I took what I heard here and elsewhere, consolidated down to a Top 10...and posted to the (public) ACA website:
http://acaforum.com/index.php?showtopic=3454
Education is at the heart of ACA's mission. As a result, it makes sense to "bust" many of the misperceptions or myths that some use to characterize flowerhorns and those who keep them.
I hope that this list - created with the assistance of those in both the traditional and flowerhorn cichlid hobbies - will help strip away the generalizations and falsehoods that cloud the discussion of the role of flowerhorns and those who keep them in the ACA....and shift the ire of many away from flowerhorns...and toward those who act irresponsibly.
Feel free to add to the list, agree, or rebut a myth with evidence to the contrary.
Matt
PS It also makes sense to establish such a list of Myths about wild-type cichlids and those who keep them!
Top Ten Myths About Flowerhorns and Those Who Keep Them
1) Flowerhorns aren’t cichlids
FALSE - All of the fish used to create the Flowerhorn are from the family Cichlidae. Although they are - intentionally - different from what is found in nature, flowerhorns are "cichlids" every bit as much as the hybrid livebearers in the hobby are still "livebearers" or the (hybrid) tilapia available at your grocery store are "tilapia"
2) Flowerhorn keepers and breeders are irresponsible and only in it for the money
FALSE - Just like anything else you have ethical hobbyists and seller as well as unethical hobbyists and sellers. This problem is not isolated to the flowerhorn community. The vast majority of flowerhorn hobbyists keep and breed these fish because they like them. Don't kid yourselves that every person that keeps or breeds wild-type cichlids cares nothing about money. For every irresponsible hobbyist willing to sell poor quality flowerhorns as "trimacs" there are just as many (intentionally) mis-labled fish sold in the "traditional" hobby.
3) Flowerhorns destroy conservation of cichlids in the hobby and in the wild
FALSE - Responsible care and breeding of flowerhorns neither harms the conservation of cichlids in the hobby or the wild. As flowerhorns are - obviously and intentionally - different in appearance than wild-type cichlids, erroneously including them in a captive breeding project would be less likely than erroneously including a similar but different wild-type fish. In the wild, flowerhorns represent no greater threat to cichlid natural habitats than the many (irresponsibly) introduced non-native cichlids.
4) Flowerhorns are random creations or accidents
FALSE - While flowerhorns are the result of the hybridization (and line breeding) of more than one species of cichlid, this does not mean that flowerhorns are the result of random crosses of common cichlids. As an example, the Golden Monkey flowerhorn strain took 12 years to create. The more that the myth that randomly crossing one cichlid with another will result in something either attractive or valuable is dispelled, the less likely that less educated or more irresponsible hobbyists will attempt such crosses. Those who keep flowerhorns are often the first to discourage indiscriminate hybridization of cichlids.
5) Flowerhorn keepers only keep flowerhorns
FALSE - Many ACA members...and even more cichlid-keepers keep both flowerhorns and wild-type cichlids. A recent (unscientific) survey in the Central and South American forum of Monster Fish Keepers found that nearly as many hobbyists keep flowerhorns AND wild-type cichlids as those who ONLY keep wild-type cichlids.
6) Flowerhorns are a passing fad
FALSE - Flowerhorns are well-established in the hobby in both Asia and the United States. Evidence of the popularity of flowerhorns can be found in the activity and rate of growth of flowerhorn websites, the availability and high cost of quality flowerhorns on the market, and the number of traditional cichlid hobbyists who keep these fish.
7) Flowerhorn keepers aren’t advanced or serious hobbysist
FALSE - Proper maintenance of flowerhorns requires all of the skills required in keeping large, aggressive wild-type cichlids. While just about any hobbyist can keep a flowerhorn, not everyone can keep a Flowerhorn in show or breeding condition. Developing attractive strains of flowerhorns requires all of the expertise in genetics and husbandry that developing attractive captive strains of livebearers, bettas, angelfish, discus, goldfish, koi, and other ornamental fish has required...which is considerable
8) Flowerhorns are disfigured or dyed
FALSE - The vast majority of flowerhorns on the market are not physically manipulated with chemicals or surgery and the vast majority of flowerhorn hobbyists find mutilation of fish as reprehensible as the vast majority of those in the traditional cichlid hobby. While some flowerhorns are physically dyed, tattooed or otherwise mutilated, these activities are far from unique to flowerhorns.
9) Flowerhorn keepers don't care about conservation, education, or fellowship with other hobbyists
FALSE - Many who keep flowerhorns also keep wild-type species and classify themselves as "cichlidiots". Some are also members of cichlid associations, albeit some "in the closet" about the fish that they keep. I've yet to hear a responsible flowerhorn keeper seek to eliminate the availability of wild-type cichlids in either the hobby or the wild...although the opposite is not true of wild-type cichlid enthusiasts. Participation in flowerhorn forums and chat rooms will reveal an array of hobbyists of all levels of experience and a strong willingness to share experiences and tips to educate and help others. Flowerhorn keepers are more than willing to educate traditional hobbyists on the origins and care of the fish that they keep...as well as dispel the myths that others might have about them and the fish that they keep. The more that those in the traditional cichlid hobby isolate and erect barriers (often based on myths) between themselves and those who keep flowerhorns, the more that those who keep one type of fish or the other will lose out on opportunities for education and fellowship.
10) Flowerhorns are "bad" because they're different than what is found in the wild
IT DEPENDS - If flowerhorns are "bad" because they're different than what is found in the wild, all of the other "ornamental" fish in the hobby are "bad" because they also differ from what is in the wild. Cosmetic changes to wild-type fish, whether they're longer fins, more color, less color (albinism) or larger size - each would probably detract from their viability in the wild. If flowerhorns are "bad" then the vast majority of people who keep fish are keeping "bad" fish...and the available membership of an organization dedicated to fish that aren't "bad" is quite small.
