Fire fish schooling

[GoldeneyeRet]

It bothers me that the LFS' have been trying to get me to but groups of these fish. I would have had a bloodbath on my hands.

Bloodbath isn't usually how it goes with firefish. Often times no aggression is noticed. One will just start hiding, stop eating then just waste away, eventually disappearing forever. Intimidation more so than aggresion. Mixing different species of firefish does not work either.

Zebras mix quite well. Scissortails mix well, though better to add them at once as I have found them to be a little less tolerant of conspcifics than zebras.

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

I bought my 2 fire fish as my first fish. They were both in the same tank at my LFS. I have had them for 8 months, they always swim together and when the lights turn off they BOLT to sleep together. I have read that one day the other can kill the other one, but as of now they are happily married

Sounds like you have a bonded pair. Kudos.

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

Bloodbath isn't usually how it goes with firefish. Often times no aggression is noticed. One will just start hiding, stop eating then just waste away, eventually disappearing forever. Intimidation more so than aggresion. Mixing different species of firefish does not work either.

Zebras mix quite well. Scissortails mix well, though better to add them at once as I have found them to be a little less tolerant of conspcifics than zebras.

So they just stress each other to death?

 

[Neo Jeo]

For how long, and in what size tank?

It’s been like 8months and I have a 120g

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

It’s been like 8months and I have a 120g

Sweet. I wonder if they can pair.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

So they just stress each other to death?

Intimidate into starvation.

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

Intimidate into starvation.

That sounds like a worse way to go to be honest.

 

[ca1ore]

It seems as though some are more more likely to school than others. I have a 90 gallon tank, what are their footprint requirements?

Fish don't school in tanks - not enough space, not enough individuals and no predators. Maybe you don't actually mean schooling (which is a quite precise term), rather shoaling. but even that is short lived.

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

Fish don't school in tanks - not enough space, not enough individuals and no predators. Maybe you don't actually mean schooling (which is a quite precise term), rather shoaling. but even that is short lived.

That probably is what I mean, in all honesty.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a shoal of them and they don't necessary school but do hang out here and there together

 

[jzw]

diving in indonesia, we've never seen more than a pair, in their natural habitat.

who knows... life on the reef is crazy brutal

we threw 2 typical firefish into our 400 gal, they paired. we also added 1 expensive hells into our 200, and 2 months later added another, they've paired also. it's been about 8 months so far. it makes us wonder if they might change sexes like clowns... anyone know?

 

[salty joe]

Years ago I put three in a 100 gallon thinking these guys have a minnow look to them, they will school. One got beat to death within a few days and the other two had an uneasy relationship that lasted a few months until I had one firefish. No idea where the other went. Just my experience confirming what everybody said. A mated pair would be nice...

OTOH, I was recently at the Georgia Aquarium and there were 15 or 20 firefish in a tight little group, schooling, shoaling, whatever. It wasn't the ginormous tank just one of their 'little' tanks. Probably a couple thousand gallons, IDK.

BTW, the guy who founded Home Depot donated 250 million dollars to the Georgia Aquarium! How cool is that?

 

[Lisavet2000]

I bought 3 of them 6 years ago, one of them got beat really bad and didn't make it. The other 2 actually paired up and are still paired up 6 years later. They actually ended up pairing with my pistol shrimp till it died a year ago( thinking of old age since I had it for 8 years) but the firefish are still together.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

I bought 3 of them 6 years ago, one of them got beat really bad and didn't make it. The other 2 actually paired up and are still paired up 6 years later. They actually ended up pairing with my pistol shrimp till it died a year ago( thinking of old age since I had it for 8 years) but the firefish are still together.

That's awesome, and quite uncommon. You are fortunate to have been able to enjoy that pair for so long!

 

[spy_i]

I have 6 decora and 1 magnifica for quite a sometime, not sure with the date but with me for more than a year. I agree with all the post above but its not impossible to keep with more than a bonded pair. I see the bigger one to bully the smaller one, bickering here and there but that's all. They all live in a 90g cubish tank with open space layout.

 

[drblakjak55]

Agree. Fire fish don’t shoal and will try to kill each other. And every other fish in the tank chase them underground. Started with four. One remaining I don’t see much

 

[BestMomEver]

Consider a trio of zebra barred dartfish.

They will spend most of their time together mid tank, always out and in the water column.

Also, you are not likely to find any group of fish that will shoal in our home aquariums.

Unless it’s huge.... I had all manner of schooling fish in my 500 and 300 but not so in my 125. My chromis didn’t even school in the 125. If your tank is 90 gallons, you will probably end up with one Firefish no matter the species. I would pick the one you like best and let him live in peace!

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

Unless it’s huge.... I had all manner of schooling fish in my 500 and 300 but not so in my 125. My chromis didn’t even school in the 125. If your tank is 90 gallons, you will probably end up with one Firefish no matter the species. I would pick the one you like best and let him live in peace!

Sounds like a plan.

 

[van7271]

Explained a lot and validated what I already thought. The lfs always says buy in groups. Profit. What I have found is that most do best as single specimens or as mated pairs. Unless you have specimens that are proven to get along such as the dart fish.

 

[Nano man]

I have an exquisite in a 10 gallon and he is mean as they come. He will attack the food dropper by grabbing it in his mouth and shaking it like a shark! His tank mate is a yellow accessor and he bullies him at times!