Basic Flowerhorn Care
The Flowerhorn Cichlids is also known with the Chinese common name Hua Luo Han; this fish does not exist in nature but it is a hybrid result of various cross-breeding of South America cichlids, in fact it can be listed under the Cichlasoma genus, even if the starting breeders are unknown, the most of people think about Cichlasoma trimaculatus, C. Festae, Red Parrot cichlid, Jingang and other fish.About Flowerhorn
Flowerhorn cichlid is a big fish with compact body, it can reach 30 cm (11.81 inch) in length and sometimes can grow even bigger. Hobbyist/Breeders usually focus on trying to improve the quality of fish by focusing on bigger Kok (hump on the head), colors, pearls, and plums (black marks on the body).For the importance of appearance, a good Flowerhorn must follow a standard that defines various aspects of its body:
- General body: the fish body must be oval and thick, with full belly and stomach; some new variants have anyway a more rounded shape.
- Hump: the hump on the forehead should be big and well proportioned to the fish size.
- Black marks: it is important that the marks are thick and well defined, this is one of the principal characteristic of Flowerhorn, anyway some new varieties do not give too much importance to them.
- Overall Colouration: the most common Flowerhorn have a predominant red colouration, anyway every colour should be bright and well defined.
- Scales: the entire body should be covered by light blue or green scales.
- Fins: both tails and fins should be widely spread the most of time.
Aquarium Set-up
- Tank Size:
Since a flowerhorn can reach for about 12inches and is a territorial
kind, it is ideal for them to be housed in a big aquarium to reach its
full potential.
- Normal Bodied: 75 gallon minimum
- Short Bodied: 55 gallon minimum
- Bonsai (Round Body, Coin): 40 gallon minimum
- Temperature: Like most tropical fish, flowerhorn thrives in temperature between 26-30°C. Recommended temperature will be around 28-31°C for it to grow well.
- Water Condition: One of the important criteria in flower horn fish keeping is the pH level of the water the it lives in. pH level is actually the measure of acidity or alkaline of the water. Ideal pH level is between 6.0 - 8.5
- Filtration System: There are several types of filters used in aquariums. The most two inexpensive and common filters are power filters and sponge filters. Power filters generally filter out some wastes and toxic chemical, i.e., ammonia. It also helps evaporate some toxic chemical, i.e., chlorine, and bring oxygen of the aquarium. Occasionally, electrical power was shut off due to whatever reasons. When the power was back, the power filters did not work and caused the oxygen level in the aquarium to decrease. Lacking of oxygen highly harm the fish. On the other hand, sponge filters help filtering some wastes but not necessarily filter toxic chemical. As long as the bubblers are working and connected to an electrical power outlet, the sponge filter will keep working. This helps solve the problems with power filter after the electrical power supply was down. Furthermore, sponge filters are a good home for beneficial bacteria. Therefore, some hobbyists use both power and sponge filters at the same time.
- Lighting: Light
is necessary for growing a flowerhorn, it does not only promotes health
better, it will also contribute to the enhancement of its color. It is
ideal for a flowerhorn to have an average of 12hrs illumination to keep
it healthy.
- Natural Daylight: This is the best form of lighting for flowerhorn. It is noted that helps improve the color brightness of the fish. Direct sunlight, however, should be avoided as it promotes algae growth that will result to sudden water temp fluctuations and may cause discomfort to the fish.
- Artificial Lighting:
Cool daylight fluorescent lamps are the standard and ideal form of
lighting. Many hobbyists prefer cool daylight, which produces a somewhat
light pink light, over pure white or light blue. Pure white or light
blue, most of the time, are too bright and may cause discomfort. Cool
daylight lamp also enhances the red tones of louhans which is ideal when
taking pictures.
- Position aquarium lights six inches above water level. This prevents light that is too bright from putting your fish under unnecessary stress.
- Background: Aquarium background also contributes to the enhancement of the color of the flowerhorn. Recommended color is blue or any colorful image background. Some of the hobbyist spray paint to make the background.
