more fire mouths

Question
I forgot to ask, if I put the fry in with their brothers and sisters when they're bigger will they get eaten? And I was thinking about getting an oscar in a sepreate tank or a red devil because my mum heard they're like a puppy but kill other fish, which one is nicer to people?  

Answer
Hi Tegan,

If the fry are small enough to be eaten, then they probably will be, I'm afraid. I would wait until they at least grow larger than the mouths of their siblings. If you feed them often (I usually fed mine 4x a day) they will grow fast, so you won't have to wait long! Just before you do introduce them, move the decor around to break up the territory. You could also try bringing the temp down by a couple degrees, it slows down their metabolism and keeps aggression down.

Oscars are famous for being docile and "puppy-like" - only trouble is, just one requires a 55 gallon tank at least as an adult at least, bigger is better. Loads of filtration, too. They also seem susceptible to hole in the head disease, perhaps more so than other cichlids. I speculate this is due to many people feeding them feeder goldfish regularly, which exposes them to disease while at the same time providing negligible nutrition. Oscars thrive with the addition of a few natural foods, like terrestrial worms and crustaceans. I recommend soaking their pellets and krill in vitamins a few times a week and including a regular offering of greens.

Red devils certainly have personality, but oscars seem to me to be more personable. It depends lots on the individual. The pro I see about the red devil is the fact that they are a bit less robust and better suited to a standard 55 gallon tank. An oscar does best in a 90 gallon tank as an adult, in my opinion. I have certainly seen them grow into one if its offered! Have you considered any other American cichlids?

If you have a tank smaller than a 55, I would maybe try a species tank of convicts, although you probably have enough fry on your hands! If your tank is in the 29 range, I would consider a pair of kribs. Kribs aren't really puppyish but their behavior and colorfulness is comparable to Firemouths. If you write me back with your tank dimensions, I could comment more, or try to suggest other cichlids. Just be sure to do some reading beforehand, whichever one of the two you chose - even if you choose an entirely different cichlid!

Check out this page of Q&As and see if it helps:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/cichlidselfaqs.htm
I would also try sites like cichlid-room.com and cichlidae.com (companion site) for more reference info.

Best of luck,
Nicole