Flowerhorn Cichlid – Flowerhorn

Common name: Flowerhorn Cichlid, Flowerhorn, Hua Lao Han Cichlid

Scientific name: None – this is a man made hybrid tropical fish

Average Adult Fish Size:  10 inches  /  25 cm

Place of Origin: None – this is a man made hybrid fish which does not exist in the wild as it were.

Typical Tank setup: Large, with caves and cover, but robustly built. These fish move gravel and are powerful. Make all décor immovable or unlikely to break glass. Provide enrichment, textures, visual stimuli for this highly intelligent fish,  plants are probably a waste of time.

Recommended Minimum Aquarium Capacity: 100 gallon / 400 litre

Compatibility: Don’t mix. Ever. Temperament from mean to psychotic, capable of killing any fish it’s housed with, will even attack the keeper and even opposite sex  pairs may have to be kept with a separator handy.

Temperature: 77 – 84 Deg F / 25 – 29 Deg C

Water chemistry: pH 6.0 – 7.5

Feeding: Primarily carnivorous taking carnivore and cichlid pellets, shrimp, shellfish, raw fish, sinking formulae, wormy foods, frozen live foods of all types, and keep it coming! Never underfeed.

Sexing: Sexes similar when young. Mature males have huge nuchal hump, brighter, slightly bigger.

Breeding: Easy, breed has hybrid vigour, tend to breed at high end of temp range, and when well fed. If fish kept separately, introduce them gradually with clear separator. Mid-range pH.

Additional Information: In early forms a showy and indeed healthy fish, often pink with black and pale blue detail, side rosettes, males sport large nuchal humps and stocky build. Those with overly compacted body shapes, termed  “masterpiece fish” often no healthier than parrot cichlids, deformed mouths eyes, risk of dropsy, and behavioural problems. Later developments have not improved the breed. Breeder standard is ruining fish health and life quality.