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Tank Size:

Firemouths can be kept in a 20 gallon long, though a 36" tank is more advisable. Firemouths get about 5-6 inches long.

Feeding:

Not picky eaters, though it's better to feed them sinking foods, as these fish will sift through the substrate for a primary part of their diet.

Tank Mates:

Firemouths are really unpredictable fish. Sometimes they're docile and sweet, sometimes they're little devils and will not fail to harass other fish non stop. I've had luck keeping them with larger tetra species.

Firemouths should not be kept with other cichlids. These fish have a very weak jaw designed for digging and sifting through the substrate, and they fight with bluff tactics, with expandable gills which make them look big, to try to scare off any potential fish. If another aggressive fish doesn't take the memo and locks lips with the firemouth, the chances are high that it will pop the firemouth's jaw off. This almost always results in death.

Decor:

These fish are rather shy for cichlids, and will spend most of their time in the back of the tank. They do well with lots of driftwood and strongly rooted plants. They should also be kept with a sandy substrate to allow them to dig to their nature, and sift the sand through their gills to feed. Due to their digging habits, weakly rooted plants will be uprooted easily. It's better to have plants such as anubias and java ferns which can lock into the driftwood, as well as floating plants such as hornwort.

Sexing: Males are said to be more colorful and have longer fins, though this is not a sure sign. It is impossible to truely gender these fish without watching them spawn.

Water Perimeters:

Prefer a soft, acidic water, but will do well in most water perimeters. 76F temp is recommended, and 7.0 pH or lower does well, but I've kept them in pH's as high as 7.8 just fine. Avoid pH above 8.2

Other:

Due to the unpredictable nature of this fish it may be hard to keep it in a community setting, though larger schooling fish tend to fare well. People also have plenty of success keeping them with catfish, including corydoras. These fish spend most of their time on the bottom of the tank digging to their hearts content, so fish in the upper layers of the tank are usually ignored. Putting this fish in a gravel substrate tank is truly robbing them of their natural behavior, and I strongly advise against it. these fish can be expected to live to 10-15 years, so be prepared for a long companion.