Trimac/ Flowerhorn????

[Chago09]

can someone tell me the difference between these??? everytime I see them they look the exact same????? does anyone have pics of either of these so i can see the difference??
ohh and explain to me how to differentiate them at the store??? cause i see one at my LPS and its abouts 4 inches and I can't tell which one it is

 

[TheMightyOscar]

this is an article from aquaticcommunity.com

The Flowerhorn chichlid is a result of hybridisation between different South American chichlids. The Flowerhorn was developed in Malaysia during the second half of the 1990s, and exactly which South American cichlids that was used and in which combinations is still a secret. This secrecy has of caused a lot of speculation and a number of more or less reasonable theories have been put forth. One of the more far-fetched theories suggests that the Flowerhorn cichlid was artificially created in a Malaysian genetics laboratory by combining genes from a Goldfish with genes from the Trimac cichlid (Amhilophous Trimaculatus). A more reasonable suggestion is that the Flowerhorn cichlid is the result of crossing many different types of South American cichlids with each other, and that different forms of Flowerhorn cichlids can steam from different South American cichlids. The most plausible ancestry is crossings between the Trimac cichlid and other South American cichlids such as Midas cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellum), Red Devil cichlid (Amphilophus labiatum) and Redheaded cichlid (Vieja synspila).

The look of the Flowerhorn cichlids available in fish stores today is however not just the result of selective breeding. You can affect the appearance of a Flowerhorn cichlid by adjusting environmental factors such as the water chemistry in the aquarium. The food you feed your Flowerhorn cichlid can also change its look. The single most important factor behind the look of the fish is however the genetic makeup formed by selective breeding.

The Flowerhorn has been criticised as an unnatural and dangerous hybrid, produced by money-hungry breeders just to make money. Others have been impressed by the hard work that is evidently behind the creation of the Flowerhorn Cichlid. A lot of the South American cichlids mentioned above will occasionally interbreed in the wild as well, but there is no doubt that the Flowerhorn cichlid has been deliberately produced by breeders. The Flowerhorn cichlids are not the result of random cross breeding. Some people view the Flowerhorn as a purely man-made creation while others compare the hybrid to all the other animal variants that have been refined by humans during centuries of selective breeding.

 

[Chago09]

thanks for that post. Although I don't get what a lot of people cry about this whole man made fish thing. I bet about 80% of people who cry about hybrid fish, own dogs. Unless you have a pet coyote, fox, or wolf your dog is man made too. Stop crying.

 

[Jason_S]

breeds of dogs are not the same as flowerhorns. dog breeds are all still the same species and are not hybrids. flowerhorns are a combination of different species which makes them hybrids. true, dog breeds are still line bred so technically you could still say they are man-made but there is still a difference.

 

[carpediem]

thanks for that post. Although I don't get what a lot of people cry about this whole man made fish thing. I bet about 80% of people who cry about hybrid fish, own dogs. Unless you have a pet coyote, fox, or wolf your dog is man made too. Stop crying.

Okay, let's say that nobody cares about hybridization...

I go out and buy a couple of flowerhorns that resemble many of the traits of a trimac. Then I breed them and sell them as trimacs. People buy them, raise them, and breed them with their pure trimacs creating more garbage flowerhorn hybrid fish. The market will be full of fish that are mostly hybrid but the worst thing is that it is very difficult for the average Joe to tell the difference between a hybrid and a pure trimac. Pure fish will be rare and very expensive. Garbage flowerhorns that resemble pure trimacs will be abundant and still expensive because irresponsible dealers will claim they are pure trimacs. Many of the available trimacs will actually be hybrid fish with carpintis, midas, trimac etc. in them.

I detest flowerhorns...

 

[Aquamojo]

thanks for that post. Although I don't get what a lot of people cry about this whole man made fish thing. I bet about 80% of people who cry about hybrid fish, own dogs. Unless you have a pet coyote, fox, or wolf your dog is man made too. Stop crying.

can someone tell me the difference between these??? everytime I see them they look the exact same????? does anyone have pics of either of these so i can see the difference??
ohh and explain to me how to differentiate them at the store??? cause i see one at my LPS and its abouts 4 inches and I can't tell which one it is

Your reply underlines the real problem with the FH. Misinformation...or no information.

I'm not going to jump up on the soap box here. The information has been chewed, spit out, re-chewed and spit out again. You either like them or you don't. Personally...well, most know what I think of them. Unfortunately the little bastards are here to stay.

Gotta go feed my pet coyote. Later.