What to look for when purchasing your flowerhorn

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
creepyoldguy;4344510; said:
well thanks guys, i actually live around hagerstown, md. not too far from baltimore, dc, harrisburg pa, pittsburgh or philly. im sure someone around here has decent stuff

Actually there are a lot of good flowerhorns floating around that area. I suggest you join up with flowerhorncraze.com and see what kind of locals you can find. They should be able to hook you up with something nice. I remember JP was from Maryland but I think he got out of the hobby but he brought a lot of nice fish to town before he did and I know there are a lot of people who keep flowerhorns from there. I think Musha and fhcruiser are from Baltimore MD area they can probably hook you up with something nice or at least point you in the right direction.
 
thank you, i remember seeing musha in a lot of posts. i will have to join up on flowerhorncraze.com.i know this is about useless with out pics, and i will try to get some tomorrow. i was at a store in winchester,va and found a tankfull of about 1" flowerhorns. they were about the same color of a thai silk, but had a small flowerline for 8.99. the owner just said the importer he uses got them from malaysia. any thoughts?
 
my personal experience as I've only owned 2 FH, both came from my lfs. My first one, pretty girl who recently passed was about 4" when I took her home.LFS was asking $40 for her, and her colors were amazing. She was a drop off by somebody who got fed up with her.

Now, last week I went to the lfs to lift up my spirits and found a tankful of small 1-1 1/2" FH. I was there for over an hour studying and ended up taking home the dominant one, who was also the most colorful. He's in the 54g growing up. My hubby commented how this lil bugger is the most aggressive eater he's ever seen. Very personable as he comes straight up to the front of the tank to greet us.

now, keep in mind I wasn't going there to replace my lost FH. But, I had that gut feeling about this lil baby...that's how I mainly bring home my fish...that I HAVE to have feeling. And, it's working out A-OKAY

btw, he was the only one in the tank unmarked as he was picking away at everybody else. At first I thought something was majorly wrong with all the fish, sick or something, until I saw this lil bugger in action

sorry for rambling, but that's my 2 cents. And my lfs said they typically don't get FH because of their aggressive nature and most common ppl don't realize what they're getting themselves into.

if your lfs has the bigger tanks for the bigger fish, keep an eye out for a FH dropoff, like I did. The ones in my lfs are usually negotiable for the price as not too many can care for them
 
Camphilophus;4343864; said:
You usually won't find good flowerhorns at the LFS or from any of their suppliers but it depends on where you live. I like to buy fry from reputable Thai sellers. I always ask to see pictures of the parents so I know what to expect in the fry. You can usually get anywhere from 5-15 fry shipped to the states for $100 then you pay about another $60-70 to have them trans-shipped to your door. If you let me know what state/city you're in I may be able to find some members local to you who keep/breed/sell nice flowerhorns. Check out flowerhorncraze.com for fish too. My only suggestion to you is not to come home with a flowerhorn from the LFS. Chances are it will be a low grade zz red dragon with a stupid name and it will get just as big, eat just as much food, and take up just as much space as a nice flowerhorn would.

Thats a great idea Cam. Never thought of that. You know of anyone down in Atlanta? Im really looking for a Thai Silk.
 
MonsterFishKeepers.com