Flowerhorn fish in aquarium culture full information

Have been specifically bred to respond to the humans around them, and some will even lift their nuchal hump out of the water to be petted!

Flowerhorns are a hybrid fish that is based on one of the earliest man-made hybrid fish: the blood parrot. Since the first flowerhorns, often called luohans, flowerhorn cichlids have been hybridized with dozens of other cichlids. Their genetic history is unknown and varies greatly with each strain.

This complete guide will cover everything you need to know about keeping, caring for, and breeding Flowerhorn fish. You cannot complete your fish-keeping career without one of these inquisitive fish. Flowerhorn fish are the ultimate “pet” fish due to their extremely interactive nature.

About Flowerhorn Cichlids

Scientific Name: Unknown- Hybrid

Temperament: Aggressive

Care Level: Intermediate

Origin: Variable

Common Names: Flower horn cichlid, Flowerhorn.

Temperament

Flowerhorns are extremely aggressive towards most tank mates, but some tankmates can coexist with flowerhorns. Flowerhorns tend to be aggressive towards anything entering their “territory” but still act like puppy dogs to their owners.

Invasive Species

Flowerhorns are not a naturally occurring species and have no natural habitat, but several have been released into the wild and are now classified as invasive species.They can be found around most warm Eastern Asian areas but have a less destructive impact than most other invasive species since most Flowerhorns are infertile.

Flowerhorn Lifespan

Short-bodied flowerhorns often only live for 4-5 years, while longer-bodied ones live 8-12 years on average.

Recently, the expected lifespan has been lowered with the incoming generations, as the newcomers are more inbred than ever.

Do not despair! This only applies to a few strains in different areas of the world and is simply something to be aware of. Most strains are still strong and are not suffering from health concerns just yet.

Size 

   The size of your flowerhorn will vary greatly depending on the strain. King Kamfas, for example, reach sizes around 12-16 inches, while Thai silk often stay around 8-12 inches. Short-bodied flowerhorns will be a few inches shorter than their long-bodied counterparts.

Flowerhorn Fish Care

Even though different flowerhorns, even ones of the same strain, have diverse genetic backgrounds, this care guide can be applied to all of them.

Requirements

Flowerhorns are considered an intermediate fish due to their aggressive nature, massive size, waste production, and diet requirements.

Tank Size: Flowerhorns should have a tank size of 125 gallons or 150-175 gallons if you plan on housing a male and female pair. Smaller tanks technically have enough gallons for them to swim around in and dilute their waste, but they are often not wide enough to allow a flowerhorn to turn around. Some of the smaller strains can be kept in a 75 or 90 gallon, but all fish appreciate more space. It is popular to grow them out in smaller tanks and graduate them to larger ones as they grow, but unless you have plans for the smaller tanks, it could be considered a waste of money.

Water Parameters

Flowerhorns come from a huge mix of cichlids, most with different water requirements, which is why the fish never bred in the wild. Flowerhorns prefer soft to moderately hard water, but stability is more important than “perfect” water parameters.These are basic guidelines for Flowerhorn water parameters:

pH: 6.0-8.0

Temperature: 80-85°F

Alkalinity: 6°-20° dGH.

It is extremely important to test your water, and the API freshwater master test kit is the most accurate test kit on the market and the cheapest per test.

Flowerhorn Diet

Flowerhorns are far from picky when it comes to eating, but they require a protein-richs and strongly varied diet. Live foods are not necessary, as they will eat frozen and dried foods with no problems.

Flowerhorns need a staple pellet to provide micronutrients and vitamins as well as additions like sun-dried crickets, grasshoppers, mealworms, anchovies, and frozen shrimp.

Types 

 

Kamfa flowerhorn 

       

These Flowerhorns are known for their massive nuchal humps, also called a kok, and their strikingly varied patterning. These are some of the most widely available and sought-after Flowerhorns. Higher-grade ones will also have flowers on their nuchal hump. They typically have a deep red-based body with light blue to white patterning across their body and fins with white or yellow eyes.

They also have a row of patterning called “flowers”, which are black and run down their middle body.

    

Zhen Zhu 

These are not as popular as the classic Kamfa and tend to be rounder with red eyes and more yellow/tan in color.

Their great iridescent flowering pattern makes them useful to breeders, and they are often bred into other strains to produce higher quality flowering patterns in different Flowerhorn strains. The Zhen Zhu Flowerhorn is best known for its near-perfect “flowerline”, or line of flowering pattern along its body, also called pearling.

Thai silk 

Thai Silk Flowerhorns are also known as Titanium Flowerhorns due to their metallic scales covering their whole body. These are typically a light blue in color but can also appear in gold or white metallic morphs.

They have a longer, more square body shape like a Kamfa, but their eyes can be white, yellow, and red. This strain is speculated to have several Texas cichlids within it.

Golden base fader

                   

These Flowerhorn are comparable to the marble-gene found in bettas, which is a gene that triggers random color changes throughout a betta’s body.

The Golden Bases are referred to as Faders because the juveniles start out with gold and red coloration, but as they mature, they turn black and finally back to a stronger gold and red coloration.

Higher grades are only achievable after they have faded and gained a greater coloration. Faders also support impressive nuchal humps and typically have red eyes, though other eye colors can appear.

    

       Gold monkey 

                           These Flowerhorns are considered lucky and are one of the very few luohan-based Flowerhorns left in existence. They come in a large range of colors, most are similar to the Golden Based in colors, though they can have blue and gold pearling over a red or gold body.

These tend to have the black line of flowers down the middle of their bodies and commonly have red eyes that protrude more than those of the Kamfa.

          Breeding 

                 This could either be due to the potential money made from selling high-quality Flowerhorns, simple curiosity about their genetic background, or they may simply want to fully experience Flowerhorns. Many Flowerhorn owners want to try their hand at breeding this magnificent fish.

Caring of eggs  

         The Flowerhorns should care for the eggs and even move the young around from place to place. The females should be removed after spawning, but the male should be left in to care for the eggs.

After 3-5 days, the fry should be free swimming and the male should be removed. This can vary if you choose to breed a female Flowerhorn cichlid with another cichlid species, as the males have varying degrees of paternal care.