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How to Tell Male & Female Firemouth Cichlids Apart

With turquoise blue backgrounds, red edging scales, and red throats and breasts, firemouth cichlids are a striking species that look great in a home aquarium. They can be territorial and may bully smaller fish, so it's best to keep them with tank mates of a comparable size. As they grow to around 6 inches long, they need large tanks; a minimum of 30 gallons for a single fish, but larger for community tanks.

Sexual Dimorphism

Cichlid enthusiasts will know that it can be hard to tell the difference between males and females, as many species exhibit little or no sexual dimorphism. Luckily, a few subtle differences exist between male and female firemouth cichlids. The females of the species tend to have slightly duller coloration than the males and have blunt-looking genital papilla. Male firemouth cichlids have more sharply pointed dorsal fins and anal fins.