Flowerhorns..

[greyhoundfan]

Anybody keep them. I think they're the coolest looking fish. I hope to get one after I am able to free up a tank. Of course it would not be kept with my discus. From what I've read their water parameters and maintenance will be about the same as keeping discus.

[Ed13]

No offense, but I would not even let one of my nets touch one!!:p
Why, because it is a hybrid! It even resembles to a large deegree one of the originals so it kind off defeats the purpose:rolleyes2: ! Personally I preffer the original Amphilophus trimaculatum.
Again, not flaming at you or judging you in any way! Could tell you all about its husbandry if you still want the info.

[greyhoundfan]

Ed, I'm not offended at all. I know it's a hybrid. I'm not sure what you mean by husbandry.

Does that mean how they were created? Any info would be much valued by me. Thanks.

[Ed13]

I'm not sure what you mean by husbandry.
Ops, what i meant its how you should keep it.

They are very owner-responsive, kind of like a puppy. This is a strong and heavy fish, brightly colored that can reach over 14 inches if kept in the proper conditions. A large tank(75g and up), plenty of high in protein foods, and with a lot of water changes(is not that there weak, on the contrary, but they do produced a lot of waste) and as with many of the large C. A. cichlids, the smaller the tank the more aggressively it behaves! They also have the tendency to bully their tank mates.



Does that mean how they were created? Any info would be much valued by me. Thanks.

I had the info in writing sometime ago, all I remembered is that they are kept in some parts of Asia for good luck and that the trimac was used in the process.

[JMArtist]

No offense, but I would not even let one of my nets touch one!!:p
Why, because it is a hybrid! It even resembles to a large deegree one of the originals so it kind off defeats the purpose:rolleyes2: ! Personally I preffer the original Amphilophus trimaculatum.
Again, not flaming at you or judging you in any way! Could tell you all about its husbandry if you still want the info.


Does this mean we should flush all our Discus because they have been cross bred to create new and even more beautiful Discus that resemble nothing like the original from the wild?

[Sharn]

discus are discus, flowerhorns are a totally new 'species' and are pretty much responsible for the decline of pure trimacs in the hobby :( they were not allowed in the ACA which i found quite funny.

a friend of mine said this once about flowerhorns and i must say i agree- post number five (stillearnin).
http://www.theoscarspot.com/smf/index.php/topic,8076.msg77501.html#msg77501

housing wise they need large tanks (75+) as they average 12-14" and are normally kept alone due to aggression, you could try adding dithers like silver dollars etc but it would be a risk. they arent picky about water parameters, as long as its stable it should be fine. feed as you would other larger cichlids. colour enhancing foods can make them look quite nice. they are as owner responsive as your average oscar etc so you can expect it to become quite the pet.

i respect peoples decisions and opinions and if you like em then go for it, i am in no way having a go at you.

[greyhoundfan]

Thaks Sharn excellent information. I welcome all info and opinions. I'm thick skinned and can take all the comments.:D

I just saw some pictures and knee jerk reaction was oooohh..ahhhh.. I gotta get one. I just wanted to edecuate myself on them. I didn't realize they harbor up such strong feelings.

[thang45]

I knew nothing about flower horn until my uncle brought one from Asia about 6 months ago. Ever since then I really like them. I think you should give it a try if you like it. They are very fun watch.

[Sharn]

here are some pics of pure trimacs for you to look at, IMO they are much more stunning. you can see how similar the gold types are to your average FH these days. they come in two colour variants, green and gold- northern and southern.

gold male(wild caught)- http://www.cjexotics.com/images/Trimacm12121.jpg
gold male (wild caught)- http://www.cjexotics.com/images/tmac329.jpg
green female(captive bred)- http://cjexotics.com/images/trimacfemale912.jpg

[swinters66]

We have 2 flower horns. Hybrid or not, I love their coloration. But, one is getting a VERY mean streak. He plucked an eye out of my little oscar!!!

They are being kept in our 150 with several south american cichlids. Other than the oscar, there have been no other "fatalities" with the flower horns *knock on wood*. They are just bullies and chase everyone around....except our red terror.

Just keep in mind they get very large, and can become very mean.

Not too much to say in the way of care...they eat anything we put in the tank. Easy enough.

I think they are pretty fish. My husband didn't like them at first but he does now. Esp. since they are getting a little bigger.