Flowerhorn fish is a marvelous pet fish, highly loved for its magnificent appearance with a mesmerizing protruding Kok on the head, and its friendly behavior with people. Flowerhorn fishes are considered Vastu fish in India. Let’s see more about Flowerhorn fish.
History of Flower Horn
Flower horn Fishes are man-made hybrid fishes, which have close relatedness to the hybrid red parrotfish and few other cichlids. Initially, Flowerhorns were called Luohans, but the detailed history of this fish is still unclear as they were not documented properly.
Flowerhorn Size
The size and growth of the Flowerhorn fishes can vary with their genetics. Averagely Flowerhorns can grow up to 10 – 12 inches.
Types of Flowerhorn Fish
- Kamfa Flowerhorn
- Zhen Zhu Flowerhorn
- Golden Monkey FlowerHorn
- Golden Base Fader Flowerhorn
- Magma Flowerhorn
- Thai Silk Flowerhorn
As said earlier, Flowerhorns are man-made hybrid fishes. They were developed by cross-breeding several cichlids together. Flowerhorns are in hundreds of varieties with different sizes, shapes, and colors, however, they all are collectively grouped into one as Flowerhorn species. Let’s look at some predominant flower types,
1. Kamfa Flowerhorn
They possess a square-shaped body and round-shaped lips and these two parameters are helpful in telling a Kamfa Flowerhorn. They have a strong and straight tail and strong wrapped fins. Kamfas have yellow or white eyes. Some modern Kamfas today come in red eyes too. The color of its eyes can imply its fertility. Kamfas with white eyes is often infertile, meaning they can’t reproduce and Kamfas with yellow or red eyes have higher chances to reproduce.
2. Zhen Zhu Flowerhorn
Unlike Kamfa, Zhen Zhu poses a long tapered body, and sharp-pointed mouth to distinguish themselves from other fower horns, also they have a weak floppy tail.
3. Golden Monkey Flowerhorn
The Golden monkey is one of the expensive varieties of Flowerhorns. They appear with beautiful strains of pearls all over its body. They look very attractive as wearing a pearl dress. As the name suggests, its face does have a slight resemblance to a monkey’s face.
4. Golden Base Fader Flowerhorn
While the fish at the babyhood, its color fades out and turns black. When It grows older, It regains its lost glory and bounces back to brilliant and vibrant colors.
5. Magma Flowerhorn
Magma Flowerhorn Fish posses a long body with a pointed mouth. The presence of Intense Red-colored pearl spreads over the body helps to identify the magma Flowerhorn. Magmas can grow up to 12 inches.
6. Thai silk Flowerhorn
Thai silk Flowerhorn also known as a titanium Flowerhorn is a newly developed strain. They have a complete titanium-coated-like appearance all over their body.
Flowerhorn Temperament
Flowerhorn Fishes are semi-aggressive fishes, they tend to be over-aggressive when they are stressed, and also when a new fish is introduced to the tank. So flowerhorns can’t be kept together with small fishes as they try to may hurt or eat them. Some Flowerhorns can Peacefully live with other fishes but it entirely depends on the individual character of the Flowerhorn. You should also consider the fact, Flowerhorns are carnivores too.
Tank Requirements for Flowerhorn
Tank size
Flower horn Fishes usually possess territorial behavior, they cannot peacefully coexist with other fishes. To house a single Flowerhorn fish, minimum a tank size of 70- 80 gallons is recommended, and double in the size may be preferred to house two flowerhorn fishes. The advantage of choosing a large tank is that it provides more space and delays the oxygen depletion in the tank by diluting the waste.
Filters
For tanks lesser than 70 gallons sponge filter and hang on filters are sufficient and for over 70 gallons and more, canister filters are the best option as they can efficiently handle the filtration in tanks of such large capacity.
Heaters
If you live in colder regions, heaters are more helpful in maintaining the optimum water temperature in the tank. Like any tropical fish, Flowerhorn can do well in the atmospheric temperature that ranges between 20- 30°c
Lightings
Lightings are mainly used in the tank to enhance the flowerhorn’s natural color during the night time or low light conditions.
Water quality
Flowerhorns are hardy fishes, they can adapt well to any water conditions yet the ideal water PH level should be 7.5 – 8.0. The tank water should be changed once a month because keeping the water unchanged for a longer time will affect the water quality and deplete the oxygen content in the tank even while the filtration is in place.
Diet of Flower horn
Flowerhorns are big eaters, thanks to their big appetite. They can adjust with all types of foods, be it live foods, or food pellets. Flowerhorn fishes are omnivores, You can feed them live prey such as fries, bloodworms, crickets, shrimps, and even meat. It is essential to include more protein in their diet. Feed twice or thrice a day to allow the fish to eat everything within 5 – 7 minutes. Leftover foods can very much pollute the tank.
When it comes to buying food for your Flowernhorn, Make sure the food contains quality ingredients with ample protein, vitamins, and other nutrients, and make sure the food does not contain excess chemicals which can cost the Flowerhorn health.
Flowerhorn care
Flowerhorns are pretty hardy fish, they are less susceptible to diseases. So they’re the best fish for beginners. Few things that need attention are 1. keeping the water quality good and 2. Not Feeding too much food.
Flowerhorn Breeding
Breeding flowerhorns today are nearly impossible, as most male fishes are naturally impotent. It is a very difficult task to find a potent male for breeding. Artificial breeding methods such as ‘using hands’ are used in flowerhorn breeding. Natural Breeding can also happen in a natural setting when potent male flower horn fishes are introduced to sexually matured females.
Flowerhorn Fish Price in India
A small Size Flowerhorn Fish in India can cost between 250 to 1000 INR while large and medium fish can cost above 4000 and some exotic varieties can cost extremely high.