Do you think breeding Flowerhorn fish is easy work to do? Well, it is not easy work to do. What are the breeding requirements for flowerhorn?
Flowerhorns which are also known as Luohans come from a huge mix of cichlids. Talking about male Flowerhorn fish they are mostly infertile than the females. As they are counted as one the aggressive fish, it is almost impossible to breed a pair of them. To breed them, you need different equipment like Heater, Plants, Filters, etc.
To know about the breeding requirements of this fish go through the article below in which I have written all the necessary things you should know before breeding Flowerhorn fish. Is it better to breed or buy a flowerhorn? Find out here.
Equipment List That Might Help You Choose For Flowerhorn Tank
| Types of equipment | Features | Link to amazon |
| SeaClear Acrylic Combo Aquarium |
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| Flipper Ollie & Hutch Wildwood 55 Gallon, Rustic Gray Aquarium Stand |
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| EHEIM NORTH AMERICA – JAGER HEATER 150W |
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EHEIM NORTH AMERICA – JAGER HEATER 150W |
| Marineland Penguin 350 BIO-Wheel Power Filter |
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| Penn Plax Aquarium Cascade Canister Filter |
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| Imagitarium 50-Gallon Terrarium Screen |
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| MingDak LED Aquarium Plant Light |
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| TEEMO Aquarium Groot Air Bubbler Decorations |
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| Penn-Plax Reptology Shale Step Ledge for Aquariums & Terrariums |
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Flowerhorn Breeding Equipments
There is some major equipment that you should not miss while breeding Flowerhorn fish. I have listed them out for you with the essential examples so that it becomes easier for you to make a choice.
Space For Breeding Flowerhorn Fish
Space is the most essential thing to breeding a fish not only breeding fish but it is an essential thing to do any kind of work.
SeaClear Acrylic Combo Aquarium is a good option for the breeding tank as well because of the following reasons:
- It can hold temperatures
- Acrylic
- Reasonable price
- Durable
- Comes with a lifetime guarantee
So make sure you have enough space at your house to breed Flowerhorn Cichlid.
Separate Tank
A separate tank should be kept as they might eat their egg.
There is a high chance of eating their eggs as they are aggressive fish. So make sure you have a separate tank before breeding Flowerhorn fish.
Filter
You can use a Sobo hang-on back filter (small) wp 308H or any sponge filter in the tank containing Flowerhorn fries.
You shouldn’t use a sponge filter when they are grown up as they may pull the sponge
Heater for Flowerhorn Cichlid
A heater is an essential appliance for Flowerhorn fish.
As you should maintain the temperature of the water by 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit for Flowerhorn.
Aquarium Stand
First of all, you should make or buy a stand for your tank or aquarium. Buy a stand that can hold your tank steadily.
You can buy stank near your house in any aquarium store or just make it in your home if you have the required things to build at home or just go to the online websites like Amazon or eBay where you can find many of them.
Plants
Plants are not necessary for Flowerhorn Cichlid as they are aggressive fish. So they can damage the plants you planted in the tank. So you can live your tank empty without any decoration.
Food
You should feed very Nutritious food to your fish before breeding. You can feed them foods like Omega One Super Color Floating Cichlid Pallets, Northfin Cichlid Pallets, New Life Spectrum Thera-A Large, etc
Setting the Right Conditions for Breeding
It is very necessary to provide the right condition to your Flowerhorn before breeding them.
You can do so by following the right instruction which I have written in the article below.
Feeding Nutritious Food Before Breeding
Give special attention to feeding your Flowerhorn before breeding.
Feeding Nutritious food to you Flowerhorn makes your fish to the breed at the topmost state.
Breeding Tank Setup for Flowerhorn Fish
Before starting the process start making a suitable landscape in the breeding tank. The males can be aggressive towards females so don’t forget to keep the coconut cave, and rocks in the tank.
Best rocks for the flowerhorn tank are:
As the females lay eggs on a smooth surface put ceramics on the tank’s floor. You can also leave the bottom of the breeding without adding any kind of substrate. Most breeders use terracotta plates which is optional.
To keep your Flowerhorn healthy you should maintain your water parameters. I have mentioned the temperature, pH level, and Alkalinity below.
pH Level
The pH level should always be 6.0-8.0.
API 5-IN-1 TEST STRIPS Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Test Strips 100-Count Box is easy to use and cheap to carry out. There are many strips in one which you can use for future too.
Temperature
The temperature must be between 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit.
hygger Saltwater Tank Titanium Tube Submersible Pinpoint Aquarium Heater with Digital Thermostat, IC Temp Controller 200 Watt can be the best option for your tank.
Alkalinity
The Alkalinity must be 6 degree-2 degrees dGH.
Salt For Flowerhorn
Salt is very important for any fish as it kills or removes any parasites inside the gills of the fish and other body parts. It also encourages mucus production.
Some best salt you can use for the flowerhorn tank are:
- API AQUARIUM SALT Freshwater Aquarium Salt 16-Ounce Box
- Instant Ocean Reef Crystals Reef Salt For 160 Gallons, Enriched Formulation For aquariums
- Epsoak Epsom Salt 19 lb. Bulk Bag Magnesium Sulfate USP
- Amazon Brand – Solimo Epsom Salt Soak, Magnesium Sulfate USP, 8 Pound
Breeding Flowerhorn FIsh
After setting the right condition for your fish, it’s time to breed them. You should always choose the healthy fish before breeding so start looking for the best fish for breeding. The best breeder will give you the best and most healthy offspring.
Select Best Breeder
When choosing the breeders you should always choose the best one. You shouldn’t choose any Flowerhorns with any genetic deformities or other problems for breeding purposes.
For breeding, you should choose Flowerhorns with strong fins. You could breed this fish easily if you get compatible fish. Similarly, it will help a lot to breed if you introduce them correctly.
Keep Flowerhorn Fish In The Same Tank
Firstly, you should start with putting a pair of Flowerhorn in the tank with the transparent glass between the tank separating the Flowerhorns.
It is done because males may show dominance over females which will lead to critical damage or killing of the female. Once they are comfortable with each other remove the transparent glass between them.
Sometimes, you can release them in a few days or a few weeks. It depends on the habit of the fish. Though they are comfortable with each other, they may start to fight, so keep the divider handy just in case.
Spawning Flowerhorns Fish
As said earlier in the above paragraphs Flowerhorns are hybrids, so most of the males are infertile. But if you got lucky and find pure Flowerhorn males then it will be easier for you to breed them because they are not “re-hybridized”.
The first week after releasing them, they will lip lock and body slap each other to establish dominance.
If they are fully sexually matured then sexing Flowerhorn is straightforward. You should wait if they are not sexually mature. As sexually maturity depends on the line they come from. Depending on their genetics it might take them 10 months to 3 years to develop sexual maturity.
It might take them week-months-years for them to spawn. Once the females spawn, they will find a smooth surface to lay eggs so make sure you put ceramics or terracotta plates.
Eggs and Fry Care
To know whether the eggs are fertile or not, you should see the color of the eff. If it’s infertile it will turn white and fuzzy.
Commonly, most fish’s first spawn turns out to be infertile. I tried about 3-4 tries before suspecting they were infertile. Rarely females can also be infertile so they are unable to lay eggs.
After 48 hours the eggs will start to hatch if they are fertile. They will fully hatch in 5 days and start to swim around.
Feeding Baby Flowerhorn Fish
I started feeding baby brine shrimps once they started swimming in the tank. They grow very quickly and eat a lot. So, you should feed them from time to time.
Once they are 2 weeks old I started feeding Daphnia. Before breeding them make sure you have a lot of Daphnia. You could either culture them at home or buy them at your closest fish store or in online stores like Amazon.
Some of the easy links that you can go through for the best options are:
- Ocean Nutrition Instant Baby Brine Shrimp 0.7-Ounces (20 Grams) Jar
- Omega One Freeze-Dried Blood Worms, 0.96 oz
- 200 Live Daphnia by Aqua L’amour
- Hikari Bio-Pure Freeze Dried Daphnia for Pets, 0.42-Ounce
After some months they are ready to start taking pellets and other foods.
Flowerhorn Breeding Fail
There are many reasons for failing the breeding of Flowerhorn fish. You have to take care of these reasons if you really want to succeed in breeding the flowerhorn.
Health Reason
Any fish can fail in breeding if they are unhealthy. They can’t spawn if they are unhealthy.
So if you want to keep your fish healthy enough to breed then you must give them a good diet and the required things to make them healthy.
Infertile male or female
Breeding may fail because your Flowerhorn may be infertile.
As there is a high chance that your male Flowerhorn can be infertile. You can’t know if they are infertile so try mating them 3-4 times.
Bad environment
A bad environment is also one of the major reasons for breeding failure.
The change in water quality, temperature, and pH level are the reasons for the bad environment. So, make sure you maintain your tank environment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does Flowerhorn baby Take to Develop?
It takes 2-3 days to hatch from their eggs. After hatching from their egg a baby Flowerhorn Cichlid will take about 72 hours. Whereas some Flowerhorn fry can swim in 4 days after they hatch.
Is it easy or hard to breed Flowerhorn Fish?
Talking about males they mostly are infertile as Flowerhorns are hybrid fish.
If you don’t follow the steps carefully then it might get harder to breed your Flowerhorn Cichlid. Hence, it depends on how you take care of them before breeding.
How long does it take to hatch the egg of Flowerhorn Cichlid?
It nearly takes 1-2 weeks for them to hatch from their eggs.
This is the gestation period where it develops itself inside the egg. The unhatched eggs are unfertilized and will create the tank mess. Thus, you have to clear them out later.
How do you distinguish a male Flowerhorn and a female Flowehorn?
Males have the nuchal hump on their forehead.
They also have brighter and more vivid colors. Talking about females, they have black dots on their Dorsal fins (located on the top of a fish). All females have an orange belly.
Can a male and a female Flowerhorn live together?
Yes, they can live together as far as they are comfortable with each other. To make this happen Put a transparent glass between the tank separating the fish.
After a few days or weeks, you can remove the glass and see whether they are comfortable or not. If this works out it’s fine but if it doesn’t work out again put transparent glass for a few more weeks.
Conclusion
Yes, it is hard to breed Flowerhor fish. But if you maintain all the necessary things for them to breed then yes you can breed them easily. You just need to be lucky enough while choose the right breeder therefore fertile breeder. You should at least try breeding them 3-4 times.
As said “patience is the key to success” you should wait until they breed.