# Flowerhorn questions.



## bsm1982 (Aug 15, 2011)

I have a 75 gallon with an Oscar in it right now. I'm thinking of getting another 75 gallon for a flowerhorn. I dont know much about them and was wondering why you don't see more of them. To me they look very pretty. 
Does anyone have one?
Is 75 enough tank for one?
Life span?
I used the search button but couldn't find much info


----------



## demoncichlid462 (Aug 13, 2011)

The minimum size tank for a Oscar is a 100 gallon tank if you want it to grow its maximum size 30 centimeters (12 inches). They get much bigger in the wild.

Oscars are very popular cichlids. They are intelligent as well greeting you every time you come to the tank. I once fed an Oscar by feeding him/her a pellet by holding it with my thumb and index finger and it jumped out the water to grab it.


----------



## mlancaster (Jul 24, 2009)

Hi *bsm1982*,

75 gallon might be a bit tight for a flowerhorn, but if it is the only fish (which it will be because it will kill most anything in the tank) and there is lots of open swimming space I personally would think it is ok.

You do not see a lot of them because they are hybrids line bred for certain characteristics. This means they are not common for two reasons: 1) they are typically quite expensive; 2) some aquarist do not like hybridizing of fish, therefore, flowerhorn keeps seem to be a specialized niche of aquarist.

Although I have not kept one, I believe their life span is similar to other large/aggressive CA cichlids: 10-15 years; however, most large growing CA cichlids do not reach this age due to various factors.

Thanks,
Matt


----------



## Bamboo (Jan 12, 2011)

I think Flowerhorns are geographic specific , ie. you will find them all over southern cali and really nice big cancerous looking KOKs , but I find lower grades ( small KOK or no bump at all ) here in Central Texas. Although they aren't a fish for me personaly but they are an unusual fish , they look like a neat " wet pet ". Show quality cost about $300+ , the lower grades I see around here in C Tx are about $100 . 
Most flowerhorns are "wet pets " kept singly in a 125 gallon or larger. I've seen on a few occassions where I've seen flowerhorns kept with large Blood Parrot hybrids . I'm not sure how it was accomplished but I assume maybe those were the more mellow flowerhorns. 
Good luck in your search and take your time , there are many to choose from. 
BTW , there are some male cichlids that get huge bumps , V. argentea , V. synspillum, red devils , midas , black nasty , and a couple of others.


----------



## SnakeEyes (Jun 23, 2007)

Flowerhorns make great wet pets, they are very owner responsive. I've had my female for 4 years now and she is 7" long. If you can get a female your 75g will be more than fine, males on the other hand can get up to 14". I've read that they don't have the longest lifespan but I'm guessing that those who report on this probably have the high quality ones that are fed and pumped with who knows what, then again I could be wrong. I bought mine from Petsmart for $8.00 and has grown up on Hikari Bio-Gold and Omega One.


----------



## BillD (May 17, 2005)

The local Big Al's no longer sells them, because they come back when they get large and people want to get rid of them. We had a large number of them (small ones) at our auction last year. They were practically given away as so few people were interested in them. It is a niche market, that has become pretty much saturated.


----------



## Mussin (Oct 30, 2008)

I keep a large male flowerhorn in my 75G. The best fish *** owned hands down. Very responsive. Mine is a real glass banger. They will kill anything you put in the tanks though, they must be kept alone in a 75. Here is a pic of him a couple of months ago. hes bigger now just dont have any new pics.

Jeremy


----------



## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Jeremy - that's a heck of a specimen! What specific type is he? Like ZZ or a flowerhorn you can just buy at your LFS for $8?


----------



## blkmjk (Apr 9, 2011)

Im sorry. Maybe I am just stupid but how does the fish above me look any different than a tri-mac? I just don't see it.Can someone please host both of their pictures next to each other for a quick comparison?
Thanks
Drew (CICHLID-OOBER-NOOB)


----------



## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

Quote: "Im sorry. Maybe I am just stupid but how does the fish above me look any different than a tri-mac? I just don't see it.Can someone please host both of their pictures next to each other for a quick comparison? "

Flowerhorns are hybrids...I'm not positive about this, but I think that the original flowerhorns were a hybrid between a V. Synspilum and a Tri-Mac. Later, they were bred to other species and to each other for specific traits. So for the lower grade ones, you'll likely see a lot of Synspilum/Tri-mac in them.


----------



## blkmjk (Apr 9, 2011)

Cool I just saw a striking resemblance in the two fish I knew flowerhorns were hybrid but thought they looked similar to the trimacs. Thanks for the response.
Drew


----------



## Mussin (Oct 30, 2008)

Mine is a "low grade" ZZ. Aka pet store fish. I bought a handfull of **** and picked the best. He is a beast. Google some images of flowerhorns, there are so many different kinds of strands. Some do look like trimacs. Mine has alot of pearl in his fins though. They are one of a kind fish as far as personality goes.

Jeremy


----------



## jcartell (Sep 4, 2012)

Do all flowerhorns get that hump on their forehead? Right now mine doesn't have it but is it going to grow one eventually?


----------



## metricliman (Sep 3, 2012)

I believe males develop a hump(AKA a kok), while females might not or develop a small kok. However, some bad specimens may never develop the kok at all.


----------

