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Flowerhorn Cichlid

Family: Cichlidae

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hybrid Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Vishal Umrigar

   A gorgeous hybrid, the Flowerhorn Cichlid makes a striking show fish in a large aquarium!

   The Flowerhorn Cichlid is a great fish for those who are looking for a unique and large cichlid. They are very interested in their environment and those who purchase them fall in love. Purchasing a juvenile for a particular look is risky though, as they haven't yet developed their adult coloration. If you are looking for a specific pattern make sure you buy an adult, or buy several juveniles and hope one looks like what you want as an adult. But even obtaining just one juvenile, you can still end up with a beautiful fish.

   It is easy to care for and a very hardy fish, but it will need to be housed in a good sized aquarium. It will appreciate some rocks to hide behind but will spend most of its time out in the open. It is a digger and plants don't fare so well as they will be shredded. Make sure rocks are well bedded on the actual glass bottom of the tank to prevent toppling. Have plenty of open space for swimming.

  The Flowerhorn Cichlid is best kept singly as a show fish. This fish is not a community cichlid, it is territorial and aggressive. Even your hands are fair game and its bite can hurt. It can only be kept with other fish if the tank is very large, 200 gallons or more. Keeping other fish out of its 'line of sight' will help to lower aggression, so decorate in a way that provides natural borders for its territory.

  The Flowerhorn Cichlid is just about the most eye catching result of cichlids interbreeding, and has created quite a stir in the aquarium hobby. It is not uncommon for cichlids to interbreed in a hobbyists aquarium. When they are in spawning mode, they will often respond to a fish of the opposite sex whether it is the same species or another fish of a closely related species. Unlike the beginnings of the now popular Blood Parrot hybrid, the development of the gorgeous Flowerhorn Cichlid was not accidental. Rather it was the deliberate result of cross breeding various species, including closely related South American cichlids, by dedicated breeders. They actually have been carefully bred and blood lines not crossed in order to produce a healthy fish. They do not have physical issues that can hinder their life, and unlike most hybrids they are fertile.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Dream Aquarium Build your own aquarium The Coolest and Funnest Screensaver in the World.

Distribution:
   Since they are a hybrid, the Flowerhorn Cichlid is domestic and only found in aquariums. This hybrid was created in the mid 1900’s in Malaysia by cross breeding different species of fish, primarily South American cichlids. It is up to speculation which species actually produced these fish. The combination and different lines is a well kept secret only known by the breeders who developed these fish. It is widely accepted that the Flowerhorn Cichlid is a product of several South American cichlids such as the the Three Spot Cichlid Cichlasoma Trimaculatus, Red Terror Cichlasoma Festae, Midas Cichlid Amphilophus citrinellum, Red Devil Amphilophus labiatum, Redheaded Cichlid Vieja synspila, and even the hybrid Jingang Blood Parrot.

Status:
   There are no wild populations of this species.

Description:
   The Flowerhorn Cichlid has a very thick oval body with a nuchal hump on the head. Its scales can range from a bluish green metallic overall, to pinks and reds in the front half of the body. There is a black horizontal marking on most strains, though some lack this feature. The dorsal and anal fins are particularly long and pointed. The caudal fin is rounded. They can live for 8-10 years.
   There are some breeders who are trying to get better colors, bolder black markings, and a larger nuchal hump on their forehead. Obtaining a juvenile for a particular look is risky as they haven't yet developed their adult coloration. If you are looking for a specific pattern make sure you buy an adult, or buy several juveniles and hope one looks like what you want as an adult. But even obtaining just one juvenile, you can still end up with a beautiful fish. For choosing an adult, flowerhornxport.com has come up with 7 points to look for, what they call the “Flower Horn Fish Standards”. These include: body shape, coloration, pearl scales, black horizontal markings, a good nuchal hump, alert distinct eyes, and erect tail and fins.
   All cichlids share a common feature that some saltwater fish such as wrasses and parrotfish have and that is a well-developed pharyngeal set of teeth that are in the throat, along with their regular teeth. Cichlids have spiny rays in the back parts of the anal, dorsal, pectoral, and pelvic fins to help discourage predators. The front part of these fins are soft and perfect for precise positions and effortless movements in the water as opposed to fast swimming.
   Cichlids have one nostril on each side while other fish have 2 sets. To sense “smells” in the water, they suck water in and expel the water right back out after being “sampled” for a short or longer time, depending on how much the cichlid needs to “smell” the water. This feature is shared by saltwater damselfish and cichlids are thought to be closely related.

Size - Weight:
  The Flowerhorn Cichlid will grow to a length of 12-16” (31 - 41 cm), depending on its ancestral breeding.

Care and feeding:
   The Flowerhorn Cichlid is a carnivore with a large appetite and can be easily underfed. So be sure they are getting enough food. They can eat all kinds of live, fresh, and frozen foods of high quality. Feed high quality cichlid pellets, krill, frozen bloodworms, earthworms, night crawlers, crickets, and carotene enhanced supplements. Feed 2 to 3 times a day. It helps with maintenance if you avoid foods that pollute the tank’s water. Their looks can be altered by the type of foods they are fed as well. All fish benefit from vitamins and supplements added to their foods.
   Like all larger South American Cichlids they need a lot of room. A minimum of 55 gallons for one will be needed, though a tank 4' long and 2' wide would be ideal. If you are keeping them with other large fish, 200 gallons or more may be required. They do fine with moderate water movement and good efficient filtration. They appreciate a gravel substrate and some rocks to hide behind, but will spend most of the time out in the open. It is a digger and plants don't fare so well as they will be shredded. Make sure rocks are well bedded on the actual glass bottom of the tank to prevent toppling. Be sure to have plenty of open space for swimming.
   The Flowerhorn Cichlid is a rewarding specimen for the aquarist as it is very hardy and easy to keep as long as the aquarium is large enough. These fish eat a lot putting a heavy bio load in the aquarium, so do water changes of 20% biweekly or 25% weekly. They are subject to infections as well as other diseases that ail all freshwater fish. One common problem is Ich. Ich is easily treated with an elevated temperature of 86° F for a few days. Intestinal disease can be treated with metronidazol.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Hardness: 9 -20° dH
   Ph: 6.5 - 7.8 (neutral to slightly acidic preferred)
   Temp: 80 - 89° F (27 - 32° C)

Social Behaviors:
   The Flowerhorn Cichlid is not a community cichlid, it is territorial and aggressive. This fish is best kept alone. Even your hands are fair game and its bite can hurt. It can only be kept with other fish if the tank is very large, 200 gallons or more may be required. Keeping other fish out of its 'line of sight' will help to lower aggression, so decorate in a way that provides natural borders for its territory.
   If breeding you may have to take steps to prevent a pair from killing each other. They are aggressive toward those of the same species. They will will not tolerate those of a different genus.

Sexual Differences:
   Sexing is unconfirmed, and several methods have been suggested. When adults are ready to breed there is a thick tube that sticks out of the vent area. Some say the male's tube is thicker and others say the female's is thicker, some say the vent is bigger not the tube, and some say the female may have a black spot on the dorsal fin. A technique used by tilapia farmers for juveniles is to take the juvenile and lay it on its back in your hand out of the water. With the belly facing up, gently press the belly from below the “rib cage” down toward the vent. If it is a male then a clear liquid will squirt out and females will not squirt anything. This is pretty accurate according to some experts.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   Unlike most hybrids, the Flowerhorn Cichlid is fertile. The first step in breeding these fish, if done to pull out certain colors or patterns like that 'jackpot' Chinese luck sign, is to be aware of the ancestry of the fish you are breeding. You may end up with a brood that displays none of the colors or patterns you are looking for.
   The Flowerhorn Cichlid has breeding needs similar to other South American cichlids, like the Three Spot Cichlid Cichlasoma Trimaculatus. Provide the female with plenty of places to hide so that the male cannot see her at all times. The male will attack her if she does not have a place to get “out of sight” when he is being aggressive. If he is overly aggressive put in a divider with the bottom elevated enough that they can interact without being able to squeeze through. In this case, a flat stone can be put next to the divider. This must be the only thing in the tank so it forces her to deposit her eggs in a place that the male can fertilize them. Having the water flow from the male’s side to the females will help the male fertilize the eggs.
   Once you have established whether they can stay together or be separated, you need to condition them like you would any other breeding cichlid. The water should be around 82° F (28° C) and a neutral pH of 7.0. Feed several times a day along with water changes, which will keep the increased bio load from spoiling the water.
  They will guard their eggs and fry with every ounce of energy. Even if up to this point the parents are getting along, the male may decide that the fry are all his and attack the female to keep them away from her. If this happens you must remove the female. The fry are pretty large and easy to care for. They can be fed newly hatched brine shrimp when they are born. After a week or two, feed them high quality crushed pellets or flake. See more about cichlid breeding in: Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Buy Flowerhorn Cichlid From LiveAquaria.com

Availability:
   The flowerhorn Cichlid is readily available both in fish stores and online. They will run between $24.00 to $200.00 USD, depending on either size or color pattern.

Author: Carrie McBirney
Additional Information: Clarice Brough, CFS

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Latest Comments
I have a flowerhorn, very hungry all the time, he wags his tail like a dog when he sees me with a bottle of his food. In one day, he consumed food plus 12 guppy fish which I added to the aquarium, with a lot of hiding places. The poor guppies were terrified and behaved like deer in the presence of a predator. I however fail to know why they did not hide in the narrow mouth cave, which I created for them. Hemant 2008-06-30

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