Why do people like flowerhorns?

[Harry Marsh]

Honest question. Aided by a bit of bourbon.
I hear they're very popular in South Asia?
Am I missing something?

Seriously, I think they're ugly as sin.


A jack dempsey with a cancerous bulb on their head.
And older, large ones don't have terribly beautiful colorations (often...and yes, that's a generalization as a few are pretty)


Discus I see.
Beautiful fish. Elegant....personality.

Flowerhorn? Flush it?

[Sean Buehrle]

It's just a matter of taste.

I know people who call discus swimming pancakes and think people who are all ga ga over them need to visit a shrink.

[chrisb01]

Yes, I also know people who think Discus are the most boring fish in the world.

However, I do agree with the Flowerhorn comment. I find nothing interesting or attractive about them. But as Sean says, it is a matter of personal preference.

"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder."

[polarfish]

I just keep one for the investment of it being expensive once it grows large :D

[chrisb01]

Oh, you can make a couple of bucks from a big one.

[Bud Smith]

Iam not a fan - but they are shaped different and come in brillant colors - whats thats phrase (its all in the eye of the beholder)

[hedut]

Cause their hump, color, marking that sometimes could become no or letter, easy to play with (good flower horn they will follow you or your hand),to bad they to easy to breed but even though easy to breed is only 10% will be look like male head, back than when the first time flowerhorn booming they price was beating Asian aro but not now :).

[nikond70s]

i never really liked flowerhorns at first. but now they are starting to grow on me. especially the really nice ones. im sure most people dont like them cuz they prolly havent seen a super high quality ones.

[steakman]

They are not easy to breed.

The males tend to be super aggressive when ready to mate.

Half of the time, they are to rough toward the females. They end up either kill or maim their mates.

Their spawn are large (due to their size, and being egg-layer), sometimes in the thousands, but there are only a handful of them look beautiful once mature. The rest look worse than the dead frozen tilapia in the fish market.

That's why some of them worth 5-10 thousands of US dollars in Asia, just like the Red Jardini.

Their personalities are great as well. You can actually play with them.

I used to have a nice male with a huge kok. Every time I cleaned up his tank, he'd follow me around and nipped at my hand gently. It seemed like he knew his jaw and teeth were rough enough to hurt me or something.

I'd had him since he was a little under 4 inch in length. After 2 years, he grew to 15 inches long and weighed close to 2 lbs.

I sold him for $350.00 and started raising discus ...

[Moon]

I've been a chiclid fan for close to 35 years and have kept and bred most types of chiclids.
I just hate hybrids. Flowerhorns are hybrids. If you like colourfull large chiclids there are lot out there.
Vija Synspillum is one that's better looking than hybrids.
JMO

[plecocicho]

I've been a chiclid fan for close to 35 years and have kept and bred most types of chiclids.
I just hate hybrids. Flowerhorns are hybrids. If you like colourfull large chiclids there are lot out there.
Vija Synspillum is one that's better looking than hybrids.
JMO
+42
Besides, if you want large beautifull agressive cichlid, you cant miss with cichlasoma salvini

[LizStreithorst]

An honest response fueled by a few beers...Never have I seen an uglier fish. Their shape is revolting.


Honest question. Aided by a bit of bourbon.
I hear they're very popular in South Asia?
Am I missing something?

Seriously, I think they're ugly as sin.



A jack dempsey with a cancerous bulb on their head.
And older, large ones don't have terribly beautiful colorations (often...and yes, that's a generalization as a few are pretty)


Discus I see.
Beautiful fish. Elegant....personality.

Flowerhorn? Flush it?

[YSS]

Love the flowerhorns! I think they are really cool looking fish.

[LizStreithorst]

Go figure...You have such excellent taste in Discus. I guess I must be missing something with flowerhorns. I consider them an abomination.


Love the flowerhorns! I think they are really cool looking fish.

[YSS]

Go figure...You have such excellent taste in Discus. I guess I must be missing something with flowerhorns. I consider them an abomination.

Thank you, very much! :) I don't like all the flowerhorns, but some are really cool.

[rdiscus]

You love FH? You weren't born here? is that right?

[Darrell Ward]

I don't like them either. Some people also think rays are the coolest thing ever. I just can't see it. To me, they are just ugly, and besides, I don't want something in my tank that can impale my arm when I'm working in the tank either. Takes all kinds to make up a world.:D

[LizStreithorst]

Ah, rays...Rays are a different matter altogether. Rays turn me on. It's something about the way they swim. And I love the way they put parts of their bodies over one another and up on the glass. And I love that they have just 2 babies at a time and that they're called pups. Rays can become pets. They don't sting unless they're startled. They're a peaceful fish with a powerful defence. If I HAD a choice, Rays would be my fish of choice.


I don't like them either. Some people also think rays are the coolest thing ever. I just can't see it. To me, they are just ugly, and besides, I don't want something in my tank that can impale my arm when I'm working in the tank either. Takes all kinds to make up a world.:D

[chrisb01]

I just hate hybrids. Flowerhorns are hybrids.

I concur, and so are the Parrot Fish, which I think are even uglier than FHs.

[sayitfast]

I concur, and so are the Parrot Fish, which I think are even uglier than FHs.

I agree on the Parrot Fish... something not right there. As for Flowerhorns, how can you not love this guy?
70790

He's almost hugable...

[Skip]

don't like flowerhorns NOR do i like Bulldog Discus either!

[steelbreeze1]

I don't get owning a Flowerhorn. Once a Flowerhorn starts to mature they get a "there can only be one" mindset. Flowerhorns will kill any other fish in their tank, even trying to get a male and female together for breeding is risky. This is one fish who needs anger management.

[ghurlag]

Honest question. Aided by a bit of bourbon.
I hear they're very popular in South Asia?
Am I missing something?

Seriously, I think they're ugly as sin.


A jack dempsey with a cancerous bulb on their head.
And older, large ones don't have terribly beautiful colorations (often...and yes, that's a generalization as a few are pretty)


Discus I see.
Beautiful fish. Elegant....personality.

Flowerhorn? Flush it?

You had me at bourbon :D

Not a fan of the flowerhorns, m'self

[YSS]

I agree on the Parrot Fish... something not right there. As for Flowerhorns, how can you not love this guy?
70790

He's almost hugable...

Yes, a very cool fish!!!


I don't get owning a Flowerhorn. Once a Flowerhorn starts to mature they get a "there can only be one" mindset. Flowerhorns will kill any other fish in their tank, even trying to get a male and female together for breeding is risky. This is one fish who needs anger management.

No different from some very aggressive central american cichlids.

[Samsmobb]

Most of us on this forum are just all pancake lovers

[YSS]

Most of us on this forum are just all pancake lovers

Don't get me wrong. I love pancakes. But that doesn't mean I don't have taste for other odd looking fish. :)

[AngryBird]

Just like how many people like discus here...

[H2Ochanger]

...and I seem to recall reading about someone doing a dna analysis of blood parrots recently, which showed the fish to likely be pure labiatus, although grotesquely line bred...so possibly more along the lines of a bulldog: ugly, but not necessarily a hybrid.

I've had lots of fish that won't tolerate others in the tank. Some of these, as a result, direct all their attention outside the tank, and make great "wet pets".

[round flat fish]

I love nice flowerhorns. I have a few buddies that breed them talk about easy. They have thousands of them. If you can breed any large NW cichlid you can breed them. If their fertility is bad try softening the water and be amazed by the fertility most have. Of all the ones (50 or so) they have spawned maybe 2 weren't very fertile. I will also say big KOK has alot to do with care. If you feed them and piss them off a lot they will grow huge heads. The most important thing is good water and them being the dominate fish. I have even seen some females grow large KOK. Get a nice one stick it in a 29 gallon. Feed it good, change the water everyday, and show it lots of attention. It will soon be your favorite fish.

[LizStreithorst]

I'm close to having a change of heart. The fish that Sayitfast posted the pic of is indeed adorable. Not that I'm fixin' to run out and buy one...If my ship, which appears to be lost at sea ever comes in, it will be rays for me.

[Ryan]

I've never been a big fan of flowerhorns, or any of the cichlids that develop the "kok" on their head. It looks like a giant brain tumor. Having said that, I've seen some in person that do have funny personalities. The same can be said for really large red devils.

I have a ton of fish here at my house that aren't very colorful or flamboyant, but they make up for it in interesting personalities, parental behaviors, and that kind of thing. So, to each his own. ;)

[nc0gnet0]

I actually have a pair of King Kong Blood Parrots, many hate them I know. They were an LFS rescue for me.......GF loved them and had to have them. I can say one thing for them, they are the smartest fish with the most personality I will ever own.

Rick

[YSS]

I actually have a pair of King Kong Blood Parrots, many hate them I know. They were an LFS rescue for me.......GF loved them and had to have them. I can say one thing for them, they are the smartest fish with the most personality I will ever own.

Rick

Just curious, what makes the fish so smart?

[round flat fish]

I love how people hate on them for being hybrids. They turn their backs to the fact that their beloved domestic angelfish and discus are too. Most guppies, swordtails and platies are too.:)

[H2Ochanger]

Discus and angels may be line bred, but are not truly hybrids. Flowerhorns are crosses not of different strains of a species, but are crosses of a number of different species. Easier to justify dislike under those circumstances.

[Moon]

Discus and angels may be line bred, but are not truly hybrids. Flowerhorns are crosses not of different strains of a species, but are crosses of a number of different species. Easier to justify dislike under those circumstances.
+1

[discusdaddy]

Had one that acted like a dog and would not stop banging around the tank tell I fed it and then had to pet it like a dog. He got as big as a football. I miss too him :(

[round flat fish]

Discus and angels may be line bred, but are not truly hybrids. Flowerhorns are crosses not of different strains of a species, but are crosses of a number of different species. Easier to justify dislike under those circumstances.

This depends on who you ask. And what month it is. You know how scientist are can't decide exactly how many discus or angel species there really are. They used to consider Browns, Blues, and Greens different species and some still argue they are. If you accept they are different species then I would agree all domestics are more than likely hybrids. Besides how do you know somebody didn't cross some heckel in somewhere? Same with angels. Some scientist say there are 3 species. others think when they get everything sorted there is going to be closer to 20 angel species. If that is the case I can almost guarantee you there was some hybridizing along the way. The fact is taxonomy has a lot of gray areas so it just depends on who you ask. Personally I believe they are hybrids.

[round flat fish]

I personally feel there is not much good that comes out of either. Line breeding is just as bad for a species as hybridizing it IMHO. Look at all the different dogs in the world. Same species but many health issues depending on the line. Do you mean to tell me pigeon bloods are good for the integrity of the discus species? IMO is see nothing wrong with either if you want them and enjoy them good for you. The fact is once a fish has entered the aquarium setting it should never be returned to the wild. So if you follow that easy rule you should never have to worry about how natural something is or the morals behind creating your own wet pets. Whether line breeding or hybridizing is your prefered choice in creating your own wet pet. HAPPY FISH KEEPING!!

[nc0gnet0]

I personally feel there is not much good that comes out of either. Line breeding is just as bad for a species as hybridizing it IMHO. Look at all the different dogs in the world. Same species but many health issues depending on the line. Do you mean to tell me pigeon bloods are good for the integrity of the discus species? IMO is see nothing wrong with either if you want them and enjoy them good for you. The fact is once a fish has entered the aquarium setting it should never be returned to the wild. So if you follow that easy rule you should never have to worry about how natural something is or the morals behind creating your own wet pets. Whether line breeding or hybridizing is your prefered choice in creating your own wet pet. HAPPY FISH KEEPING!!

I could not have said it better myself. Any tank bred fish, even the offspring of wilds, would not make it in the wild, nor should it ever be allowed to try. Continous line breeding could actually be more determental to the health of the fish then hybridization (ever here of the term hybrid vigor?). Now, you can love 'em or hate 'em as you choose, but to base that hatred on the fact that they are a "hybrid" is pretty weak position. Is culitvating a hybrid any different the cultivating a mutated fish, which is exactly what was done with the domesticated discus (most strains)?

Now if someone from say PETA was to come on here and make the argument against hybrids, they would have a position that was arguable, however, for someone that keeps domesticated discus to make that argument is boderline laughable.

Rick

[nc0gnet0]

Just curious, what makes the fish so smart?


They can differentiate people. When I place my hands in the tank they come up and want to be petted. When someone else does it they get attacked. Also, when I clean thier tank, I move around objects to get to areas. They anticipate that and "help" me push it out of the way.

Rick

[YSS]

They can differentiate people. When I place my hands in the tank they come up and want to be petted. When someone else does it they get attacked. Also, when I clean thier tank, I move around objects to get to areas. They anticipate that and "help" me push it out of the way.

Rick

That's pretty cool! :) Now, I really want one.

[Ryan]

A lot of large Central and South American cichlids are like that, even non-hybrids. My large male parrot cichlid (not the hybrid parrot, the true parrot, Hoplarchus psittacus) always gets really feisty and pushy with me, but if unknown people come over he changes colors and sulks in the back of the tank. Most of my large male severums are hand-tame. Uaru are also incredibly smart and therefore a bit temperamental about changes in routine or surroundings.

[chrisb01]

I always say that European cars are overpriced and overrated, and I feel the same way about the FHs.

[kalawai]

I always say that European cars are overpriced and overrated, and I feel the same way about the FHs.

You either love or hate them...