Lighting and Temperature query 10/29/09
Hi
WWM crew
Thanks a lot for replying back to my previous queries and that in no time.
<Happy to do so.>
This is the best site for fish keepers.
<Nice of you to say so.>
May god bless you .
<I hope so too!>
I am located in India
<A country with lots of interesting freshwater fish...>
I have a 20 gallon tank with mixed colour gravel and good background, natural cave, powerfilter, sponge filter. I have a Flowerhorn along with a golden snail in the tank.
<Indeed? So, what's the question? If the Subject line is anything to go by, let me say this: Lighting isn't critical, and the fish will be happier in shady conditions. Floating plants help a lot. To a degree, cichlids will
fade their colours in bright light, and also if the substrate is very pale or artificially coloured (e.g., red/blue gravel). As for temperature, aim for 25 degrees C. A couple of degrees cooler in winter, and a couple of
degrees warmer in summer, are not a problem. But avoid extremes (anything below 18 C for more than a few days, or anything above 30 C for more than a week or two. And also avoid sudden changes in temperature. Cheers, Neale.>

Another day, another Flowerhorn  10/27/09 Hi WWM Crew, <Hello Amit,> I am attaching a JPEG image of my Flowerhorn tank. I would like to know whether there are any changes required for my tank in terms of wallpaper, gravel or any other necessary changes. <Looks nice enough to me! The gravel looks a bit sharp though, and sharp gravel is more likely to cut the fish when it digs. Smooth gravel is best.> 2. I am located in India in Mumbai. I would like to know whether is it necessary to install a thermostat in my Flowerhorn tank for maintaining the temperature. <Depends on ambient temperature in Mumbai. These cichlids need a water temperature between 24-28 degrees C. Exposure to much cooler conditions (below 18 degrees) will kill them quickly, and even below 22 degrees they will be more prone to sickness.> Further does proper temperature aid in good growth of the fish and the colouration of the fish. <Yes, like all cichlids, and indeed all cold blooded animals, growth rate is directly proportional to body temperature. Up to a point, the warmer they are, the faster they grow. Of course, if too warm (above 30 degrees C) other problems develop. The optimal temperature is around 25-26 degrees C. Do read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/FHParrotCichArtNeale.htm Cheers, Neale.>

Substrate, FH sys.   -- 10/21/2009
Hi
WWM Crew
I am really obliged for the prompt replies given to my queries from time to time.
<Happy to help.>
I have a few queries regarding my Flowerhorn fish.
<Indeed?>
1. Can I feed the fish with good quality dried shrimps once or twice a week.
<Once a week, tops. Dried foods of all types are more likely to cause constipation. Curing sick fish is expensive and difficult. Much better to avoid problems. So use wet-frozen or fresh foods, as well as suitable green foods. Naturally, avoid risky live foods, such as "feeder" fish.>
2. You had advised me to use a darker substrate for the fish tank because my fish looked a little bit pale, I would like to know whether can I use a mixture of red, grey and black substrate for the tank.
<Black substrate would be fine. Non-natural colours are best avoided. When was the last time you saw a fish swimming over some bright red gravel?>
Further should I avoid using white coloured substrate to make the tank darker.
<Indeed. Avoid white gravel.>
3. Do these fishes love darkness or brightly lit tank. I only put on the lights only while feeding the fish and watching it for some time the rest of the time the lights are off. Is it ok or should I keep the tank constantly lit.
<Fish almost all prefer low/no light. If you want to use lights, add some floating plants for shade.>
4. Should I use Hitachi fluorescent tube light or normal tube light for the tank.
<Either, just make sure there's shade. Indian Fern (Ceratopteris thalictroides) is ideal.>
Hope you will answer to my queries.
<We do try.>
Thanks in advance.
Amit
<Cheers, Neale.>

Some queries regarding Flowerhorn. 10/4/09
HI
Chuck / Neale
<Both apparently out. This is BobF, who "cleans up" all "next day" unanswered queries>
I am having an Amphilophus trimaculatum about 3 and half months old. As per your confirmation from my previous mails sent to you.
I have certain queries regarding the fish, hope you will do ur best to try to solve them.
1. Do water temperature and Water PH aid in growth and colouration of the fish. Secondly I am based in India and I am unable to acquire a PH testing kit nearby . So in the absence of PH kit, is there any other method from which we can come to know the approximate PH of the water in the tank. How to maintain the PH to 7 in the absence of the testing kit.
<There is no way to adjust pH w/o knowing where you're starting from, going to, but doing regular water changes... a quarter every week or so... Read
here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwh2ochgs.htm>
2. As per your directions, I am feeding my fish with Chili super red pellets, freeze dried blood worms etc. I am surprised to see the growth of the fish. It is really satisfying. I wanted to ask u whether can I feed
the fish with cooked beetroot, finely cut chicken heart(Raw). finely cut raw fish and cooked soya chunks.
<I would avoid terrestrial animals... their fats are too hard to digest, but the others are worth trying>
I will be very obliged if you can reply to my other queries.
Awaiting a response from your end.
Thank you
Amit S Ghosalkar
<Welcome Amit. Bob Fenner>

Mr. sun. Flowerhorn Q's   8/8/09
Greetings!
* Can a direct sun light affects a FH fish?.,.,
<... yes>
* Hear some says, they put mirrors on the tank.,what's that for?.,
<To divert, direct the fish's aggression perhaps>
* Do background pictures help in its growth?
<Mmm, maybe... by conserving energy the fish might expend reacting to viewed stimuli out these panels>
thanks.
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

hello again!
about the...
Can a direct sun light affects a FH fish?.,., 8/11/2009
<... yes>
in what way?
thanks again..
<Stimulates behavior, growth... B>

Flower Horn not eating since last 2-3 days 11/24/08
Dear Sir/ Mam,
I have a 4 inch flower horn in a tank size of 24 x 15 x 15 inches. Since last 2-3 days he has given up eating. No physical symptoms are visible so as to come to any conclusion as to why he has given up eating. I feed him Hi red, XO Humpy head and XO Red sync. Temperature of the water is constant between 25 to 28 degrees. I Have added Rid All General Aid and Anti Itch along with some salt. He is swimming as usual but is a bit lazy in between for some time.
What could be the problem?
Please help. I am worried about him.
Rgds,
Amu.
<Amu, the tank is too small for this fish. Water quality is likely not good, and consequently your fish is stressed. When cichlids stop eating it is a very bad sign! These fish eat like pigs! Without upgrading the tank substantially, there's not much point worrying about what type of food you use, adding salt, or what medications. That said, randomly adding
medication (as you have done) will make a bad situation first. Please understand ALL medications are poisons, and have to be used carefully.
Cheers, Neale.>

Flowerhorn, sys., keeping...  11/21/08
Dear Sir/ Maam,
<Hello,>
I have a Flowerhorn fish (4 inches) kept in a fish tank of size 12 x 9 x 9 inches. Is this tank size ok as of now. if yes then till when can I keep him in the tank and when do I need to go for a bigger tank for my fish?
<This tank IS too small. A 55-gallon tank would be about right for a single specimen. Flowerhorns get very, very big and tend to be aggressive. The bigger the tank, the healthier the fish and the faster it will grow.>
Also I feed him Humpy head and Hi-Red daily. but still the color of my Flowerhorn seems dull. What do I feed him apart from the above to get the bright color... Kindly advise. What all are the other products apart from Humpy Head ...do you know the site of the manufacturer's of humpy head?
<All you can do is offer a healthy, varied diet and maintain optimal water conditions. Since the ancestor species were from Central America, that means they need hard, basic water. Diet should include lots of green foods (tinned peas for example), algae, and crustaceans for best colours. Both plant foods and crustaceans foods contain chemicals fish need to make various colours. Red colouration for example comes from carotene.
Flowerhorn cichlids are hybrid cichlids, and that means it is VERY difficult to predict precisely how big they will get, what their behaviour will be, or what colours they will display. Because they are so popular in some parts of the world, breeders often produce low-cost specimens that they "juice" with antibiotics and colour-enhancing chemicals. In other words, they sell fish that look healthier and more colourful than they actually are. After a few weeks the fish become less colourful, because the chemicals wear off.>
how do I know the age of my Flowerhorn? I brought him 2-3 months back. at that time it was hardly 1 inch in size? is this growth OK. How fast is their growth?
<Your specimen is less than one year old. Lifespan is around ten years, but varies. Growth rate depends on the quality of the diet, the amount of swimming space, water quality, and of course genetics. Cichlids will not grow quickly if kept in small tanks, fed a poor diet, kept too cold, or exposed to high levels of certain chemicals, particularly nitrate.>
Kindly advise.
--
Regards,
Amit
<Cheers, Neale.>

Flowerhorn diet, maintenance, need for research
dear sir/madam
i am Denver from Bangalore India i have a 146L tank i have two pearl FH i had separated theme for the first two days in my tank but then i removed the division for a little while they were lip locked i would like to know if that is a sign of mating could you please reply and tell me all the mating rituals of FH as i am new to this hobby and am very interested in breeding FH the two of them aren't fighting now they are getting along with each other and swimming together i do not see any eggs as i don't know how the eggs look or where the female would have laid them}. is it healthy to feed them feeder goldfish i give them about five to six fish each a day. the male and female both do not have any lump on their head but the owner who i bought it from said that they were male and female how do i tell the difference. could u please write and tell me everything you know about FH if you don't mind.
thanking you, Denver drooge
<Hello. For a start, 146 litres is too small for these fish! The chances are they are fighting. If they persist in fighting, you will likely end up with at least one dead fish. While you might be able to keep a single specimen alive in 146 litres if you have good filtration and do LOTS of water changes, really these are BIG fish that need BIG tanks. Do see here:
http://208.112.95.51/FWSubWebIndex/flowerhorns.htm
Mouth-pulling is how cichlids fight. It isn't "kissing". It's a trial of strength. Sometimes potential mates do this, but so will fish getting really mad at each other! NO, feeder goldfish are NOT SAFE. Each goldfish is a chance of giving your cichlid an infection. Moreover, goldfish contain too much fat/thiaminase, so long term, you will have sick cichlids. These are basically hybrid Central American cichlids, so you need a diet that comprises insect larvae, small crustaceans, and a certain amount of plant material. I am not going to write back everything I know about Flowerhorn cichlids! That information is here at WWM. Use the search tool or follow the links. And next time, please remember to use capital letters where they're necessary! Cheers, Neale.>

Cramped Flowerhorn 7/25/06
Today I noticed that one of my male Flowerhorn is being getting dull from several months and the size of his head is also not increasing. I have kept him in 2'L X 10"W X 1'H Tank. He is about 7 inches. I have put lights on his tank, whenever I turned on the lights his colour gets dark and when the lights are off, his colour looks good. Please help me with this.
<No wonder your fish isn't well or growing properly, you have a 7", very large bodied/mass fish in a 12 gallon tank!  Check the water parameters, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates & pH.  Your fish needs a much bigger tank, it's stunting in there.  ~PP>

Questions about foreign elements in tank (Flowerhorns) Hi. Have a question. I have two Cichlids (photos attached with the mail because I don't know their breed. They were given to me by my ex-neighbor). They been with me for almost 1 year.   <Gorgeous fish! I don’t know the exact species but you should be able to find out by searching for Cichlid at http://www.fishbase.org or by asking at http://cichlidforums.com/ > The problem I'm facing now is that about 2 weeks after I change the tank water, small white thread-like worms start appearing in the tank. And because of this, I've got to change the water once every 2-3 weeks to get rid of the worms.  May I know what these worms are and how do I get rid of them? <They are actually fairly common and are completely harmless. Please check out http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwinvertfaqs.htm as there are some good posts on them there.> How do I prevent them from appearing again? They are very unsightly and causes my fishes to twitch, and I'm afraid they may affect the health of my fishes. <Nope, they shouldn’t affect the health of your fish.> And changing the water too often is not good for the fishes too.   <Actually, doing a water change (20-25%) every 2-4 weeks is a good idea and helps keep your fish healthy> Also, is it advisable to have some pebbles or sand in the tank for the fishes to play with? <Most Cichlids will dig in the substrate and really enjoy it.> Their tanks used to have some sand and pebbles but the fish wastes always get caught in between the sand. This makes cleaning difficult and cleaning cannot be thorough. <Get a gravel vacuum and use it when you do your water changes.> My fishes do not like to eat dry food and pellets that are easily available in the super marts. what can I give them then?  <Most fish stores offer frozen foods such as Krill, Bloodworms, or Mysis Shrimp. Cichlids will often take to these foods very well. Another option is salad shrimp from you grocery store. I have a large Cichlid that was spoiled on feeder goldfish to the point that he wouldn’t accept anything else. I tried him on the shrimp and he loves them, he even eats right out of our fingers (as long as we’re careful because he’ll gladly take the finger too! *G*). Just make sure to cut them up into sizes that your fish can handle and make sure they’re fully thawed before feeding.> I appreciate the info and advice. Thanks Regards, Chen Ying

Flower Horn Questions 4/27/04 
<Hi, Pufferpunk here> 
I recently found a Flower Horn here at my LFS marked as a 3" Firemouth (complete with red eyes and flower spots) Cichlid for $8. 
<Wow, don't you love those finds?!> 
I understand it isn't an evolved species, but a combination of many. Even so, my questions are about these parameters: 
-it is in a 55 gallon by itself with XP2 for filter 
-10% water change every other day with live plants in the gravel 
-Rosy Red feeders (small), crayfish, anything I could find in a pond/river and generic Cichlid foods. Are these above points OK for this guy? 
<Sounds ok, just make sure you feed lots of high protein foods for good coloration & the development of a nice big hump. Here's a good website for info: http://biofresh.tripod.com/haf/index2.html >.> 
-a graduate school herpetology friend suggested putting 2-3 smaller 
cichlids in with him to give the Flowerhorn's system a chance to make territorial hormones. This sounds crazy to me and seems quite evil and I won't do it, but is this valid at all? Will its body produce growth hormones to out-compete the others? 
<It looks like all your Qs should be answered at that link I gave you. As Flower Horn is from the South American Cichlid family, this fish is very territorial. Thus, they are very aggressive in nature. Co-existing with another fish is not advisable, especially smaller fish. Some parties have claimed that we can "play" with the Flower Horn. In actual fact, the Flower Horn is actually trying to get rid of the "intruder" (be it a stick or a person's hand). Therefore, it is advisable that we keep our hands to ourselves as the fish has quite a nasty bite depending on the size of the fish.> 
Thanks for any info 
Ian 
<Good luck with your great find! ~PP>

Flowerhorns, filtration
Hi,
I have a pair of Flowerhorns which I have kept in a 3 feet tank with a divider of 2 feet for the male and one feet for the male. The divider is slightly raised from the bottom so that there is sufficient filtration .
The problem I am facing is that the female fish goes under the divider and enters the male side the male then attacks the female ferociously and injures her. Why is the female Flowerhorn doing this.
Secondly Is filtration enough to improve the water quality of the tank.
< In nature, fish naturally school together for a number of reasons. Apparently your female has not learned yet that the male is not very social and is only interested in breeding. If the female is not ready to mate then he beats her up. Proper filtration will remove debris from the water and make it easier to see the fish. It helps convert fish waste from deadly ammonia and nitrite to a less toxic waste, nitrate. Go to Marineland.com and look at Dr. Tim's library on articles on filtration.-Chuck>

Flowerhorn Questions  8/27/05
Hey, I got a couple questions about a flowerhorn's hump on the head.... This guy is selling a Flowerhorn online, and in the picture it has a pretty big hump, but when I finally decided to go buy it and pick it up, he told me, that since he had sold his 150gallon tank, and the fish has been in a 29gallon tank, the hump on the head has gotten "a bit smaller", but he said it will regrow in my big tank....
My questions are;
1) Does a flowerhorn's hump shrink??????
< The hump on the head is nothing more than a fat deposit that can shrink or swell depending on the diet, genetics and environment that it is kept in.>
2) Will it regrow when I put it in a larger, if it shrank?
< Give it good food and clean water will definitely bring it back, maybe to the same extent that it was before depending on the age.>
3) Does the size of the tank affect the size of the fish (or hump) once it
has grow to adult??? (so for example, you have a fish it grows to adult in a
150gallon tank and then u put it in a 29 gallon tank, does it size or hump
shrink?)...
< Larger tanks tend to be more stable than smaller tanks. Nitrates accumulate quicker in smaller tanks between water changes with bigger fish due to the dilution factor and better filtration.-Chuck>
Thank You very much for reading my email I hope hear from you soon ;)

Flowerhorn Questions  9/3/05
Hey, WWM, Chuck, I was just told by my friend that I should put crushed coral into my Flowerhorn tank, because it promotes the hump growth and fish health by balancing the ph... or increasing it?
< Crushed coral is simply calcium carbonate. In acidic water the shells dissolve and help buffer the water and keep it from crashing (Becoming too acidic). It may stabilize the pH and thus keep your Flowerhorn healthy. Especially if you live in an area with soft water.>
Well I searched your forum and I couldn't find an answer... I want to know is Crushed Coral good for Flowerhorns?
< In soft acidic waters it is probably beneficial to have crushed coral in the tank.>
Are Flowerhorns hard water or soft water fish?
< More hard water than soft water.>
Can Flowerhorns survive in high ph water?
< To a point. I would not go much higher than 8.>
What are some signs that a female Flowerhorn is ready to spawn?
< Heavy belly with a thin tube protruding from the anal region. The pair will usually be seen cleaning an area and chasing away other fish.>
Can I put a Pleco or cat fish with my male Flowerhorn 8 inches big?
< Big Central American cichlids are very territorial of their spaces. I probably would not risk it. Chuck>
thank you very much

Flowerhorn Cichlids Don't Have Color   2/10/06
Hi! I'm Joan from the Philippines.  My husband and I are newbies in FH care.  We have 2 Flowerhorns that are almost 1 year old.  The thing is, both their colors are not as vibrant as other Flowerhorns that I see in the website.  They are mostly black with red along the gills but that's it.  I did some research but nothing that can possibly answer specifically to my problem.  1.What can I do/feed my FH to make their colors change? (the aquariums have coral backgrounds.  No gravels or sand. No decorations either.)
< A Flowerhorn is a hybrid of three different cichlid species. Their colors can range from grey to bright red. This is determined by the genetics of the parents. If your fish do not contain the correct genes then they will never look like the web site photos.>
2. Can it still be remedied? They are almost 1 year already.  3. One of the FH's aquarium water becomes greenish in color after a few days.  What causes these things? (note: the aquarium is not in direct sunlight).
< You can enhance what color they do have with good nutrition, but you cannot create color on a fish. The green water may be from the food or high nitrates in the water.-Chuck>

One Out of Four Tanks With An Algae Problem  - 2/4/2006
My parents in the Philippines have 4 flower horns each in a separate 20 Gallon Aquarium but there is this one particular flower horn that within a day of cleaning the tank the water turns green and streaks of green (is this algae??)
< Probably.>
can also be noticed on the base of the tank.  They have tried replacing half of the water of the tank to almost 3 times in a week but the problem seems to be persistent.  The tank has a pump & an overhead filter but this doesn't seem to help.  The fishes are fed with 'Grand Sumo' - the brand name of the flower horn fish food they've been feeding the 4 flower horns for almost a year now.  They don't have any problems with the 3 other tanks but only with this one.  Do you have any suggestions or answers with this kind of problem?  Thank you so much in advance and hope to hear from you soon.
< Check the water in all four tanks for nitrates. If the readings are all the same and the filtration is all the same then the problem is indirect room lighting. Light from an adjacent window or lamp is probably the answer. remove or block the light source and the algae should match that of the other three tanks.-Chuck>