Flower Horn MANIA!

Before you take on the responsibility of any kind of animal for a pet you should do research first. But since you have not we will try to talk you through how to take care of your flowerhorn hybrid cichlid. The Flower horn cichlid is the product of crossing different species of cichlids to give them the color and shape that they are in. I think that there are enough full species (non hybrids so that a person can chose one of those to keep instead of the hybrids. You must understand that flower horns can get to be sometimes up to 15 or more inches long so they need a very large tank to keep them in, it is better to get the tank while the fish is small and before it gets stunted by having it in too small a tank. This means at least a 75 gallon tank for your fish without any other fish in with it (or the flowerhorn will kill the other fish any ways). You need to feed a variety of meaty foods including live foods such as earth worms, and sometimes shrimp from the grocery store (keep the shell on, it helps to give them color).Only feed once a day what the fish will eat in 2 to 4 minutes. Make sure to do regular partial water changes of 20% or so per week. Also make sure to get rid of chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals that might be in your tap water. Keep the temp at about 76 to 80 and you should not have any problems with your new pet. I have only been in the hobby for a little over 55 years and I have kept and bred many cichlids especially the American cichlids (South, Central and North America). I do not call myself an expert but I do know more than the average aquarist and I am still learning. Good luck with your new pet.

I would recommend a 120 gallon tank, as my friend has one. He feeds a combination of foods including live fish. The last time I visited it was about 5 inches. Don't pet the fish. You want to keep the fish healthy, as I know just how expensive they can be now.