SRD Flowerhorn Grow out

[nicocan]

He was around 6-7 inches and it took about 6 months. These guys grow and change very rapidly. Best advice I can give is care for them just like any other Central American cichlid and provide good water quality and nutrition.

Nice, hope mine grows out to be pretty cool like yours. Didn't really want to break the bank on my first FH so if it turns out decent with a good personality that's fine with me. Being that I only spent 20 bucks I wasn't really expecting much, so pretty content with the growth so far.

Got it, got a few tanks sent up but all SA/CA cichlids so I'll treat the FH no different. Definitely will work on that nutrition, thanks for the feedback.

 

[Ruturaj]

Okiko is promoted by many but is a cheap and low quality food made for fast results as far as growth and color but at a cost in lifespan and health. I’ve seen many people on and off this forum experience either sickness (most commonly bloat) while feeding okiko and/or early death. I’ve heard ok things about grand sumo although the protein content is nowhere near as high as okiko it is still way too high for flowerhorn’s as flowerhorn’s have very poor digestion and all the counterpart species that make up flowerhorn’s are omnivorous and the protein is already far to high for them. Ime it’s best to stick to regular American cichlids foods of high quality such as northfin or new life spectrum. Omega one and hikari are also pretty good. Bio-gold being probably the best suited hikari pellet for flowerhorn’s. The foods your fish likes are equivalent to feeding them junk food.

+1

@OP I have seen less issues in younger fish than adults when owner was feeding okiko. In US I don't see a point of not using northfin or NLS. Buying hyped overpriced asian foods is not a good idea.

 

[Ruturaj]

Thanks for the feedback! But yeah, I guess it's all personal preference. This time around kind of favored the head as most important, and really don't mind the long mouth. I do hope the pearls begin to come out more. Wanted to start with this guy, once I grasp a better understanding about Flowerhorns ill move on to the pearly Kamfa's.

Thanks for noticing he's a little overfed. I was feeding him 3 times a day with one fast day since he's small. I'll drop it down to only twice now. Appreciate the feedback

Absolutely, it's a personal preference. I have seen people spend thousands on what they want which is pretty crazy to me. I got what I wanted in my fish for very low price and I am happy with it. My flowerhorns in the past were same.

Frequency is not an issue, total quantity is.

 

[nicocan]

+1

@OP I have seen less issues in younger fish than adults when owner was feeding okiko. In US I don't see a point of not using northfin or NLS. Buying hyped overpriced asian foods is not a good idea.

What are your thoughts about grand sumo? I've seen many good reviews regarding that product.

Also, it seems like my FH likes hikari bio gold plus now lol. I feed that food to all my cichlids so had some in the house already. Decided to try it out again, seemed like he enjoyed it. So I'll definitely be feeding that more. More affordable than NLS as well. Checked my LFS today, 16 dollars for tiny NLS pellets is that normal? Can buy bio gold plus for half the price, same amount, and pellets are 2-3x times bigger.

 

[Ruturaj]

What are your thoughts about grand sumo? I've seen many good reviews regarding that product.

Also, it seems like my FH likes hikari bio gold plus now lol. I feed that food to all my cichlids so had some in the house already. Decided to try it out again, seemed like he enjoyed it. So I'll definitely be feeding that more. More affordable than NLS as well. Checked my LFS today, 16 dollars for tiny NLS pellets is that normal? Can buy bio gold plus for half the price, same amount, and pellets are 2-3x times bigger.

Grand sumo is alright, much better than okiko. I think it has too much protein, my preferd range is 40-45%. Hikari uses fillers more than many brands but they have been around longer than most and their processing is top notch. NLS and Northfin have much better ingredients and good processing. It's cheaper to buy them in bulk at Amazon for Northfin and Walmart for NLS.

 

[Ruturaj]

Just to add, grand sumo has been around for as long as I know. Given the ash content in it to be 14% I doubt if they use quality whole fish meal.

 

[nicocan]

Grand sumo is alright, much better than okiko. I think it has too much protein, my preferd range is 40-45%. Hikari uses fillers more than many brands but they have been around longer than most and their processing is top notch. NLS and Northfin have much better ingredients and good processing. It's cheaper to buy them in bulk at Amazon for Northfin and Walmart for NLS.

Understood, I'll be feeding less of the okiko from now on. Don't want to just waste my money by throwing it away. So I'll definitely monitor how much I feed until I run out. Will not be purchasing it again and will replace with NLS or north fin. I'll take the protein content into consideration as well and feed foods within those percentage parameters.

Seems like grand sumo and hikari are the best products I have on hand. So will be feeding those more than other's until I can get the one's you guys recommended. Thanks for the info!

 

[Ruturaj]

Understood, I'll be feeding less of the okiko from now on. Don't want to just waste my money by throwing it away. So I'll definitely monitor how much I feed until I run out. Will not be purchasing it again and will replace with NLS or north fin. I'll take the protein content into consideration as well and feed foods within those percentage parameters.

Seems like grand sumo and hikari are the best products I have on hand. So will be feeding those more than other's until I can get the one's you guys recommended. Thanks for the info!

Good luck.

 

[nicocan]

First time posting on here, just wanted to share the growth of my SRD flowerhorn thus far. This is my first flowerhorn however, I've kept various SA/CA cichlids. Had a empty tank and was at my LFS, which is where I decided to pick this guy up since he was only 20 dollars. I also saw the potential, already had a minor hump and ran the tank. Didn't want to spend a lot on my first flowerhorn either so it was a no brainer. After doing some research, I have been grooming him and feeding the foods that I believe work best. I am obtaining great results, he's starting to grow a big head already, pearls are getting brighter, and fins are developing nice.

Got him at around 2" and is now maybe 2.5" kinda hard to tell. Bought him a month ago.

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July 18th (right around when I first bought him)
When I first got him he was a little damaged due to fighting with tank mates in fish store.

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July 20

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July 30

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Aug 1st

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Aug 3rd

Some pictures I put a little bit more effort into.

Also, when I first bought him the guy at my fish store couldn't tell me the type. Im assuming it's a SRD? if someone can confirm that would be great.

Just wanted to hear your guys thoughts regarding quality and potential of this fish. Thanks!

Update (8/11)

Just after feeding, crazy how fast FH's grow. Getting closer to 3"

 

[Magnus_Bane]

Update (8/11)

Just after feeding, crazy how fast FH's grow. Getting closer to 3"

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Looking good other than his gut. Looks like he needs to lay off feeding for a day or 2 so he can slim down a bit.

I usually feed mine only once a day to every other day. It helps them keep a healthy appetite while not getting fat along with reducing the risk of constipation and bloat.