Basic FlowerHorn Keeping

The Flower horn is a sturdy fish that is not hard to care for. Providing your Flower horn with a suitable environment is not difficult. You need to give your Flower horn cichlid an aquarium that is large enough, suitable aquarium decorations, neutral or slightly basic water, a water temperature around 28º C and nutritious food.

The aquarium has to be quite large, since the Flower horn can grow big. A larger aquarium will also reduce the amount of aggressive behaviour. You can keep your Flower horn alone in the aquarium, but it is not obligatory as long as the aquarium is large enough to house other species of roughly the same size and temperament. Large cichlids from South America that will not tolerate being bullied by the Flower horn is one example of suitable tank mates. Since the Flower horn is a territorial species you should fill the aquarium with decorations that create natural borders. If the fish can keep out of each others way and stay inside their own territory, the amount of aggressive behaviour will decrease. Keep in mind that some Flower horns like to destroy plants.

As mentioned above your Flower horn will appreciate neutral or slightly basic water conditions. It is however a though fish and will survive in a wide range of different water conditions as long as you avoid the extremes. A Flower horn will produce a lot of organic waste since it eats a lot. You must therefore perform frequent water changes to keep the water chemistry at suitable levels and prevent the organic compounds from reaching toxic levels that will harm the Flower horn. A 20 percent water change twice a week is the best solution, but once a week is usually okay if you change 25 percent. If you notice that certain food types cause the levels of organic waste to sky rocket in your aquarium, you can naturally avoid these.

It is not hard to introduce a Flower horn to new food. If you have kept other South American cichlids you will recognise the feeding habits and adaptability. The Flower horn is an energetic and active fish and its metabolism requires plenty of food which makes this fish surprisingly hard to over feed. Feeding your Flower horn two or three times a day is a good rule of thumb. High quality pellets can be a good base and should be supplemented with more meaty foods such as shrimps and worms. With a varied diet it will be easier for your Flower horn to receive all necessary nutrients in order to stay healthy and good looking.