Hmm - I've never seen any cichlids being dyed? Were these adults or juveniles? Luckily, most of the LFS that sell cichlids around me are pretty reputable. The electric blue ahlis seemed to come in various shades - but the two I bought (pretty bright) got even more vivid as they grew older.

It's quite possible that there are some more colorful strains of the species offered, and these were juvies, about an inch plus long, but the specific one I was told about at a Walmart, was a different species , though I wasn't familiar with the name, and the two of the same species were in the same tank , with the species being almost a pink, but the dyed one being a light blue. If it's the case, that the ones I saw are indeed the naturally dark colors and blues I saw, I'm definitely interested in buying those. I must say though I have had only a few cichlids in the past, I'm looking for the most colorful, and some of the larger varieties in one store were a bit "drab" for my tastes. Speaking of which?? Do the firemouths get much brighter with age? They look to be a more colorful variety than some, for one of the somewhat smaller breeds? I did do a small amount of research on the "dyeing" topic, and evidently it is still going on again after sort of dieing out, so to speak, itself for quite a few years. I also realize that there are some breeds of fish that will vary greatly in color intensity between juveniles and breeding colors in more senior ones, as well as sometimes according to the types of diet they receive and their general health, though I must say all the fish I saw didn't look terribly healthy and were a bit lethargic!!

I would never buy any cichlids from a chain store. Sorry - they're always mislabeled and some of them are "mutts" (crossbreeds).

If you want to buy african cichlids, get them from a reputable dealer. Otherwise, buyer beware!

Many african cichlids will change colour as they grow older, too (and also depending upon sex). So definitely do your homework before you buy any. And since they are notoriously aggressive, think twice before setting them up in a community type setting.

Firemouths are gorgeous when they get bigger. The vivid blues and reds really stand out on their fins - and they're especially beautiful if you get a male. Don't forget, though, that firemouths get very large - like about 5-6 inches long. They're a big fish. When they flare their gills they're quite stunning.

Thanks for the advice, but considering there are no other choices in this town, I might have to have them shipped to buy anything else, and can't travel far without a car. The firemouths I've seen all look very uniform and of the same coloring , so I'd suspect they're all true to breed. Maybe???? I'd still prefer to get fish that will be comfortable in a 30 gal. tank , at least for a few years, and at their adult size, a 30 gal. tank would be considered too small?? I could see a 30 being small for much larger oscars , but would still think it might accomodate two good sized firemouths, unless perhaps they have a brood?? I do understand as well , that some large fish tend to be messier and much bigger eaters , which would foul a smaller tank in a hurry, but are all as messy as oscars can be and prehaps jack dempsey's or another equally large breed?

Unless you are purchasing varieties that are know to be dyed like "fantasy" tetras ( glass fish ), albino black tetras ( dyed in blue, green and pink ) or ompok cats ( dyed the same colors albino black tetras ) most fish are naturally colored, food additives enhance natural coloring by providing either hormones or beta carothens ( discus are "colored" with hormones ) which in itself is not particularily harmful, discus can turn sterile after being fed hormones for a long span of time, as for beta carothens there´s no toxicity. Do not trust coloring in cichilds, particularily Malawi and Tanganyka cichilds, those change colors depending upon size, gender, sexual maturity and social status. 30 gals is too small for most cichilds, they are pugnacious, quarrelsome and very dominant even between different species and don´t decorate your tank too pretty either, they are going to make whatever it pleases them with the decoration, some rock reefs, gravel and some driftwood is all you need, also don´t even try to keep them with live plants, they eat them. Cichilds appropiate for a 30 gal tank are most commonly dwarf south american varieties like ramirezis.

Dying fish is nasty. Ugh. Raul's right about food affecting the coloring. Raul, remember my partially albino serpae tetra you identified for me? Well you were absolutely right and it just happens around that time I bought some Hikari tropical flakes with red enhancers, and you should see how my serpaes have colored up! That one is still a little paler and definitely more transparent but the red has come in a lot. BTW, this is an expensive food with non-harmful color enhancers.

I think 30 is too small for firemouths... especially since you'll want more than one. I've found them to be less aggressive than african cichlids, but are more aggressive than the average tropical "aggressive" fish. They definitely will need enough space in the tank to find their own space. 30 gallons, I feel, is too small. 55 would be a minimum... then you could add some flying foxes or a small pleco.

I have never ever seen firemouths artificially dyed. It's just not necessary.

You may want to consider blue rams, or even bolivian rams. the Bolivians are more muted in colour - but are just as pretty and larger than a blue ram.

Blue rams are gorgeous fish. Especially if you can find long finned ones. Very pretty, and grow to about 2 inches long.

Don't be lured into getting any baby african cichlid. Yeah - they're cute and small and you think a 30 gallon is big enough, but it isn't! I picked up a melanochromis auratus 5 years ago. It was gorgeous when it was small. Bright yellow. As it grew, it lost it's colour, turning black with a slight blue sheen. It was a male! The females keep the yellow. I did NOT do my homework, and he is an extremely aggressive fish. Beautiful in his own way, but he keeps all other fish at one corner of the tank while his established territory is the rest of the 3/4 of the tank!

I have to say I understand the reasoning for the larger aquariums, especially for very agressive fish, and many of those are messy eaters from my recollections of watching a large oscar eat snails many years ago. Uneaten scraps of any live foods or frozen foods would I imagine quickly foul any tank that wasn't a good sized one. Hoever since my space is limited and my floors of dubious strength to support a larger tank, as well as my budget not permitting some larger aquariums , there are "practical" limits how big I want to go with an aquarium. It still seems to me it's almost a "luxury" to have a 30 gal. aquarium with only two very small fish in it, but perhaps it's a wise decision. I just know I had many more fish years ago in both my 30 gal. and 55 gal. tanks and the fish were always healthy with frequent water changes and some good filters etc., though I didn't have the most agressive fish either, with a couple of exceptions. I must say however, though there may have been lots of the same information available in those days about "cycling" and "holding" capacity etc. I must not have done as much reading as I should have considering how many fish were in my aquariums, and in those days the average aquarium hobbiest, didn't even talk about water testing at all, and that was usually reserved only for salt water tropicals. I don't think the "tests" were even available in those days for nitrogen levels etc.
I must confess however, water quality is sort of a gradual process sometimes and with slow changes it wasn't even apparent to me that my water had taken on a decidedly yellow tint over time, til I compared it to water right out of the tap, and it wasn't til then, that I began the frequent water changes. Oh well, you just hopefully learn as you age, and don't make too many mistakes over the years. I'd like to think, that despite the "practical" considerations I've mentioned, I still make my best efforts to keep my fish healthy, happy, and long lived for many years of appreciation. Perhaps I've misunderstood something along the way, but as I understand it , when someone says no more than two of any particular fish to a tank , they also mean not to include any other fish of any variety in the same tank, and that's were I see a very "sparse" looking tank where you have to hunt to even see any fish in it!!

RE. the subject of dyed fish.... I assume no one who's responded has seen the albino gouramis with their entire sides dyed (or tattooed, perhaps?) with intricate diamond patterns in bright red, green, purple, blue or multiple colors? Revolting to those who appreciate fish for their natural beauty.... but, on the other hand, I'll bet they sold like hotcakes.

I've not seen those fortunately, but I guess it wouldn't surprise me. Not the same thing, but I just saw a show on painting poinsettias , and they may be colorful, buttt! I prefer natural as well, though I guess as mentioned those special "coloring foods" for fish may be somewhat different.

The albino Gouramis are "dyed" by using a laser. Parrot Cichlids are crossbreeds and are sometimes dyed and/or bleached.

Parrot fish are neither dyed nor bleached, it´s the crossbreed the one that causes the color change. It´s like when you cross O. niloticus ( grayish black ) x O. mossambicus ( blueish gray ) the offspring is bright orange and 99.99% males, they are sold as freshwater "snapper" in the fish section of grocery stores.

Raul- that is incorrect. Some "parrot" cichlids are not dyed true. The un-dyed ones are usually in a pale red color to very light pink. "Blood Red", very deep red ones are stripped of the slime coat and dyed, as are "Rainbow" which come in, as they are labeled, every color of the rainbow. I have seen these at the big chains as well as private owned.

electric blue jack dempseys are a natural occurance, they are not dyed.
blueberry oscars are dyed
parrot cichlids are a cross between a red devil and a severum, their natural color is orange to dark orange red, the rainbow variety is dyed which is obvious. parrot cichlids are sterile and cannot reproduce. parrot cichlids also have a graying occasionally, but this is thought to be a disease, it is still questionable at this time