Michael Deikin. Flower Horn
Magnificence and ferocity, a unique memorable appearance and a quarrelsome character, a lone decorative giant - all these epithets can be attributed to one aquarium fish that has many names. Flower Horn, hua luo han, Thai silk - these are the names of this bright beauty, which in wild nature never existed and never does.
It is known that work on breeding a new species was carried out in Malaysia, and aquarists-breeders are inclined to believe that its ancestors are Central American cichlids: the red devil (lat. Amphilophus labiatus), the three-banded cichlazoma (lat. Amphilophus trimaculatus) and the three-hybrid parrot.
Notably, the flower horn can interbreed with other American cichlids, and most breeds and color variations have been bred this way.
Why exactly these fish were selected?
The thing is that representatives of the cichlaz family are not very picky in creating married couples and can interbreed with partners of a different species. This was used by unknown Malaysian experimenters who wished to keep a trade secret.
And the result exceeded all expectations! Not only did the artificial cichlomas turn out beautiful, they are also prolific, rarely sick and almost omnivorous.
The first individuals of the flower horn appeared relatively recently, in 1996. In less than 20 years, these decorative beauties have become inhabitants of many aquariums around the world. Now there are already several varieties of Flower Horn:
- campha,
- malau (or kamalau),
- zhu wives,
- thai silk (Thai silk).
Whether the serious selection work of aquarists will continue with this fish, no one knows. 
Appearance and characteristic features
As already mentioned, this hybrid can reach a length of 40 cm, but this maximum size. Ordinary aquarium specimens rarely grow larger than 30 cm.
In appearance, the representative of the perciformes has massive body elliptical in shape, strongly flattened on the sides. On the forehead of each individual there is a large bump. This body fat is characteristic feature flower. According to him, it is difficult to confuse him with someone.
Scales the fish is large with a metallic sheen, gray, and sometimes pink or red. Runs along the middle of the body black line, which passes into separate spots closer to the tail. However, such a band may not exist.
An interesting feature: as they grow older, the scale pattern can change dramatically. That is why, when buying a fry of a hybrid horn, one cannot be completely sure that its color will remain unchanged.
Dorsal and pelvic fins stretch almost from the head to the tail, gradually increasing and acquiring a pointed shape at the back. But the tail is almost round. The fins can also have a different color: from dark red to purple.
Bump on a forehead is the pride of Malaysian breeders. In the East, it is believed that it is a kind of symbol of longevity and good luck, and the larger this fatty process, the more good luck it will bring to the owner of an exotic creature.
Apparently, the work of breeders big influence had a fascination with the Chinese ideology of Feng Shui. The Chinese, for example, are sure that the spots on the sides of the fish add up to some kind of hieroglyphs, and the more favorable the meaning of the hieroglyph, the higher the price offered for the horn.
Males and females are difficult to distinguish. Some experienced owners of cichlases distinguish females by the presence of characteristic black dots on the back. To be honest, this difference is rather ghostly, since there may not be any points. Perhaps the real difference is the duller coloration of the scales of females.
The hybrid cichlazoma lives for quite a long time - up to 10 years.
Flower Horn in Super Red Texas. This breed was obtained by crossing a horn with a red morph diamond cichlazoma.
The nature and habits of hua luo han
Frankly, her character is nasty and quarrelsome. This fish is very calm only when alone. She will tirelessly drive smaller decorative fish around the aquarium, especially during. With their relatives, if there are any, the flower horn will constantly fight.
Some aquarists believe that hua luo han is not devoid of intelligence and is very cunning. It is not yet possible to unambiguously agree or refute this opinion, but the fact that over time these fish recognize their owners, distinguishing them from several spectators, is beyond doubt. Most adult flowers even allow their owners to stroke and pick them up.
Just like domestic mammals, right? Or maybe selection by cichlase was aimed at creating smart fish?
Horn loves to dig everything, and does it with great enthusiasm. That is why in the aquarium where this handsome man lives, you should not pour soil, in extreme cases, you can put a thin layer of gravel. Decor elements must be well attached, since a strong and aggressive fish does not have to turn over even a stone, not to mention wooden snags.
Color variation Thai silk.
Conditions in the aquarium
Aquarium dimensions
The large size of the flower also requires a large aquarium, at least 150 liters per individual. If two hybrid cichlases are bred (a male and a female, for example), then the capacity should be doubled.
At first, you need to make sure that the fish in the fight do not cripple each other until they resolve the territorial dispute. By the way, in this case it is easy to distinguish the male by his pronounced aggression.
Water parameters
Horns love warm water, from 28 to 30 degrees. Apparently, the genetic heredity of tropical and equatorial fishes affects here.
The hardness of the water should be close to neutral, its high acidity should be avoided. The water should be filtered intensively, as after feeding the flowers, quite a lot of waste remains at the bottom of the aquarium.
Naturally, for a 200-liter tank, for example, a powerful one with high performance is required. Approximately 1/3 of the total water volume must be replaced weekly.
Vegetation
The owners of hua luo han do not usually breed plants in their aquariums. Not because they save money on creating a living plant design, but because it is useless.
An energetic horn will either dig up vegetation or gnaw at it. In both cases, the representatives aquatic flora will surely die.
Flowerhorn red dragon.
Feeding
Hybrid cichlazomas are distinguished by excellent appetite and omnivorousness. Although merchants have developed special food for flowers, their diet may include worms, shrimp meat, bloodworms, grasshoppers, natural fish fillets, small fish.
Experts recommend high-quality German-made Tetra Luo Han nutritious food as branded ready meals. It will be better if you organize a varied diet, with alternating live and commercial foods.
Food should be served 2-3 times a day in small portions, avoiding overeating. An excellent indicator of the quality of food and the correctness of the diet is the coloring of cichlase.
If the color of the scales is bright, saturated, then everything is in order with nutrition. Color fades - close attention should be paid to feeding issues.
reproduction
The breeding process does not cause any particular difficulties. If, apart from a couple of horns, there are no other large living creatures in the aquarium, then a special spawning ground is not needed. Otherwise, it is necessary to temporarily move the couple into a jar with a volume of at least 100 liters.
It is not necessary to fill the soil, but the shelter for the female (cutting ceramic pipes, for example) needs to be built and well fixed. Immediately after spawning, she will sit there, escaping from the attacks of a violent male. The water parameters should be identical to the usual ones in everyday life.
Spawning couple.
A large flat stone or even a ceramic plate can be used to lay eggs. Not far from this place, it is desirable to place the aerator tube in the direction from the male to the female. For one spawning, the female can lay about 1000 large eggs. Immediately after this, the male shows an extreme degree of anxiety and tries to drive the female away.
A stone or a plate with eggs must be moved to the territory of the male so that he leaves his girlfriend alone. But if the level of his aggression is extremely high, then it is better to put the male into the main aquarium altogether.
After about 3 days, larvae appear from the eggs, after another 2 days they try to swim. You can start feeding fry, or dry egg yolk.
As a rule, parents care for juveniles for 3-4 weeks, and by the age of 6 months, young horns develop a characteristic color.
In any aquarium, even a very impressive size, hua luo han is the central figure, and his personal status in the aquarist community is very high. When purchasing a flower fry, one must be prepared for its age-related changes. What if he is lucky, and with age, intricate Chinese characters will appear on his scales, which will bring great luck and prosperity to the house?
flower horn Flower Horn is a unique fish for those who love bright and large cichlids. She has a very interesting behavior, character and completely unusual appearance. Those who decided to get themselves a flower horn never regretted it.
Flower Horn Information
Cichlids, as a rule, are not picky in partners, and can create pairs not only with their own kind, but also with completely different types of cichlids. This feature made it possible to obtain many completely unimaginable hybrids from different types of fish.
Not all of them turn out to be successful, some do not shine with color, others after such crossing become sterile themselves.
But, there are exceptions...
One of the well-known and popular fish in the aquarium is the fruit of artificial crossing. So is the flower horn, a child of the genetics and perseverance of Malaysian aquarists.
It was in Malaysia that careful selection and crossing of various cichlids (which ones are still not clear for sure) was carried out in order to obtain healthy and reproductive offspring. The flower horn is a hybrid, but at the same time it is not prone to disease, beautiful and prolific.
An interesting feature of the flower horn is that it changes its color throughout life, before reaching puberty. So, if you are interested in buying a bright fish of a certain color, then you need to choose an adult fish, or grown up enough.
Otherwise, you may be in for a surprise, not always a pleasant one. On the other hand, if you buy flower horn fry, then a whole series of magical transformations will pass before your eyes, and who knows, maybe you will have a fish of rare beauty?
Caring for the flower horn is very simple, it is an unpretentious and hardy fish. It is worth noting that it grows very large, about 30-40 cm, and requires a spacious aquarium for maintenance, especially if you keep it with other fish.
Flower horns love to dig and eat plants, so you are unlikely to create a beautiful aquascape with plants. Because of this hobby, and also due to the fact that the fish itself is large, it is recommended to install stones, driftwood and other decor on the bottom of the aquarium, and not on the ground.
Otherwise, they can move them as they please.
It is best to keep flower horns alone as a rare show fish. They are very territorial, aggressive and do not get along well with other fish (except in very large aquariums, from 800 liters).
In other volumes, neighbors will be traumatized, or under stress.
Habitat in nature
Flower horn is a hybrid that is artificially bred and, accordingly, does not occur in nature at all. The first individual was bred in Malaysia in the 90s of the XX century, by crossing several species of fish, mainly cichlids South America.
They admired his appearance, especially the fat bump on his forehead, and they named him "Karoi" - which means warship.
There is still debate about which fish the flower horn originated from. The true combination is known only to those who brought this fish. Aquarists agree that the fish is descended from Cichlasoma trimaculatum, Cichlasoma Festae, Cichlasoma citrinellum, Cichlasoma labiatum, Vieja synspila.
The first line of flower horn cichlids to hit the market was called Hua Luo Han. Hua Luo Han were bred around 1998. But, since then, it has become very popular, and an incredible number of different variations and hybrids have appeared.
With huge fat cones (which increase with the help of chemistry), with a shortened body, or curved and other options.
Most popular on this moment are: flower horn campha (KamFa), Malau or Kamalau (KML), Zhen Zhu (ZZ) and Thai Silk (Thai silk).
The flower horn has gained a special, elite status among aquarists. In Asia, along with arowana, it is considered as one of the lucky fish by adherents of the Feng Shui movement. Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese tradition that normalizes the arrangement of objects and things in the house in order to achieve maximum harmony with outside world. And the aquarium in this current is one of the key topics for achieving wealth and success.
Accordingly, a flower horn, the pattern on the scales of which looks like a heart or a hieroglyph, can cost thousands, and sometimes tens of thousands of dollars.
Even a particularly large fatty lump on the head of a fish can bring a tidy sum to the owner. It is believed that it is a symbol of the Chinese god of longevity, and the larger it is, the more luck it will bring.
True, more humble fish disperse at a reasonable price and are now widely available to aquarists.
Thai silk - young:
Description
The flower horn has a very dense, oval body with a huge fat bump on the forehead. Large individuals reach 30-40 s in length. Scales can be like metal, gray color as well as pink or red.
In most species, there is a wide, dark stripe along the midline of the body, breaking up into separate spots. But, some variations may not have it. The dorsal and anal fins are elongated and pointed, while the caudal fin, on the contrary, is rounded.
Life expectancy is about 8-10 years.
In general, it is rather difficult to describe the appearance of horns. Many aquarists breed their own unique fish. If you buy juveniles, there is a risk that their coloration will change dramatically as they mature. And, instead of an attractive individual, you will get a rather gray one.
Adult fish are classified according to 7 features: body shape, color, scale size, presence of a horizontal stripe, fat cone size, eyes, and straightened fins.
Difficulty in content
Flower horns are easy to care for and tolerate water conditions that would be a problem for other fish.
They are also unpretentious in nutrition, and eat any protein feed, from artificial to live.
It is worth saying that although it seems that this suitable fish for beginners, it’s still impossible, for several significant reasons.
First, it is very big fish, for the maintenance of which you need a spacious and large aquarium. Secondly, the flower horn is very aggressive and territorial, it is desirable to keep it alone, without neighbors and even plants. Beginners can quite find a smaller and more peaceful cichlid.
And finally, the flower horn is so aggressive that it attacks the hand that feeds it, inflicting rather painful bites on the owner while he maintains the aquarium.
However, if you are absolutely sure that you want this fish, then no circumstances should stop you. Despite the obstacles listed above, this fish is suitable for beginner aquarists, as long as they study their fish and are willing to take on some challenges.
Feeding
It is an omnivorous fish with a huge appetite that is difficult to feed. They eat all kinds of live, frozen or artificial foods, as long as they contain a high amount of protein.
Food variety is just as important as nutrition and quality, so it is best to give: high quality food for large cichlids, shrimp meat, bloodworms, worms, crickets, flies, grasshoppers, small fish, fish fillet, gammarus.
You need to feed two to three times a day, especially if you are feeding food that leaves a lot of waste.
It is important to know that feeding on the meat of mammals, so popular in past years, is now considered harmful.
This meat contains a large number of proteins and fats that the gastrointestinal tract of fish does not digest well. As a result, the fish gets fat, work is disrupted internal organs. You can give such food, but infrequently, about once a week.
Feeding crayfish:
Like other large cichlids Central America The flower horn needs a very spacious aquarium. If you keep it alone, then the minimum volume is 200 liters, but even more is better.
Weekly water changes and a bottom siphon are also important, as the flower horn is very littering during meals.
As for the decor, it is difficult to create it - the fish likes to dig, does not like plants. There is no point in planting plants in an aquarium at all, they will be destroyed.
It is better to use gravel as a soil, and large stones and snags as shelters, however, the fish does not like to hide and is quite active.
Make sure that the stones, decor and equipment are firmly set and will not fall, as the flower horn is quite capable of tipping them over.
The temperature for keeping should be quite high - 26-30C, ph: 6.5-7.8, 9 - 20 dGH.
Compatibility
Flower horns are not well suited for keeping with other fish, as they are very large, aggressive and territorial.
It is best to keep one fish separately or in pairs, and if you still want neighbors, then only in a very spacious aquarium. The flower horn will even attack you while maintaining the aquarium, and the bites will be painful.
To reduce aggression, you need an aquarium with plenty of free space, lots of hiding places and large neighbors.
Such fish will be:,
It is believed that the female has a black dot on the dorsal fin, which is absent from the male, but other aquarists refute this. When sexually mature individuals are ready for spawning, a thick ovipositor is visible in the female, and the papilla in the male.
The only technique that can be considered real in sexing a flower horn is that used by tilapia breeders. Take the teenager, put it on the palm of your left hand, and gently slide the right hand along the abdomen towards the caudal fin with the palm of your right hand.
If this is a male, then you will see splashes of a clear liquid from his anus, the female does not have this. An adult male is easy to distinguish by a fatty cone and size.
Breeding
Very often, such hybrids are fertile, that is, they cannot produce offspring. But not a flower horn. To get fry the same color as the parents, you need to have a good idea of how clean the line is, otherwise the fry can be very different from their parents in color.
Breeding flower horns is similar to breeding other large South American cichlids. As a rule, they are bred in the same aquarium in which the most a big problem is to save the female from the constant attacks of the male.
You need to equip the aquarium so that she has a place to hide, so that the male does not see her. Very often, the female is not yet ready, and the male is already starting to chase her and kill her.
Or, you can divide the aquarium into two parts using a net, so both the female is intact and the species of fish stimulates the start of spawning.
You can even use this technique, a large flat stone is placed near the net, and all other objects on which she could spawn are removed from the side of the female.
When the female lays her eggs on this stone, it is transferred to the male (or the net is moved so that he is on his territory) and a stream of water is directed onto the stone, helping the male to fertilize it.
In any of the options, even with a grid, even without, you will need to create conditions that stimulate the start of reproduction. Water should be about 28 ° C, neutral water - pH 7.0 You need to feed plentifully and good food, you can also change most fresh water.
Parents will guard the eggs very jealously. Even if the couple is kept separately, and there is no threat, the male may decide that the female is superfluous here and start beating her. In this case, it is better to deposit it, or send it back to the dividing grid.
Caviar and fry are large and easy to care for. You can feed the fry of the flower horn with brine shrimp nauplii, crushed food for large cichlids.
Post navigationThe flower horn is a highly aggressive and territorial fish. Her neighbors in the aquarium can be fish no less than 30-40 centimeters in size. On the other hand, fish have an interesting behavior: they show signs of love for their owners, letting them stroke their back. Cichlazoma flower horn is a product of selection work. She, like red parrots, was first bred in Southeast Asia and it is not known for certain which fish were used for breeding to get this hybrid.
The highlight of the flower horn is the large hump on the forehead, which numerous breeders have always tried to increase. Moreover, both males and females have such a hump, in which it is slightly smaller than that of males. It should be said that it is almost impossible to find two identical individuals of these fish, all of them, even from the same litter, have a different structure and color. In males, the body is painted in bright colors, in addition, they are somewhat larger than females. The coloration of females is inconspicuous. During the pre-spawning period and during stress, vertical stripes of a dark color appear on the body of the fish, they are especially contrasting in females. The whole body of the fish is dotted with large and small specks and spots of blue and greenish colors. Black horizontal stripes run along the entire body. In an aquarium, the size of the fish can reach 30-40 cm.
The volume of the aquarium is determined at the rate of 150 liters per one per pair of fish. It is necessary to place soil in it in the form of fine gravel with a layer of about 1 cm. Flower horns constantly dig in the soil, so it will not be possible to grow aquarium plants in the same aquarium with them. If you really want to have them, then use artificial plants. All large decorations must be securely fixed in the aquarium so that they do not inadvertently fall on the fish. Place large stones at the bottom, and also build something like rocks and grottoes from them. In such an environment, the fish will feel more confident.
Comfortable parameters: water temperature 27-30°C, hardness dH 6-20°, acidity pH 7.5-8.0. It is necessary to monitor the stability of the acidity of the water and avoid its abrupt change. Filtration, aeration and a weekly replacement of a third of the volume of aquarium water with fresh water are required.
Flower horns are fed a variety of live and dry foods. Feed must be strictly dosed and feed the fish at least 3 times a day.
Reproduction of cichlazoma flower horn
Flower horns reach sexual maturity at the age of 12 months. For breeding fish, a 100-liter spawning tank is prepared, the water temperature in which should be about 28 ° C.
In the process of spawning, the female spawns about 1000 pinkish eggs with a diameter of about 2 mm on the smooth surface of a large stone. After 3 days, larvae hatch from the eggs, which, after another 2 days, begin to swim and feed. Producers take care of the fry for 2-3 weeks, after which they are deposited.
The fry are fed with brine shrimp, as well as grated egg yolk and specialized dry food intended for cichlid fry.
The lifespan of the Flower Horn in aquarium conditions is about 8-10 years.
The Latin name is Cichlasoma hybr. Flowerhorn.
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Flowerhorn and red dragon - aquarium devils!
There are already very worthy works with beautiful photographs in the competition - the so-called scapes, I do not keep herbalists, because. I am fond of large fish and, unfortunately, they are simply not compatible with plants. In my story there will be no plant aquarium, I keep and deal directly with fish, because the aquarium is primarily associated with them, so I will tell you about my fish.
Let's start from the very beginning. Hybrids, I got carried away by chance. A few years ago, after visiting a bird market to buy a couple of African cichlids, in one of the pavilions I saw a hefty fish swimming vigorously throughout the aquarium. It was a large, knobby red dragon, with a very bright color. At that time, I was mainly fond of African cichlids, namely the Cyrtocars of Mura. The flower horn immediately struck me with its bright, rich red color, and I decided to purchase just such a fish in my aquarium! The price on the bird was fun - 500 euros for an adult male! I did not plan to spend such an amount on a fish, and I had to look for an alternative - horn flower fry. It turned out that finding horns is not so easy, strange, because our city is not small, and the fish I need are nowhere to be found! This made it clear that there are not many flower horn lovers, apparently because the prices for these fish were not very budgetary, and the character, as it turned out later, was not the most peaceful. It took a long time before it was possible to find at least one flower horn. All in the same bird market, the first flower horn 25-27 cm in size was purchased at an affordable price.
After some time of keeping this fish, I realized that this is a majestic fish that knows its own worth! In a shared aquarium with other large fish, the male will come out of his skin to take a dominant position in the aquarium if he lives surrounded by other fish. He has a very capricious and fighting character, he can fight with other fish to the last! Therefore, it is recommended to keep this fish in a separate aquarium, where you can see the Horn flower in all its glory. At home in Malaysia, where they were bred, and even in Thailand, where they are bred in the same way, they do just that, setting up several aquariums, each of which has one such fish! An adult flower horn always swims calmly and proudly, hides extremely rarely in shelters, you still need to try to scare such a person, he himself will scare anyone you want, spreading his gills and making faces to his potential enemy, even if it will be his own reflection in the mirror. The fish loves a lot of space, and always swims in plain sight, a large aquarium with a flower horn will not seem empty.
If you keep it alone, then the minimum volume is from 200 liters. If you keep a couple, then this is already 500 liters, and if with other cichlids, then 1000 liters. They love moderate currents and clean water be sure to use a powerful external filter. Weekly water changes and a bottom siphon are also important, as the flower horn is very littering during meals.
As for the decor, it is difficult to create it - the fish likes to dig, does not like plants. There is no point in planting plants in an aquarium at all, they will be destroyed.
It is better to use gravel as a soil, and large stones and snags as shelters, however, the fish does not like to hide and is quite active. Make sure that the stones, decor and equipment are firmly set and will not fall, as the flower horn is quite capable of tipping them over.
The temperature for keeping the flower horn should be high - 26-30C, ph: 6.5-7.8, 9 - 20 dGH.
Despite his bad character he never misses a chance once again to beg for a portion of the treasured pellets or bloodworms:winked:. These beggars eat absolutely everything, from dry food to seafood, it is difficult to call them fussy, on the contrary, they are big gluttons and I feed my horns once a day with dry granules and quite a bit, the fish are well-fed, but not fat. Flower horns, if fed frequently or in large portions, gain weight very quickly and excessive obesity not only prevents them from swimming normally, but it also adversely affects the health of the fish and the condition of their organs, plus the fat horn greatly reduces life expectancy. Therefore, it is always better to underfeed than to overfeed. Then the horn will delight for many years.
The aggressiveness of flower horns.
Later, having learned their character better, there was a desire to breed a flower horn, I really wanted to see the fry and observe their development, and I decided that it was time to pick up a girlfriend for my horn. For a long time, attempts to find a mate for him did not give results, and those females that could be found were so aggressive that they simply could not live with the male, and attempts to get spawning from flower horns came down to failure. The aggression of these fish has become an insurmountable obstacle, which has become decisive factor in the decision to get rid of them!
After getting rid of a couple of aggressive flower horns, after some time, by chance, I had a very beautiful female red dragon, who had a very calm and gentle disposition.
The fish always made contact and, begging for granules, did not react at all to the touch of a human hand, it was tame. These fish are also very smart. It was interesting to watch how the fish lures forage fish out of a small grotto, in which they themselves did not physically fit. The fish can also recognize their owner, and, seeing the usual food packaging, they immediately begin to beg for food, briskly shaking their heads from side to side near the front wall of the aquarium, as if saying “I'm here!”.
Video Horn in all its glory!
A little about the hybrid red diamond cichlazoma or "red texas".
It's extraordinary beautiful fish! Very bright, agile and of course very smart, but also known for their complex nature. These are extremely aggressive fish, and when keeping these fish, you may encounter certain difficulties, for example: how to clean the walls of the aquarium if the fish attacks and bites violently? Get a brocade catfish, which is also very doubtful. My pair of red texas cichlases attacked a huge 35 cm catfish, they grabbed it by the most vulnerable places - the eyes. Soma had to be transferred to another aquarium. He did not receive any injuries, but I was not going to wait until he was crippled. If the aquarium is well stocked and there are many shelters, you can take adult ancistrus. These catfish are very nimble and can hide from cichlases. At night, cichlomas sleep and catfish will calmly clean all the walls of the aquarium. The problem of dirty walls of the aquarium is solved. For a pair of such cichlases, an aquarium of 250 liters or more is desirable. Decorated with stones and snags, a grotto in which the female can hide from the evil male if he tries to offend her, this usually happens before the start of spawning or at its end, the rest of the time the couple lives soul to soul. Otherwise, the fish are wonderful, they are always waiting for feeding near the front glass of the aquarium. The stunning colors of these fish should be admired in a beautifully designed aquarium with high-quality lighting so that you can see these spectacular fish in all their glory.
Unfortunately, keeping them with plants is unlikely to succeed! Everything will be dug up and destroyed, even hard-leaved plants such as anubias, attached to a heavy snag or stone, will not survive. These cichlomas are quite powerful and have a row of needle-sharp teeth in a tightly compressed mouth. And in spite of your harmless appearance, the male bites palpably! And his reaction is lightning fast!
Video Red Texas
I would like to add that these fish are designers of the underwater world, they love to drag the ground, move the scenery. It is useless to fight for the location of this or that aquarium element with them, the fish will still redo everything to their taste)) Therefore, you should choose heavy decor elements, such as stones or hefty snags, so that the fish cannot drag them, but watch their construction and design activities also interesting.
In conclusion, I would like to add that flower horn and red texas are unique fish! Of course, each type of aquarium fish has its own disadvantages and advantages, both in content and in their behavior, health. The biggest drawback of these hybrids is aggression! But they are also very smart and have interesting behavior, and most importantly, being hybrids, they have not only the original color, but also a huge supply life force and mighty health - these are their main virtues. These fish should be appreciated for all their merits!
At the moment I live: a couple of red texas, flower horn tie silk, flower horn red fader.
Video Flower Horn and Red Texas
Solt, 20 years old, Kazan
Leave comments!!!
Forum discussion of competitive works - .
An unusual combination of beautiful appearance, peculiar shape and ferocity can be found in the flower horn. She also has an interesting behavior and character, so you always want to watch her. It is known that those people who brought her to themselves never regretted it. But you need to know a little about how to properly maintain such a fish and how to properly breed it.
Origin
Cichlids and flower horns, photos of which are in this article, are illegible in choosing partners. So they pair up with different types fish, and this feature of them led to the fact that a large number of hybrids began to form. Only not all of them look great, but there are species that then can no longer have offspring.
Such hybrids, which were obtained by artificial crossing, include the trihybrid parrot and the flower horn. The trihybrid parrot is considered the most famous aquarium fish. But the flower horn cichlid was the result of genetics and perseverance of Malaysian aquarists. To obtain this type of hybrids, careful selection and competent crossing of various species was carried out. The main goal of such experiments was to obtain healthy offspring that would be able to reproduce in the future. And the result was really successful, because the flower horn fish is a hybrid that is beautiful, easy to breed and not at all prone to any diseases.
Peculiarities
Each buyer, before acquiring this type of fish, must necessarily study not only its appearance, conditions of detention, rules of care, but also those features that cichlids may have. For example, flower horns often change their colors. This continues until they reach adulthood. Therefore, if the buyer needs a fish of a certain color, then an adult should already be purchased.
But if you acquire a very young individual, then it is flower horn fry that will show the real art of reincarnation, when they change their color throughout their lives. It is believed that this fish is an exhibition fish, so it is better to keep it alone. She rarely gets along with other fish, as she is very aggressive.
Availability for purchase
IN natural environment flower horns are not found at all, as they were bred artificially. The first individual of this species appeared at the end of the twentieth century in Malaysia. To obtain it, they tried to cross several types of cichlids that were brought from South America. The scientists liked the appearance of the resulting specimen very much. Particularly attracted their attention was a fat bump on the forehead, for which they first called the fish a warship.
But the combination of which individuals the flower horn came from is still unknown, as scientists keep this information a secret. This hybrid individual first appeared on the market in 1998. Since then, a lot of time has passed, this individual has become popular and widespread. Currently, there are already several varieties that differ either in the size of the fat cone, or in a shortened or curved body.
This fish among aquarists is considered elite. To date, several of its varieties are in special demand. For example, the type of Thai silk, which is simply beautiful in its appearance. In Asia, this elite fish is regarded as an individual that brings good luck. According to Feng Shui, an aquarium with such a beautiful fish should stand properly in the house in order to achieve harmony with the outside world. If the aquarium is properly located, then the flower horn fish will bring success and wealth to the owner of the home.
Price
Such an elite individual has a pattern on the scales. Most often, it resembles either a heart or some interesting hieroglyph. Such fish can cost tens of thousands of dollars, but there are species that can be purchased for several thousand dollars. Often the price of a flower horn directly depends on the size of the fat bump on her head. So, the larger it is, the higher the price.
It is believed that this bump on the head of an elite fish is a symbol of the god of longevity in China. The larger the cone, the more luck it will bring to its owner.
Appearance
The body of the flower horn hybrid is dense and oval. There is a large fat bump on the forehead. Adults can reach forty centimeters in length. The color of the scales is usually metallic, gray, but there are individuals in which the color can be red or pink. Some elite fish also have a dark wide stripe in the middle of the body, which can be interrupted and even seem to be separate spots. But this is not the case for all species.
The fins of the flower horn, the maintenance of which requires some knowledge, are dorsal, anal and caudal. The dorsal and anal fins are usually elongated and pointed, but the caudal fin is round. Such hybrid elite individuals live no more than ten years. But even before this age, few of them survive. IN Lately with the appearance of a large number of different subspecies, the appearance can be different.
All varieties of such fish are unique, and they are recognized by seven features. This is the shape and color of the fish, the size of its scales and fat cones, by whether there is a horizontal line and how the fins are straightened, and also by the eyes.
Conditions
Flower horns, the maintenance of which is quite simple, easily tolerate any water parameters, especially compared to other types of fish. They are also unpretentious in nutrition, as they love any protein feed, regardless of whether they are of artificial or living origin. But still, inexperienced aquarists should not start with breeding this particular individual, since its content has its own characteristics.
The first feature is the need to have a large aquarium, as this is a fairly large fish. Another important nuance of the content is the definition of who the flower hori can live with. Since this is an aggressive fish, it is better that she does not have neighbors in the aquarium. This individual will quickly destroy even plants, so you should not place them in an aquarium.
She is known to be so aggressive that she is able to bite the owner's hand when he feeds her or maintains the aquarium. Flower horn bites are quite painful. If aquarists are ready for difficulties, then they can purchase it for their aquarium.
Nutrition
Flower horns, whose feeding has its own characteristics, feed on both live and artificial food. The main thing is that such food contains a large amount of protein. She has a big appetite. Therefore, it is worth alternating feed, making sure that the food is varied.
The main condition for the feed used is that it be nutritious and of high quality. The higher its quality, the better this fish will develop. So, you can give flower horn shrimp meat, various worms and crickets, bloodworms and flies, grasshoppers and fish fillets, gammarus and small fish.
Usually this hybrid individual is fed no more than three times a day, but it is possible twice. Everything will depend on what kind of food to feed, and how much waste is then left. Even in the last century, such fish were fed with the meat of mammals, but now it has already been proven that this is very harmful, since such food contains too much fat and protein. It is known that aquarium fish digest such food poorly. As a result of the use of such food, problems begin: the fish gets fat, and the work of the internal organs is disrupted. Therefore, it is worth giving them no more than once a week.
aquarium requirements
An aquarium for keeping a flower horn requires a large and voluminous one, for example, at least 200 liters. But if on condition that he will live alone. If you breed a couple, then you need an aquarium with a volume of at least 400 liters. And if there are other hybrid species, then at least 800 liters.
You should not create any special decor in such an aquarium, since this fish does not like plants at all, but it loves to dig very much, so any plants will quickly disappear. It is better to cover the bottom of the aquarium with gravel, as well as large stones and snags. This elite fish does not like to hide at all, and it leads an active lifestyle. But even when installing stones or driftwood, you should always check the reliability of the installation, as the hybrid can easily turn everything over.
Care rules
It is known that the flower horn, the care of which has its own rules, prefers clean water and a small moderate current. Therefore, such an aquarium always requires a powerful filter and water changes every week. At the same time, you should definitely clean the bottom, as after eating there is a lot of garbage.
For the maintenance of this elite hybrid fish species, it is necessary to establish high temperature, not less than 26 degrees. And you should always monitor the behavior of the fish to understand what may be bothering her.
Compatibility with others
The flower horn is almost impossible to keep with other fish as they are always aggressive and their large body can easily take on any other fish in the tank. They always defend their territory. It is best to keep a pair of identical fish then so that other individuals do not suffer. But for such a neighborhood, you always need a large aquarium, which allows you to slightly reduce the aggression of the flower horn.
If, nevertheless, neighbors are inevitable, then such a fish, which also has large forms, should be placed in the aquarium. You can put in a huge aquarium to the flower horn black pack, pterygoplicht, plecostomus, giant gourami and others. If the aquarium contains a couple of hybrids, then you should definitely keep an eye on them, as they can kill each other.
How to distinguish a female from a male
There is no correct way to distinguish between a female and a male in a hybrid species of flower horn fish. Today it is believed that the black dot on the back behind the fin indicates a female. The male does not have this point. But many aquarists refute this assumption.
It is easier to identify the female during the spawning period. When an adult is ready to spawn, a thick ovipositor becomes visible in the female, and a papilla in the male. Breeders adhere to one technique that allows them to distinguish between the sex of an individual. But it can only be used on a person - a teenager. To determine the sex, you should put such a fish on the palm of your left hand, and then right hand lightly and gently should be drawn along the abdomen from the head to the caudal fin. If splashes of a clear liquid appear from the anus, then this is a male. If nothing happens, then it's a female.
Breeding
Flower horn, the breeding of which has its own characteristics, differ from other hybrids in that they can have healthy offspring. It is difficult to get fry the same color as the parents. For this you need to have clean line otherwise the color will be different. It can be very difficult for a female to defend herself against the constant attacks of males, so it is quite difficult to breed these fish. The owner of such a pair, which is specially acquired for divorce, must equip his aquarium in such a way that the female has secluded places where she can hide from the male, and he would not see her.
You can use another method to protect the female a little from the persecution of the male. For example, divide the aquarium into two parts using a grid. You can also act a little differently. So, put a flat stone near the grid, but only it should be large. At the same time, all other objects on the side where the female will be located must be removed. This will ensure that she will throw. Then it is necessary either to transfer the stone to the male, or to rearrange the grid so that this stone is on his territory. After that, it is recommended to send a stream of water there, thus helping the male to fertilize the female.
In any method, it is necessary for the owner to create such conditions under which reproduction will begin. This requires certain conditions that must be created. So, the water should be about 28 °C. The food must be of good quality. Feed elite fish during this period should be well. Be sure to monitor the freshness of the water.
Both the female and the male will carefully and jealously guard the eggs, and as soon as the male decides that the female is superfluous, he will immediately begin to beat her. And then again you need a grid.
Such fish always have both caviar and fry large, so it is easy to care for them. It is better to feed fry with the same food as adults, only it is worth grinding them thoroughly.
