Flowerhorn Information

Flowerhorn cichlids are not a naturally occurring species of fish. Like humans have selectively bred different breeds of dogs, flowerhorns have been created deliberately by man. Prized flowerhorns with just the right colors and patterns can reach a hefty price.

Flowerhorns are a product of hybridizing and selective breeding of numerous types of South American fish from the cichlid family. They were developed in Malaysia during the late 1990s.

Flowerhorn cichlids grow 12 to 16 inches long depending on the type and have a characteristic knob on the front of their head. They are usually brightly colored in various patterns and sometimes have black markings that resemble Chinese characters on their sides.

Flowerhorn cichlids are not picky eaters and readily accept most fish foods. They like pellets as a staple diet supplemented with meaty foods like worms, crabs or shrimp.

Flowerhorn cichlids prefer a neutral pH around 7.0 and a steady temperature of about 82 degrees. Keep them in a large tank, about 4 feet long and 2 feet wide.

There are many critics of flowerhorn hybridization who claim that they are unnatural and may escape into the wild damaging the environment. Flowerhorn lovers defend the fish by pointing out that there are no examples of any ecological problems and that they are not genetically modified in a lab.