Help with my baby flowerhorn cichlid

[VB123]

Hi, I'm new to this site, I just got my Red Dragon Flowerhorn cichlid 2 days ago, he is 3 & 1/2 inches long, most likely a male (I had the breeder sex him before he shipped), and I am concerned as to whether or not he'll be beautiful.

I know it's hard to tell when I've only had him two days, but is it normal for him to be that color, or is that pale? I got him from petzonesd.com as a "High Quality Red Dragon Flowerhorn Fry", supposedly from good stock with potential to be A quality fish.

I'll include some pictures of him, as well as a picture of what I want him to look like when he's older. Am I being unrealistic? I'd really like to see his colors brighten and his fins get a bit longer. Does that normally happen as they age?

Thanks for all the help

 

[VB123]

What I'm hoping he'll grow up to look like if I take really good care of him

 

[Empyreal]

Hey bro,

Looks flowerhorn can change pretty drastically as they grow so you never know. IMO it is unrealistic to buy a FH based on a proposed picture of how it will look as an adult. Your best bet is to just buy a small one that looks good, and looks as if it has potential, and accept it as it grows out. Also, im in Vegas as well, you sure having your tank outside is a good idea? We're reaching a high of 102 today

PS - I think the flowerhorn looks great (the actual not proposed picture lol)

 

[VB123]

Thanks Empyreal,

I'm going to love him no matter what lol. I was thinking about the outdoor tank idea too. It's in a sun-protected pocket under my upstairs porch so it never receives direct sunlight, plus I have to high-powered aerators to keep the water moving. Ironically, I have to keep a heater in the tank to keep the temp from dropping too low, but so far, it hasn't gone up beyond 86 (with the heater on and set to 80). I'm checking on it a lot too, I'll have to see where this goes when we start seeing the 120s. haha

 

[ChaosBreaker]

It's really depend in ur flowerhorn and wat u feed him. Flowerhorn can change when they grow but no flowerhorn look exactly like the other. But ur fish look really good already. Wish u luck


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[VB123]

Thanks bro