Flowerhorn and Ageing
- Thread starter CichlidL
- Start date
Not all FH"s are overfed, nor are they all fat.
They generally die at an early age due to genetics, and the breeding practices that place physical characteristics (beauty) above health. No one in Asia is breeding for genetically stronger fish, they breed purely for looks, just as most breeders do when it comes to designer fish species such as Flowerhorn, Discus, etc. This is common knowledge within the industry, not some kind of hidden secret, or something open to debate. The more fish that die the more fish that are again sold, it's that simple to those supplying the trade. Most designer discus also die at an early age, 3-5 yrs is typical, as was expressed to me years ago on simplydiscus.com, yet wild strains are able to achieve 10+ years in captivity.
Fish such as the one shown below won't die from being overfed, although I would agree that many FH keepers do probably overfeed their fish, which also leads to fatty liver issues, which can also greatly decrease a fishes life expectancy in captivity.
They generally die at an early age due to genetics, and the breeding practices that place physical characteristics (beauty) above health. No one in Asia is breeding for genetically stronger fish, they breed purely for looks, just as most breeders do when it comes to designer fish species such as Flowerhorn, Discus, etc. This is common knowledge within the industry, not some kind of hidden secret, or something open to debate. The more fish that die the more fish that are again sold, it's that simple to those supplying the trade. Most designer discus also die at an early age, 3-5 yrs is typical, as was expressed to me years ago on simplydiscus.com, yet wild strains are able to achieve 10+ years in captivity.
Fish such as the one shown below won't die from being overfed, although I would agree that many FH keepers do probably overfeed their fish, which also leads to fatty liver issues, which can also greatly decrease a fishes life expectancy in captivity.
Not all FH"s are overfed, nor are they all fat.
They generally die at an early age due to genetics, and the breeding practices that place physical characteristics (beauty) above health. No one in Asia is breeding for genetically stronger fish, they breed purely for looks, just as most breeders do when it comes to designer fish species such as Flowerhorn, Discus, etc. This is common knowledge within the industry, not some kind of hidden secret, or something open to debate. The more fish that die the more fish that are again sold, it's that simple to those supplying the trade. Most designer discus also die at an early age, 3-5 yrs is typical, as was expressed to me years ago on simplydiscus.com, yet wild strains are able to achieve 10+ years in captivity.
Fish such as the one shown below won't die from being overfed, although I would agree that many FH keepers do probably overfeed their fish, which also leads to fatty liver issues, which can also greatly decrease a fishes life expectancy in captivity.
Thank you for sharing such a valuable information. That is a downside to all hybrid species in general I believe. But these days its really hard to find pure strains , indeed market is full of ''designer fish species''. Pure wild strains are truely missed.
Interesting, gd to hear as 4 out of my 5 fh's happen to be kamfas
Thanks RD for your insight on this also. Very informative. Wish those designer discus lived longer too, might get into them someday, kind of depressing to hear that
RD. does it again! My butterknife brain has nothing on your Samurai sword of knowledge.
Like you said, it isn't a secret they go for beauty and not genes. I have heard that mixing so many strains weakens their immune systems.
Like you said, it isn't a secret they go for beauty and not genes. I have heard that mixing so many strains weakens their immune systems.
LOL, well thanks, but it's actually a fairly straightforward concept. In order to create beautiful fish with specific physcial traits one needs to line breed for said traits. Line breeding requires inbreeding, which helps fix those traits that each breeder strives for, be it pearls, color, kok, fin length and shape, etc.
And while inbreeding is not overall a huge issue when it comes to most species of fish, with every positive trait that one fixes through certain alleles, you risk doubling up on negative recessive alleles. The term for this is inbreeding depression, where the overall physical health of a population is reduced due to inbreeding. This is the case with flowerhorn fish, all FH fish, some FH are simply weaker than others.
And while inbreeding is not overall a huge issue when it comes to most species of fish, with every positive trait that one fixes through certain alleles, you risk doubling up on negative recessive alleles. The term for this is inbreeding depression, where the overall physical health of a population is reduced due to inbreeding. This is the case with flowerhorn fish, all FH fish, some FH are simply weaker than others.
