Flowerhorn Cichlids
are ornamental aquarium fish noted for
their vivid colors and the distinctively shaped heads for which they are named.
Their head protuberance, or kok, is formally termed a "nuchal hump." Like blood parrot cichlids, they are man-made hybrids that do not exist in nature.
First developed in Malaysia, Thailand, and Taiwan,
they are now kept by fish hobbyists
worldwide. Some critics have questioned the impact of flowerhorn breeding
programs.
Origin
Flowerhorn breeding dates from 1993.
Malaysians admired fish with protruding
heads, known as Karoi or "warships," found in the western part
of the nation. The slightly protruding forehead and long tail of these fish
were prized in Taiwanese society as bringing luck in geomancy. By 1994, red devil
cichlids (typically Amphilophus
labiatus) and trimac cichlids (Amphilophus
trimaculatus) had been imported from central
America to Malaysia and the hybrid blood
parrot cichlid had been imported from Taiwan to Malaysia and bred
these fish together, marking the birth of the flowerhorn.
In 1995, the blood parrots were
further crossbred with the Human Face Red God of Fortune, which produced
a new breed called the Five-Colors God of Fortune. With its beautiful
colors, this fish quickly became popular. Selective breeding continued through
1998, when the Seven-Colors Blue Fiery Mouth (also known as Greenish
Gold Tiger) was imported from Central America, and crossbred with the Jin
Gang Blood Parrot from Taiwan. This crossbreeding led to the first
generation of Hua Luo Han
flowerhorn hybrids, which were then followed by subsequent flowerhorn
introductions.
Arrival
in the West
When Luo Hans were first
imported to the United States, there were only two breeds of these fish for
distribution, flowerhorn and golden base. Flowerhorns came in two varieties,
those with pearls (silver-white spots on the skin) and those without. Golden
bases also had two varieties, those that faded and those that did not. Among
the flowerhorns, the ones without pearls were quickly overtaken in popularity
by those with pearls, becoming pearl scale flowerhorns, or Zhen Zhu.
With the golden bases, the unfaded ones developed an attractive golden skin in
place of what had been the flowerhorn’s grey skin.
As of 1999, there were four strains
of flowerhorn available in the American market: regular flowerhorns, pearl
scale flowerhorns, golden flowerhorns, and faders. Commercial breeders proliferated, and fish
were selected for appearance with little regard for terminology. Consequently, names became confusing and
parentage became difficult to track.
Around 2000–2001, the Kamfa
variety appeared. These were hybrids of any type of flowerhorn crossed with any
species of the genus Vieja or
with any parrot cichlid. These brought in some new traits, such as short
mouths, wrapped tails, sunken eyes, and increasingly larger head bumps. Seeing
this, those who bred the Zhen Zhus began line breeding their fish to
develop faster and become more colorful, in order to compete with the Kamfa
strains.
Care
Flowerhorn cichlids have a life span
of 10–12 years. They are usually kept at a water temperature of 80–85 °F, and a
pH of 7.4–8.0. They require a tank of a
minimum of 55 gallons, with 125 gallons optimal. A breeding pair may require a
tank of 150 gallons or more, depending on size. Being aggressive and
territorial, two or more flowerhorns are usually not kept together, but the
tank housing them can be divided up with acrylic dividers or egg crates.
There are several ways by which
breeders distinguish between male and female flowerhorns. Generally, the males
are larger than the females, but there are some exceptions. Males have the kok,
or the nuchal hump, on their foreheads. Males also usually have brighter and
more vivid colors. For most breeds, the females have black dots on their dorsal fins, whereas males usually have longer
anal and dorsal fins. Females tend to have an orange belly, especially when
ready to breed. The mouth of the male is thicker and more pronounced than the
female's.
Flowerhorn cichlids are subject to
several diseases, including hole-in-head disease,
"ich", and digestive
blockages.
Breeds
General flowerhorn classification,
containing several subsets of strains from different countries and breeders.
The parent breed is called Luohan, from
the Chinese word for the Buddhist
concept of arhat. The four main breeds
of flowerhorn are Zhen Zhu, Golden Monkey, Kamfa, and Goldenbase Faders.
King
Kong Parrots and Red Ingots
The blood parrot was the earliest
defined type of cichlid hybrid, whereas the King Kong parrot represents
an early stage in the transition to flowerhorn breeding. The blood parrot is
smaller, with a bigger head, more protruding eyes, and a V-shaped mouth. The King
Kong parrot is longer, with a reddish orange color, and a dorsal fin shorter than the anal fin. The shape of the King Kong is
similar to the red devil cichlid, and, when it reaches a size of 18 cm,
the shape of the mouth changes to a triangle with a more protruding jaw. Only
20% of these fish grow to a size of a half kilogram.
Blood parrots and King Kong
parrots are sometimes colored purple or blue by pigment
injection. This practice is unhealthy for the fish, and the color
will fade with time. Parrot cichlids fed with natural colorants and attractants
naturally develop a red color. With further breeding, a round body shape has
been selected, with the dorsal fin and anal fin longer than the tail fin, and
the mouth can open and close naturally. These fish have clear eyes, and 90% of
them grow to 1 kg or above, with the characteristic flowerhorn head shape.
The Red Mommon and Red
Ingot breeds are the most typical of these hybrid cichlids. Both of these
fishes are appreciated for feng shui.
The Red Mommon is named for its high forehead, which looks like the hat
worn by the God of Fortune. The Red Ingot is named for its yuan-bao
shape, referring to odd-shaped gold or silver pieces formerly used as money in
China.
The Red Mommon and Red
Ingot grow faster in the first year, with a size of about 20 cm. They
grow to 25–28 cm by two years later. Their maximum size is not yet known,
and it is believed that the fish may grow to 30 cm or above in the future.
Both of these fish are raised at 28°C water temperature, pH ~6–8 (with slightly
acid water preferred), and kH ~3–6,
while avoiding any sudden change in water quality. It is also common to test
regularly for ammonia and nitrite. Both of these fishes can be bred with
different kinds of cichlids.
