New to flowerhorn/fh breeding.

[Teddyb420]

Hello everyone, new to fh's as you can tell from the title.
Recently fell in love with what I'm told to be a male red dragon that I saw at our lfs, so emptied out my tank stock and got him for a reasonable price (owner was a friend of mine) also got a female and put a divider between them. So I have a few questions, I would love to get some feedback, thank you upfront

1) both fh's were very aggressive in the lfs, after I put them into the tank for a little under a week now, the male has settled down about 90% and will greet me for food. The female is hiding In the top corner next to the male and is very very skittish, but will still eat when I put food in. Is this all normal ?

2) I seriously am trying to breed them, can I get some pointers and tips ?

3) after reading all that I can find about them, I understand that before taking the divider out I need to wait till they pair up and the females egg tube to drop. And from what I can tell it has dropped, at the 2nd day I might add. But I'm just not sure. She has dark bars on her sides so I know she's pretty stresseed from the new environment, can she actually be ready? How can I be sure?

4) 1st day of the in the tank the male was always thrashing up against the divider trying to attack her, it was pretty entertaining tbh. But now he's very calm and will always chill near the divider or around her. Could this also mean they're pairing up?

5) I'm still very new to fh's and can't be for sure about their breeds, can you help me out with id's on them? I know they're not the best of quality but they are nice in my eyes. Won't be the best pics in quality btw I don't have a good camera and will be using my phone.

 

[Man-made Monsters]

1. If your female is in the top corner and is showing dark bars like in the above photo she is stressed. Let her settle in for the next few weeks or months. Its good that she is eating.
2. From the photos I can tell you that her tube has NOT yet dropped. When it does you will see it come out by as much as 1 cm or 1/2 inch. Be patient.
3. If you are trying to breed them then place a piece of flat rock,slate, or clay pot plate on her side of the divider next to the divider. This will give her a place to lay her eggs, when she is ready to, and he male can see her and the eggs.
4. Do Not pull the divider for at least a few weeks. If you do there is a good chance of them seriously hurting each other. Breeding takes a lot of patience. For now keep up with your weekly water changes and regular feedings.

 

[fisheatfish]

Are you certain that female is actually a female? I see a mark on its dorsal fin which may indicate female but I also see that it has a double flower line. It's long pointed fins are what's making me question its sex. If it's a proven female from the seller, that answers my question.

 

[Teddyb420]

1. If your female is in the top corner and is showing dark bars like in the above photo she is stressed. Let her settle in for the next few weeks or months. Its good that she is eating.
2. From the photos I can tell you that her tube has NOT yet dropped. When it does you will see it come out by as much as 1 cm or 1/2 inch. Be patient.
3. If you are trying to breed them then place a piece of flat rock,slate, or clay pot plate on her side of the divider next to the divider. This will give her a place to lay her eggs, when she is ready to, and he male can see her and the eggs.
4. Do Not pull the divider for at least a few weeks. If you do there is a good chance of them seriously hurting each other. Breeding takes a lot of patience. For now keep up with your weekly water changes and regular feedings.

Yes I understand she's stressed and that breeding takes patience, and will be adding the flat rock pretty soon.
But I can see a very small tube coming out of her, about 2mm in length, that's why I assumed she's ready.

 

[Teddyb420]

A

Are you certain that female is actually a female? I see a mark on its dorsal fin which may indicate female but I also see that it has a double flower line. It's long pointed fins are what's making me question its sex. If it's a proven female from the seller, that answers my question.

yes the seller assured me that it was a female, + I can see difference in both reproductive organs let's call them lol, the males is more pointy like a tiny birds beak and the females is more tube-ish.

 

[fisheatfish]

Cool.

This is what I do when breeding...I just throw them together with a clay plate and watch. The male would do his dance and the female would start moving gravel around and clean the plate...all good signs. If they get along, I just let them be...they can coexist believe it or not. If I do not trust the male, I would raise the divider high enough for only the female to retreat to. If they show too much aggression, separate and try again another time. This is what I do and have had much success with it.

Not necessary but I remove the plate with the eggs as soon as I know they've been fertilized.

 

[Teddyb420]

Cool.

This is what I do when breeding...I just throw them together with a clay plate and watch. The male would do his dance and the female would start moving gravel around and clean the plate...all good signs. If they get along, I just let them be...they can coexist believe it or not. If I do not trust the male, I would raise the divider high enough for only the female to retreat to. If they show too much aggression, separate and try again another time. This is what I do and have had much success with it.

Not necessary but I remove the plate with the eggs as soon as I know they've been fertilized.

We'll I honestly heard of people doing that, I thought about it but since this is my 1st ever try, I would like to take it slow and see what happens.

But can you help me with an Id for them ? Lfs told me both were red dragons, but I'd like to make sure.

 

[fisheatfish]

We'll I honestly heard of people doing that, I thought about it but since this is my 1st ever try, I would like to take it slow and see what happens.

But can you help me with an Id for them ? Lfs told me both were red dragons, but I'd like to make sure.

Yes...they're RDs

 

[Aquatank]

Hey guys I got a flowerhorn from my LFS which was told to me as a male as he had KOK in 2" and had long find and had no mark on dorsal fin, Then also it came out as a female and payed eggs thought it looked like a male FH.

 

[Teddyb420]

Yes...they're RDs

Thanks