Hi All,
I've been lurking this forum for like 15 years lol. Long time discus and african cichlid keeper over that same period, but I've always had only a 75g or 90g tank (for space reasons), so I've never felt like I've had much to add of value with so many monster tanks on here. Anyways, here to share about a new SRD Flowerhorn I picked up.
Apologies for the long post, but it's my first post and time owning a Flowerhorn, so exciting times lol. Main reason I was interested in doing so is that although I love Discus, which is mostly what I've had overall and most recently, they don't tend to have a ton of personality. The new flowerhorn already shows way more than they ever did, no matter how majestic they were. They were more like calming art, while the Flowerhorn is more like a unique pet. It's been awesome.
It's only been a bit over a week. He still isn't back to his very original color, but he's looking good and has improved since the first few days. It's a 90g tank, sand bottom with minimal rocks and anubias leftover from the planted tank. I've attached/wedged the anubias to and between the rock carefully to essentially cover the edges of the rock and prevent any injuries. He's been loving the "cove" so far, and sleeps in the area directly behind it every night. Will keep an eye.. he hasn't been skittish whatsoever, but if I start to see any odd behavior I'll just remove them entirely. Main filters are an Eheim Pro 4+ and Fluval FX6. I also have an AC100 that I use from time to time as a polishing filter with most micron cloth.
Feeding twice a day, a bit modestly right now. Will increase and dial in a bit as he settles in. He's taken to just about all foods, feeding:
NLS color enhancing tropical or cichlid- 50%
NLS AlgaeMax and Fluval Bug Bites - 25%
Frozen Krill & Spirulina Brine Shrimp/Freeze Dried Mealworms, Shrimp and Crickets (cut up) - 25%
Welcome any feedback on the diet. Not overthinking it, same goal of high quality variety as with my discus, with just a bit less protein. Without being able to have bottom dwellers as tankmates due to aggression, I'd prefer to use floating pellets to prevent waste, but I don't see too many high quality foods that are. Am I missing any? Even with very small feedings, some goes to waste on the bottom, which adds up over time. He does sift through the sand which is cool to watch, but some still just goes to waste. 60-50% water changing/gravel vacc'ing 1-2x week.
Some pics attached (not the best quality, apologies in advance). One additional question. You can see in some pics that in the very middle of his band/black line it looks a bit less clear/more cloudy than the rest of the band? Up close it doesn't look like fungus or anything concerning, maybe just genetics? This was also the case when I got him. Any thoughts here appreciated.
Thanks in advance again for any insight or feedback!
I've been lurking this forum for like 15 years lol. Long time discus and african cichlid keeper over that same period, but I've always had only a 75g or 90g tank (for space reasons), so I've never felt like I've had much to add of value with so many monster tanks on here. Anyways, here to share about a new SRD Flowerhorn I picked up.
Apologies for the long post, but it's my first post and time owning a Flowerhorn, so exciting times lol. Main reason I was interested in doing so is that although I love Discus, which is mostly what I've had overall and most recently, they don't tend to have a ton of personality. The new flowerhorn already shows way more than they ever did, no matter how majestic they were. They were more like calming art, while the Flowerhorn is more like a unique pet. It's been awesome.
It's only been a bit over a week. He still isn't back to his very original color, but he's looking good and has improved since the first few days. It's a 90g tank, sand bottom with minimal rocks and anubias leftover from the planted tank. I've attached/wedged the anubias to and between the rock carefully to essentially cover the edges of the rock and prevent any injuries. He's been loving the "cove" so far, and sleeps in the area directly behind it every night. Will keep an eye.. he hasn't been skittish whatsoever, but if I start to see any odd behavior I'll just remove them entirely. Main filters are an Eheim Pro 4+ and Fluval FX6. I also have an AC100 that I use from time to time as a polishing filter with most micron cloth.
Feeding twice a day, a bit modestly right now. Will increase and dial in a bit as he settles in. He's taken to just about all foods, feeding:
NLS color enhancing tropical or cichlid- 50%
NLS AlgaeMax and Fluval Bug Bites - 25%
Frozen Krill & Spirulina Brine Shrimp/Freeze Dried Mealworms, Shrimp and Crickets (cut up) - 25%
Welcome any feedback on the diet. Not overthinking it, same goal of high quality variety as with my discus, with just a bit less protein. Without being able to have bottom dwellers as tankmates due to aggression, I'd prefer to use floating pellets to prevent waste, but I don't see too many high quality foods that are. Am I missing any? Even with very small feedings, some goes to waste on the bottom, which adds up over time. He does sift through the sand which is cool to watch, but some still just goes to waste. 60-50% water changing/gravel vacc'ing 1-2x week.
Some pics attached (not the best quality, apologies in advance). One additional question. You can see in some pics that in the very middle of his band/black line it looks a bit less clear/more cloudy than the rest of the band? Up close it doesn't look like fungus or anything concerning, maybe just genetics? This was also the case when I got him. Any thoughts here appreciated.
Thanks in advance again for any insight or feedback!
