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>