My lfs just got in a shipment of flowerhorns. They are all in the 1" to 2.5" range. My question is how do you pick out a quality fish. I found two that had sharper, clearer markings than the rest, but only one was pretty active. It even nipped my finger at the top of the tank. New to FH, but have had oscar, jags, gt, and jd. Thanks
picking a quality fh
- Thread starter clgkag
- Start date
for me i look at Body style / Pearls / Kok / Finage / Flowerline in that order but at 1.5 - 2" its a coin toss
Yep, depending on your tank size and budget, buy a fair amount that you can take to 4 inches or so comfortably. At that size, the really spectacular ones will start to stand out. Take a look at haloman's avatar- the FH couldn't be over 4 inches, and he's got a huge kok. This won't always be the case though, since halo has a high quality fish and paid accordingly.
When choosing a FH, determine what is your purpose of owning it. Will you be growing it out to make money for it when it grows, breeding it, or just keeping it just to say you have one. If you are new to flowerhorns then I suggest you buy a couple small ones then grow them out. If you are going to keep it, choose what you like not by what other people like. Breeding and selling depends on the type which if that is the case get a higher quality FH. People look for pearls, kok size, body shape, fins, vibrance of colors, just to name a few. Goodluck and I hope you enjoy your FH experience.
Please take note that Flowerhorns are very interactive with their owners the one i have in my avatar is my second flowerhorn. The first one that i ever had cost me 5 bucks and in the store it was a beauty then i saw some on the internet and i knew i had gotten FBS ( flowerhorn breeding Syndrome ) I knew i wanted to get a good looking flowerhorn and breed him. But anyway if your not looking to sell the fry or breeding him just get what you like not whats popular what you like since your the one thats having to live with it lol.
i have been rearing flowerhorns for 2 years now. it takes experience to be able to spot a potential flowerhorn. here are what i look for when im planning to buy a fry:
1. plums (flowers) : it must run all the way from the base of the gills to the base of the tail. double full plums would be very desirable. the pattern should be symmetrical on both sides.
2. kok potential - this is rather hard for an inexperienced eye as you have to see this at a certain angle. soft koks or what others call water koks have better chances of growing large as compared to hard koks.
3. pearls - these are shinny scales. the more the better. the most desirable are worm-like pearls which spread all the way across the kok
4. body - i prefer a short bodied flowerhorn
5. finnage - i look for wrap-tailed ones
6. colors - the color combination should compliment each other. a pinkish base would match nicely with bright red colors at the chest area
7. snout - look for short snouts
8. health - the fish must be feeding well. this is a sign of good health
as much as possible, i try to buy from breeders. this way, i can examine the parents which would give me an idea of what the fry will look like when it grows mature.
buying frys at around 1-2 inches in size can be a gamble on your part since the potentials may not have been expressed as of this time. if you want to come up with a great fish, buy those around 4-5 inches long. at this stage, all those mentioned above could already be observed.
happy fishkeeping!
1. plums (flowers) : it must run all the way from the base of the gills to the base of the tail. double full plums would be very desirable. the pattern should be symmetrical on both sides.
2. kok potential - this is rather hard for an inexperienced eye as you have to see this at a certain angle. soft koks or what others call water koks have better chances of growing large as compared to hard koks.
3. pearls - these are shinny scales. the more the better. the most desirable are worm-like pearls which spread all the way across the kok
4. body - i prefer a short bodied flowerhorn
5. finnage - i look for wrap-tailed ones
6. colors - the color combination should compliment each other. a pinkish base would match nicely with bright red colors at the chest area
7. snout - look for short snouts
8. health - the fish must be feeding well. this is a sign of good health
as much as possible, i try to buy from breeders. this way, i can examine the parents which would give me an idea of what the fry will look like when it grows mature.
buying frys at around 1-2 inches in size can be a gamble on your part since the potentials may not have been expressed as of this time. if you want to come up with a great fish, buy those around 4-5 inches long. at this stage, all those mentioned above could already be observed.
happy fishkeeping!