Extremely skittish flowerhorn

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Ruan S

Feeder Fish
May 8, 2026
1
0
1
24
South Africa
Hi guys, ive always been fond of reading these posts and never thought one day id need help myself :(
I recenlty bought a male Flowerhorn about 3 weeks ago. Unfortunately he is super shy and skittish. Ive had Flowerhorns in the past and the main reason im obsessed with them is their aggression so when this FH isnt showing any thing of that sort its really bumming me out.

The pet store i got him from had him for 3-4 months before i got him, he is roughly 10cm and has amazing coloration, he was very shy and skittish at the store while he was ther for 3-4 months i was told and even when i viewed him, he wasnt active or portraying the steriotypical FH behavior at the slightest, but i just fell inlove with him and had to get him because Unfortunately a FH isnt something thats very common in my area.
My fear is that he is some sort of a "Dud" if thats even possible in Flowerhorns :,(

Brought him home and after 3 weeks he doesnt interact, feeding has become tremendously diffiuclt and im not sure he even eats tbh...
Ive attempted feeding an assortment of hikhari pellets, freeze dried meelworms, freeze dried shrimp and frozen blood worms and he doesnt give them any sort of interest :(
He is in a 150L or a 40 gallon tank that is bare bottom, lights are not bright and are on a timer from 9am to 4pm, he has ample filtration (Canister filter) and temperature is set at 27'C
I noticed when taking him home the first day he has long white stringy poop which clearly means internal parasites, ive been giving him meds such as Seachem - Metroplex with Focus and Garlic Guard, probelm is he doesnt eat when im near so i dont know if the food i give actually gets ingested in time... so ive tried dosing the water an asssortment of Metroplex and meds my Local FS raved about, obiously not daily but reccomened doses, I do 40% water changes weekly and temperature match my water with Prime dechlorinator.
Water is tested for Amonia, Nitrates and Nitrites, I test KH and GH aswell, to make sure water is prestine for him

When im not near the tank he swims around and interact with my cat at the glass, but as soon as myself or my partner comes close he darts away, turns black and hides and doesnt come out until much time has passed.
Im going to be honest i dont have an Aquarium background or really hiding spots for him, i am in the process of getting it all in place hoping it helps him grow out of his shell.

Im considering getting Dither fish to help him relax.

Is there anyhting you guys could reccomend and help a fellow fish keeping out.
Apologies for the long post but im super passionate about fish keeping and FHs in general, and really like thus FH and want him to be everything ive dreamed of.

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First of all, if he has stringy white poop that's a sign of parasite or worms. I would setup a hospital tank around 5-10 gallon and medicate him. There's plenty of meds out there for treating that. I usually use general cure, prazi pro, or anything with metronidazole in it. If any of these don't work, I usually turn to the meds called CLEAR. Follow the directions and it will help clear this parasite. Good luck he looks nice.
 
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