for this purpose. A small tank filled with water from the main tank, filtered by a simple air-driven sponge filter, and fitted with a small sized heater to keep the temperature stable, along with several large clumps of Java Moss or spawning mops is all that is required. Acclimatise well-conditioned fish (either a pair, or one male with 2 or 3 females) to the breeding aquarium, and spawning should occur quite readily and without too much intervention (sometimes a small water change is required to get them started). The eggs will be scattered over the spawning medium, and incubation typically takes around 10-14 days depending on the water temperature. It is best to move the adults back to the main aquarium after a good number of eggs have been deposited, as the adults will predate on their own eggs and fry. Newly-hatched fry will require feeding with cultured infusoria and tiny rotifers, moving on to slightly bigger foodstuffs such as vinegar eels and baby brineshrimp (Artemia nauplii) as they grow. Vinegar eels are especially useful as a growing-on food as they tend to stay towards the top of the water, which is the area the fry will primarily feed from, so there is less wastage and less danger of fouling the water. If the clumps of plants that are used in the breeding aquarium are mature specimens, the fry will likely browse on the microorganisms present as an additional source of food. It is essential that high standards of water quality are maintained throughout.
