The Flowerhorn fish
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The Flowerhorn fish is also known with the Chinese common name Hua Luo Han; this fish does not exist in nature but it is a hybrid result of various cross-breeding of South America cichlids, in fact it can be listed under the Cichlasoma genus, even if the starting breeders are unknown, the most of people think about Cichlasoma Trimaculatus, C. Festae, Red Parrot cichlid, Jingang and other fish.
Pictures
Information about care
Flowerhorn cichlid is a big fish with compact body, it can reach 30cm in length and sometimes can grow even bigger. Intensive breeding has created a very peculiar fish that is becoming really famous and relatively common in the last few years; moreover breeders keep on trying to improve the fish qualities focusing on bigger hump on the head, new and better colours, wider body and fins, more peculiar black marks on the body, without the employ of chemical and artificial factors. For the importance of appearance, a good Flowerhorn must follow a standard that defines various aspects of its body:
- General body: the fish body must be oval and thick, with full belly and stomach; some new variants have anyway a more rounded shape.
- Hump: the hump on the forehead should be big and well proportioned to the fish size.
- Black marks: it is important that the marks are thick and well defined, this is one of the principal characteristic of Flowerhorn, anyway some new varieties do not give too much importance to them.
- Overall Colouration: the most common Flowerhorn have a predominant red colouration, anyway every colour should be bright and well defined.
- Scales: the entire body should be covered by light blue or green scales.
- Fins: both tails and fins should be widely spread the most of time.
Aquarium set-up information
Due the big size they can reach, Flowerhorn need big aquarium with a lot of free space for swimming; a 200 litres tank is the minimum you can offer to an adult fish to let it live healthily. It is a really strong fish and can live in different water conditions without having problems, anyway it is important to provide a temperature between 25°C and 30°C; pH value is also important, because acid water can tone down fish colours and make it sick, the ideal condition is a light alkaline water, with a pH between 7 and 8. Moreover it is necessary to avoid sudden condition changes of temperature and chemical values, because they can make Flowerhorn being more sensible to sickness like bacteria attacks.
Water filtration is really important because this big fish produces lots of refuses that end increasing nitrite and nitrate levels in the water. You can choose both internal and external filtration, even if the second one is preferred to leave more free space to the fish. The biological part must work properly, so be sure to have a well activated aquarium before to house a Flowerhorn cichlid.
Take also a look to the water current, an excessively strong one can damage the fish, anyway it is important that a slow movement is present, because it oxygenates the water, and avoids that the water heats only near heater.
Tank decorations are important to make the fish feel quieter. Use a layer of fine gravel and be sure that rocks and woods are stable and do not risk to fall easily on the fish; be sure, as well, that all the decorations do not make the tank cleaning too much difficult. Live plants are important for filtration and oxygenation, anyway choose strong plants like big anubias, because any Flowerhorn cichlid use to dig a lot; you can also use plastic plants, even if they are not useful and you can risk that the fish accidentally eat them.
Being big and aggressive is better not to house it with other fish species, specially if they are smaller. While if you plan to house more than one Flowerhorn, provide a big tank and divide it with accessories to let fish divide the territory; to avoid fights it is recommended not to keep more than two or three fish together in the same tank.
Feeding
Flowerhorn like similar sized fish, astronotus ocellatus for example, need a live food integration to be healthy and in shape. Their diet can consist of live food, frozen food, and standard dry fish food. The live food should be of good dimension, or the fish could not notice it, earth worms and big meal worms or wax worm are accepted; moreover you can give small fish, poecilia reticulata could be a good choice since the high number of fry they spare monthly. Remember to feed every live food you choose, and in case of live fish be sure they are healthy.
Frozen food is another good solution, especially when you do not have the live one. Young Flowerhorn usually eat chironomus, brine shrimps and other frozen fish foods, while older ones could not notice them; at their place you can offer frozen fish for human use, you have a great choice, anyway if possible get freshwater fish and avoid the sea ones.
Both live and frozen food can pollute the water, so be sure that Flowerhorn eats all the given food in 5 minutes maximum, in case of rests remove them fast; for this reason it is better to have an aquarium set up that allow you to clean fast without needing to move objects.
Dry standard fish food is a good complementary option, especially if it is of good quality. You can find special food produced for cichlids that usually consist of big pellets that Flowerhornlike.
A Flowerhorn cichlid should be fed two times a day, everyday, anyway be careful with the quantities and avoid to overfeed it, reducing the food amount specially if it is really rich of nutrients.
Breeding and care for the fry
Sexing Flowerhorn is quite easy, especially when they have reached the length of 10 cm – 12 cm. The anal pore of the fish has a V shape in case of males and a U shape in case of females. Moreover females tend to have a smaller hump when adults.
Being cichlids their reproduction can be similar to the cichlasoma one. The female lays eggs on a flat surface, like a rock or the aquarium glass and take care of them, while the male keeps other fish away. After 3 or 4 days the fry hatch and parents take care of them moving in more secure hiding places. You can feed them with just hatched brine shrimps and other specific food for fry.
Breeding is not so easy because female can be easily stressed or worried and ends up eating her eggs, anyway if the environment is quiet and the parents are healthy reproduction is possible.
Special thanks goes to Bien Gutierrez who has allowed us to use his picture.
More pictures of Flowerhorns
Copyright note: This article is originally written by Michela Ferretti. Aqua-fish.net owns the full copyright of this article.
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The Flowerhorn fish
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jorge on: February 16, 2009, 1:21 pm wrote
One of your flower horns is the best in my opinion. Hope that you could put more pictures that interest people to look and have fun in seeing this kind of beauty in nature.
Raviraj on: February 19, 2009, 10:51 pm wrote
Thanks, I'm going to bring flowerhorn at home & I got good information.
firoz alam on: March 3, 2009, 1:11 am wrote
I am very fond of flower horn fish, especially males. So last two years I am keeping these fishes. They are very aggressive. I purchased them from Madras, India. I give them dry foods as well as meat. They love it.
Randy on: March 10, 2009, 5:25 am wrote
Thanks for this wonderful article. It was very useful.
Terence on: March 11, 2009, 7:50 pm wrote
I loved the information given regarding flowerhorns. I love flower a lot. My flowerhorns eat 3 times a day.
chinmay on: March 15, 2009, 2:56 pm wrote
I have two flower horn babies. I feed them twice a day. One of them is very aggressive. I love both of them.
DJ MO from N.Y. USA on: March 17, 2009, 5:21 am wrote
ATUL ANAND on: March 25, 2009, 5:53 pm wrote
Brilliant collection of pictures. My experience says that information given are correct. Excellent!
Nikit Raykar on: March 27, 2009, 5:15 pm wrote
Change the water nearly 1/4 every day; it will enhance the growth.
saquib on: March 29, 2009, 9:24 pm wrote
I have the most beautiful flower horn. It has short body. I bought it when it was 8 months, now it's is 26 months old growing really well, hump had started developing, I feed him a combination of wet, live and dry food. Am lucky to choose short body because it's body is very very much different from ordinary flower horns, the most beautiful part of my flower horn is his belly (big and round) and his back. Half the time I see him spreading his fins which makes him more beautiful.
Aswath on: April 12, 2009, 2:21 pm wrote
Amit on: April 13, 2009, 3:55 pm wrote
I have 3 flowerhorns and I'm a very happy person to get such fishes
One of it is pearl,
One of it is dragon,
And other is green.
They're placed in different tanks. I bought them at a size of 3 inch and now they all are above 8 inch and all of them are male, I just love them.
One of it is pearl,
One of it is dragon,
And other is green.
They're placed in different tanks. I bought them at a size of 3 inch and now they all are above 8 inch and all of them are male, I just love them.
anirudh on: April 29, 2009, 3:58 am wrote
Mine is a small one, just 1 month old. I hope it grows well and adds beauty to my aquarium. It is a male since it has a small hump in its forehead.
flowerhornmomma on: May 13, 2009, 3:05 pm wrote
I saw great pictures of grown flowerhorns and so I bought 2 baby ones for $5 each from this great aquarium place in SF about almost a year ago. They were about an inch when I bought them, one of them didn't make it after three months, but the one I have left is now 6 inches, very nice and looking like its headed for the right direction. Peach/tangerine colour along gills and belly, plenty of shiny "pearls" and very black markings. Hump is developing. I feed him bloodworms, mealworms and hikari cichlid gold mini pellets (he loves 'em!). He's a voracious eater, too. Wish I could show you guys some pictures.
Note by admin: You may upload pictures after visiting this page: aqua-fish.net/show.php?h=flowerhornfish. See that text under profile picture. Once uploaded, pictures of your fish may be linked from this page too. Just don't remember to verify your upload by email. Or upload directly here.
Aquarium Guy on: May 27, 2009, 1:30 pm wrote
Very helpful information. My girlfriend bought this fish for me about 16 months ago and was told that it was a tilapia of sorts. I just loved him when i got it and he really reacted to his name so i just went with it until further research lead me to this information. Mine is not very orange but has green scales and strong black markings a well defined hump and the other features. I was somewhat offended by some information i received from another aquarium enthusiasts website which called my fish a low grade parrot or flowerhorn fish. I am glad that there are people out there that know about this fish and enjoy them for what they are big, beautiful, aggressive, and fascinating.
sriram on: May 28, 2009, 10:04 pm wrote
Ariane on: June 5, 2009, 5:32 pm wrote
Thanks for the information. I just bought my first flower horn 3 days ago because of your article.
addy on: July 2, 2009, 5:46 pm wrote
At first I had only one flowerhorn and I named him Papa P because he's handsome like papa piolo and just the other day I bought another two and I named them Pinky because of her colour pink and the little one is Blacky because his colour is mostly black. I enjoy feeding them.
Romeo Nuñez (Phil) on: July 5, 2009, 12:28 pm wrote
michel god frey rozario on: July 13, 2009, 6:10 pm wrote
When you get white spots on your flower horn fish, put some salt in the water depending on the size of the tank. By doing this you will help the fungus to die:) .
kimcheehooo Hawaii on: August 5, 2009, 7:48 pm wrote
Amit kumar on: August 8, 2009, 1:03 am wrote
kibriya on: August 8, 2009, 1:22 am wrote
iel on: August 15, 2009, 8:49 am wrote
I just purchased my first flowerhorn last July 19. In less than a month he has already grown up at about 1 inch I think. I just love seeing it grow and achieve all the characteristics of a flowerhorn, rewarding!
Romeo Nuñez (Phil) on: August 17, 2009, 12:26 pm wrote
Hi Guys! Two of my flowerhorns had successfully bred. I some some fry now. Flowerhorns are very good parents, they are fiercely guarding their spawns. My breeding was just accidental. I had just placed my six flowerhorns in a single tab and two of them became partners (about 4-5 inches flowerhorn). I was very happy seeing little fry swimming along with the parents guarding them.
RAJEEV(IND) on: August 19, 2009, 11:55 pm wrote
1) Sometime before I heard about FLOWER HORN never sleep, it never closes the eyes and I found out it never closes the eyes - even in day and night.
2) When I show it my diamond ring, behaves like very angry, it picks up some stone and throws away.
2) When I show it my diamond ring, behaves like very angry, it picks up some stone and throws away.
gilm. on: August 26, 2009, 10:44 am wrote
I've been caring for tropical fishes ever since I can remember and only one breed gave an impact to my life. It's like having a pet dog in the house. Flowerhorns are man's best friend second only to dogs. The best thing is watching them grow from anticipations of what they would look like when they grow up. You'll thank god for them. Lovely fishes!
aileen on: August 31, 2009, 4:07 am wrote
I have 2 flowerhorn fishes given to me by my co-agent & she told me that it gives goodluck. I think so because since her boyfriend gave her the fish she no longer has problems w/ money & was even promoted to a different position in the office w/c gives her a much higher salary. And they say that if it's given to you then it's lucky. I love them so much that I always go straight to their tanks just to look at them whenever I get home. I named them Walter named after my crush & Mary after my name. Looking at them makes me relaxed & happy. I love them so much!
sunil from Mumbai on: September 3, 2009, 1:34 am wrote
I bought a flowerhorn from a pet shop when it was small. No it has grown around 5 inches, Its a female. but recognises me and my son. sHe appreciates our presence by dancing ( pecuialr way of shaking its tail). She also comes to the glass and tries to kiss. WE all love her at home. WE have named her Olive.
tonyL on: September 7, 2009, 6:23 pm wrote
I love this site, I just bought my flowerhorn yesterday and after I read the information, I felt I know everything about the fish already. Thank you aqua-fish.net. You're a life saver. By the way, my flowerhorn is an albino type, the petshop owner told me, but I'm not yet sure if it's true. More power. Thanks.
Cloudstrella on: September 11, 2009, 5:05 pm wrote
Nice site you have here! Honestly I'm a newbie too in taking care of flowerhorns, and this sites really helps a lot.
Greg on: September 20, 2009, 12:40 am wrote
ron f. on: September 23, 2009, 2:33 pm wrote
Just bought 2 Thai silks. Beautiful fish, no doubt. Can't wait till they're big. They're about 2 inches, but worth the price!
ada_of_NV on: October 18, 2009, 2:40 pm wrote
Thanh on: October 18, 2009, 11:08 pm wrote
I just got a flower horn today, very keen on making it healthy as can be and unique. Money is very limited to me so I couldn't get everything in 1 go. Just then I went on to check on my flower horn and the colour wasn't as bright as when I bought it. When I get the pH levels, etc. all set up as you said, will the colour darkness appear again? I hope so. Please, reply anyone!
It is quite common for fish to lose their colouration when they are first added to the tank. It can take some fish up to a month to settle properly and get to know their owner, in time I would expect the flowerhorn to colour up and recognise you as you enter the room, he may even start to eat out of your hand :) [answered by Mick; fishtankforum.co.uk]
JHAIDEN on: October 19, 2009, 8:05 pm wrote
Hello! The comments above are really very useful to Flowerhorns lovers. I started to keep one flowerhorn a month ago but it seems like I am not satisfied with just one so I bought another set of tank. Until now I have 3 tanks already. I feed my flowerhorn fresh water shrimps and humpy head it works a lot and improve my flowerhorn's coloration. God Bless
asher on: October 26, 2009, 4:30 pm wrote
Why before my female flower horn fish ate a lot, but when the male came over I put a division into the tank. Now it eats less than it was before, is it normal?
Answer: Yes, it is normal. Changing anything within their environment, especially if fish were used to the tank setup, may change feeding habits of your fish. Other habits may be affected too.
sam on: October 26, 2009, 9:09 pm wrote
Hi! I just bought a flowerhorn 1 week ago, maybe 3-4 inches. It is very, I think, "intelligent". Gets very excited whenever sees her food canister : ) , acting like a dog. I do have a question. Do flowerhorns have a black stripes in their body? About 5-7 stripes, but it only shows everytime she's excited, scared or threaten. It really does look like a fish zebra. But faded when she's calm. Can anybody help me figure what breed is this? I suspect its a half breed of frontosa, am I right? Surely it's a flowerhorn. Hope you can help me as I really like my super sweet flowerhorn even it does look weird. Thanks! : )
Answer: It can be a combination of Frontosa cichlid too, one never knows unless you own parents as well. As many cichlids are able to breed and produce hybrids, it's always a question to answer.
Frontosa cichlids do have stripes, so most likely it's the case.
Frontosa cichlids do have stripes, so most likely it's the case.
anurudh on: October 26, 2009, 11:02 pm wrote
My flowerhorn has gone up to 9 inches in 7 months. I feed him XO humpy head and kw chilli red. I just love him, he is great!
sonny on: November 22, 2009, 4:43 pm wrote
I have bought one, a half body was red and a big hump on it (about 4 inches). It was about 3 months ago. Now it is about 8 inches. In my opinion, it is a good idea to use drinking water and keep the temperature about between 75 to 82 degrees to show their colors.
prasad on: November 24, 2009, 2:59 pm wrote
Hello, I love flowerhorn fish. I have a small but very beautiful flowerhorn fish at my home. It is one of the part of my family. Before I bought this fish I had one more flowerhorn fish but after one year he died. Again I brought a new yellow flowerhorn. His name is Sunny. My family is taking care of him very carefully. Your site is very nice & very helpful.
I love you flowerhorn!
I love you flowerhorn!
Nischal on: December 4, 2009, 12:20 pm wrote
I love to keep an aquarium at home & especially flowerhorn! It looks so beautiful & I have a single flowerhorn which is 13cm long and has a small hump with a good color.
kiran on: December 10, 2009, 6:42 pm wrote
Hi! Very good site for new comer, I have 3 flowerhorns; 1 golden ,1 pearll scale and 1 kamfa. I feed them grand sumo, I bought them at very cheap price. My house family loves them very much. They are very good pet to keep in your house, if they are taken proper care then they are definitely beautiful fish.
Dee on: December 17, 2009, 4:02 am wrote
I have a Floerhorn that I love so much, he is beautiful and loves to eat. He is a about a year old and is a bout 10 inches long! I house him with a 9 month common pleco which is big as well! They both eat a lot so I am constantly cleaning out their tank, once in awhile my FC like to show me who is boss and takes a big bite out of my arm when I am cleaning the tank, but he is happy living in his 75 gallon tank for now. Very soon I will be upgrading to a 200 gallon for both to live happy and healthy together.
butch santiago jr, (philippines) on: December 24, 2009, 11:16 pm wrote
Prasanna on: December 28, 2009, 5:43 pm wrote
Appreciate the article, it is worth for flower horn breeders. Would like to gather much more information of their breeding habits.
ak on: December 30, 2009, 4:41 pm wrote
I got my flowerhorn about 3 months ago, He was 3 inches. Now hes about six. He's red with a big hump and solid black markings through hes body. Also with blue pearls everywhere. He's in a 55 alone. I had a pleco in there but he gave him a hard time. Best fish ever. Eats krikets, mealworms, bloodworms. And big red flowerhorn food that I bought when I bought him. He never says no to food and will eat as much as I feed him so I watch how much I feed. Very aggressive and attacks my hand every time I try to clean the tank. Best fish created!
Kant on: January 3, 2010, 9:43 pm wrote
I got my flowerhorn 3 months back. I was scared that it would die soon as it didn't had food for 3 days. Thank god, it now eats 3 times a day and is very aggressive. I have made him to get adjusted to all kind of foods, Pellets, Shrimp & Blood worms also, he enjoys all of them. I request this group to discuss more tips and tricks for coloration and Hump Development. Though the article mentions the required methods. Group, do discuss the methods that you have adopted for coloration and hump improvements.
mama horn on: January 25, 2010, 5:37 am wrote
I got my female horn 4 months ago and I got my male horn 2 weeks ago, they're both nice to me, especially when I put my hands on the tank. They both look like a baby and now they have plenty of eggs, they brought me happiness.
DG on: January 29, 2010, 5:30 pm wrote
Sikander on: February 3, 2010, 5:47 pm wrote
142 7 clay on: February 6, 2010, 9:38 am wrote
alme paulo on: February 16, 2010, 9:39 pm wrote
You really help people who love to keep flowerhorns. Thanks a lot! Upload more articles!
Tobin on: February 24, 2010, 12:23 am wrote
I have a flower horn which is longer than 15 cm. It's a pleasure having it cause it recognises all of my friends and me!
rockstar on: March 2, 2010, 10:13 pm wrote
My fish is very beautiful, it has a ball shaped head and a very nice color. It's color is red with greenish dots, double character about 8 inch in length.
dev on: March 11, 2010, 2:13 pm wrote
Senthil on: March 12, 2010, 9:39 pm wrote
Kishore on: March 20, 2010, 3:30 am wrote
Hi, I bought a flower horn two months ago. All is good except for the head growth which is slow, but still I love it more than myself, it is my dear. My fish likes to eat the live fishes, my fish was not active. On advise of my friend I placed a mirror inside the tank, now it is very much more active. After inserting the mirror, within two hours the fish was very much active and it became red in colour. It's looking sexy...:-) Even you people try this, it is interesting!
Virgie R on: March 23, 2010, 10:03 pm wrote
I love everything I read about flower horns today, so I'm getting one for myself tomorrow. It will give me company when I get home tired from the office.
amalul azim on: April 5, 2010, 7:26 pm wrote
Hi, I'm from Brunei Darussalam. I really love your article, very informative,especially because I am quite new with flowerhorn. I have a 3 inch flowerhorn, male I guess, I love him very much, I will sit in front of the aquarium and watch him every free time I have, and I can sit there for hours without even noticing it, even my wife is jealous because of it, haha. OK then, good luck and keep up the good work!
jim on: April 7, 2010, 10:34 pm wrote
I'm so sad when my flowerhorn has got a dropsy disease. Since 3 years she is my favorite pet, suddenly I'm watching her now in a bad condition, hopefully she will be cured soon.
Arvind Kumar a/l Ramu on: April 9, 2010, 5:38 pm wrote
Nawazshariff on: April 14, 2010, 8:31 pm wrote
I have 1 flower horn fish baby. He's playing with me and I love him.
swapnil bhagat on: April 25, 2010, 2:09 am wrote
Wilie L on: April 25, 2010, 9:14 pm wrote
It's true that flower horns are lucky. I have them for more than five years and brought luck to us. I have two now, the one is about a foot long while the other one is still young. Thanks for the articles here.
dhivya.j on: April 29, 2010, 7:59 pm wrote
roland on: May 15, 2010, 12:16 pm wrote
I have a question. How often should I clean my flowerhorn aquarium? Please, I need some info. Thanks!
Answer: This depends on the filter, aquarium size, bacteria, food, if there's sunlight shining on the tank, and so on. You should perform water tests and if something's wrong (ammonia or so), change 10-20% of water that day. Keep testing and you'll find out how often it's necessary to clean your Flowerhorn aquarium. It can be once a week, but also once a month as well. The bigger aquarium, the less cleaning.
roland on: May 15, 2010, 12:16 pm wrote
I have a question.How often in 1 month to clean my aquarium for my flower horn? Please, I need some info, thanks!
Answer: I think it's already answered somewhere on this page, however am lazy to check all comments one-by-one. So the answer is: Keep testing the water for presence of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Once something's wrong, perform a water change. Water tests should performed at least once a week. In the end you may end up with 0 or 4 water changes a month. If your aquarium is big enough and if it already contains plenty of nitrification bacteria + plants, then it is possible to perform zero water changes a month. You will only have to add evaporated water.
After 2-3 months of water testing you'll find out what's the best water-change interval.
After 2-3 months of water testing you'll find out what's the best water-change interval.
gabby on: May 23, 2010, 6:46 am wrote
Great information about flowerhorn, I just bought another one since my 3 y.o. one passed away a week ago, this one is more colorful and named him after my boyfriend.
naveen from bangalore on: May 28, 2010, 4:15 pm wrote
anand on: June 1, 2010, 1:00 am wrote
I have bought a baby floerhorn and it has grown up nearly six inches with beautiful pink colour so I bought another 2 baby flowerhorns, but they don't stay together. Any suggestions?
Answer: This is not a shoaling species.
brian on: June 6, 2010, 7:24 pm wrote
I have a flowerhorn called Pearllo. I bought him a few weeks ago, but I can not get him to feed. Please, I need help.
Answer: If a fish doesn't eat, something is wrong. Most likely something regarding tank setup. Your flowerhorn must have been feeling uncomfortable.
In order to make him feel better you should reorganise the tank setup. Usually adding a few caves or rockworks work. Check if the lighting is too bright. If it is, subdue it. If filtration creates fast flow of water, low it down. Of course, try a variety of foods starting with feeder fish, going through granulated food and ending up with flakes. Try as many combinations as possible.
In order to make him feel better you should reorganise the tank setup. Usually adding a few caves or rockworks work. Check if the lighting is too bright. If it is, subdue it. If filtration creates fast flow of water, low it down. Of course, try a variety of foods starting with feeder fish, going through granulated food and ending up with flakes. Try as many combinations as possible.
Eliza on: June 9, 2010, 8:42 am wrote
Flowerhorns are very beautiful fish; how they change different colors all the time and are very nice nature. I only have one of them at the moment. I would not mind collecting all the other ones.
vaibhav on: July 10, 2010, 6:34 pm wrote
Hi, I have a female flowerhorn, she laid eggs three days back, but now she had eaten all those...
Answer: It happened because the fish was under pressure, at least this is the usual case. If you're not sure, just move the eggs to another aquarium once they're laid. Use the water from original aquarium in order to maintain same water parameters.
the curtis's on: July 13, 2010, 10:30 am wrote
We have just acquired a beautiful female flowerhorn and though our wedding is only 3 weeks away we can't think of being anywhere else away from our beautiful bertha. We are even considering canceling our honeymoon to spend some more time watching her grow. What a beautiful fishy.... I'm speechless!
Anil k on: July 13, 2010, 4:28 pm wrote
Hi, I am a flowerhorn fan and I do have one since about 10 months now, I have a small problem with it and I need some advice please. I believe my fish has problem with internal parasites, so I need to deworm it asap. Could any one suggest where i can find these medicines. I live in Bangalore.
Comment: Not sure if it helps, but try this link.
unknown on: July 15, 2010, 4:43 pm wrote
Renaldo on: July 26, 2010, 5:53 pm wrote
Hi, I am preparing a 200 liters tank for a flowerhorn and I will have it this coming October. My question is do I really need a gravel? If I do, what type of gravel do I need to buy for a flowerhorn? Because it will also give me a hard time cleaning up the aquarium specially when the rest of unwanted food fall at the bottom of the gravel, then gravel will get stuck into siphon and fails to suck up the rest of the waste. I appreciate your help, thanks!
Answer: Classic gravel with diameter of 3-5mm will be fine in my opinion. Gravel is beneficial as it offers a good place for nitrification bacteria. They will take care of uneaten food and of excrements as long as there are enough bacteria.
Having no gravel makes cleaning easy, but if a tank is really cycled and not overcrowded, you will not need to clean the gravel often.
Having no gravel makes cleaning easy, but if a tank is really cycled and not overcrowded, you will not need to clean the gravel often.
pen on: July 29, 2010, 2:12 am wrote
I have 3 1 inch flower horns and fourteen 2 weeks old. I'm so happy having such fish, it gave me happiness every time I fed them. People say it will give good luck to the owner and I really-really believe them.
ramesh_myth026 on: August 1, 2010, 5:57 pm wrote
Hi,
I'm Ramesh from Chennai, India. I have 4 flower horn; 2 normal body and 2 short body flower horn. All are very beautiful, I love to keep these fishes. Your advice is very useful, thanks for your tips.
I'm Ramesh from Chennai, India. I have 4 flower horn; 2 normal body and 2 short body flower horn. All are very beautiful, I love to keep these fishes. Your advice is very useful, thanks for your tips.
daisy on: August 5, 2010, 10:25 pm wrote
I have a flower horn who is 1 year old. It fell sick and just stopped eating for 3/4 days, just wanted to share that my doc advised me to put her in a bucket with about 3/4 liters of her fish tank water & add a tablet of nitrofurantoin & a pinch of nutrillon B and let her remain in that water for about half and hour, & then add her and the water back into the tank, you can repeat it after 12 hours. I did it over a period of 5 days to see any improvement. This helps to kill the bacterial infection!
Kashif on: August 7, 2010, 1:39 am wrote
I bought 2 Flower horn babies today, want to enjoy the fun of growing them up by myself rather than buying a BIG old clumpsy one.
sam on: August 15, 2010, 10:23 pm wrote
I have 2 flower horn; male and female and I feed them pellets and worms. They give birth to babies every single month.
Pramod Sharma on: August 17, 2010, 1:37 am wrote
Hi, I have a flowerhorn fish which is 14 month old, red in colour with humpy head. I want to know what is the lifespan of this fish and if you could provide us more information about the originality of this breed as I got this flowerhorn directly from Singapore. And I am looking for some more like same breed not from Singapore, from India itself. If you could provide more light how to find out if this breed is an original. I will look forward for your response.
Thanks,
Pramod
Thanks,
Pramod
Answer: Flowerhorn cichlids are not a natural species of fish but they are a result of cross breeding other species of fish. They were first bred in Asia, notably Malaysia and the species involved are kept as a bit of a secret so no-one can be 100% certain as to where they derived from. They are classed as an ornamental fish but they are quite hardy and should live for over 10 years. [answered by Mick; fishtankforum.co.uk]
chie on: August 18, 2010, 3:28 am wrote
My flowerhorn is so hard to feed, what can I do?
Answer: Try a variety of foods. Live food and worms usually work very well. Of course, it shouldn't be the only food. Frozen foods are good too. Then you can try granulated foods... in fact the choice is almost unlimited.
rajeev( india) on: August 18, 2010, 11:02 pm wrote
I have got a flower horn. That is a male with a length of 9 inches and I need a female flower horn for pairing...
adrian vergara on: August 19, 2010, 11:07 am wrote
I have a flower horn fish. Last week after a few days my fish did not eat and looks weak. Also started to float above the water level and sometime it's head is pointing at the bottom of the aquarium. The fish died yesterday; what kind of disease attacked my flower horn? I used medicines but still the fish did not survive. I hope you can help me with this to find out what caused this.
Thank you and more power!
Thank you and more power!
Answer: Without seeing a picture of the fish it is very hard to tell you any form of diagnosis. How old was your Flowerhorn, could it have been old age ?
If it was a disease it doesn't seem to be parasitic from the symptoms you mentioned, more likely a virus, it could even be low oxygen levels in the water. [answered by Mick; fishtankforum.co.uk]
If it was a disease it doesn't seem to be parasitic from the symptoms you mentioned, more likely a virus, it could even be low oxygen levels in the water. [answered by Mick; fishtankforum.co.uk]
Let's buy a book about aquariums!
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