I guess you have seen a lot of Flowerhorn hobbyists using a mirror inside or outside of the tank for Flowerhorn, haven’t you? Do you know why mirrors are used or whether Flowerhorns need mirrors? How to use the mirror for grooming your Flowerhorn? What is the impact of using a mirror in Flowerhorn? We will discuss them all in this article.
Yes, Flowerhorns need a mirror. They need mirrors to increase their aggressiveness. In this article, we will learn why Flowerhorns need mirrors and the frequency of using mirrors.
Flowerhorns are known to be territorial and popular for their unique features and behavior. One of the factors that make Flowerhorns unique is their “Nuchal Hump”. Nuchal hump is believed to add beauty to the Flowerhorn’s appearance. Flowerhorn’s hump is kind of their crown of glory, and they are the king of the aquariums. Generally, not every Flowerhorn will have the genetics to get a nuchal hump of massive size. But of course, there are ways to maximize the potential of Flowerhorn.
There are many strains of Flowerhorns. However, every strain of Flowerhorns is not characterized by the potentiality of a larger hump size. The technique of using a mirror to increase the hump size of the Flowerhorn may not apply to every strain of Flowerhorn.
Nuchal hump is often attributed to aggressiveness. If this is true, you want your fish to display as much aggression as possible without being harmed. One reason that the Flowerhorn become aggressive is when they are kept with other fish. Now how will you simulate a fight with your Flowerhorn?
It may be challenging to grow hump-size Flowerhorn. But following the right tips and tricks will help to grow hump size properly. Let’s have a look!
Why Do Flowerhorns Need Mirror?
Generally, mirrors are kept for a specific purpose. What’s the purpose of retaining a mirror for Flowerhorn? Let’s have a look!
Flowerhorns with larger nuchal humps are cooler, and they will be more often aggressive and dominant. The idea of using the mirror is to get a bigger Flowerhorn hump. The more aggressive they get, the larger will be the Kok(hump) size. Mirrors are needed for two reasons.
Increase Hump Size Of Flowerhorn Fish
Mirrors produce a reflection of the observer. Flowerhorn is a territorial fish. So, it reacts to the mirror as a threat and shows aggressive behavior, and starts to fight with the mirror image.
Mirrors are used to bring pearls, aggression that results in a large hump and bright colors in Flowerhorns. The technique of keeping a mirror also makes Flowerhorns active.
Increase Flowerhorn Coloration
Mirrors are used for the coloration of Flowerhorn fish as well. It increases the activity and instinct of the Flowerhorn.
The coloration of Flowerhorn depends on the Chromatophore (cells that produce colors). It is usually in red, black, and yellow colors. It means that whatever color you see is a combination of these three colors. The pituitary and adrenal hormone levels increase with the increase in aggressive levels.
Grooming Flowerhorn Fish Using Mirror
One trick is to get a mirror and station it in your aquarium. Upon seeing its reflection, your Flowerhorn should start going ballistic.
By seeing itself in the mirror, the Flowerhorn thinks its reflection is a different fish and starts attacking the mirror thinking that it is attacking some other fish. This creates excessive aggression in the Flowerhorn.
Get a mirror with no sharp edges. Place the mirror inside the Flowerhorn tank. Most hobbyists use Toblerone Mirror for Flowerhorn to make the hump of the Flowerhorn bigger.
Do this exercise a few times a week and remove the mirror at other times. This will make your Flowerhorn feel that it defeated the other fish in the tank.
Before implementing the suggestions, always remember that some specimens do not have the genes to grow a large nuchal hump. From my experience with aggressive fish, the dominant fish will typically display the best color and grow the largest because it isn’t afraid to eat.
You cannot put a mirror on every time. This will create aggression at unsuitable times and let your fish affects its health as well.
To increase the Flowerhorn hump size, first, their aggression needs to be increased. If you do not have an idea on how to increase aggression in Flowerhorn, let’s have a look.
Choosing The Mirror For Flowerhorn
The mirror you choose should have smooth edges, preferably with plastic edges. Remember to not use sharp edges because they will hurt your Flowerhorn. Do not use metal edges either, as the metal will react in water which will, in turn, cause the metal to rust and change the water chemistry.
If you are using the mirror that is going to be placed at the bottom of the tank, then you should always place the mirror inside the aquarium and not outside it.
Things To Consider When Using Mirror For Flowerhorn
Do not keep the mirror for the whole day. Keeping the mirror for the whole day will increase more aggression resulting in stressing the Flowerhorn. It becomes harmful for Flowerhorn if the mirror is kept the whole day.
Therefore, you need to keep the mirror for a limited time. You can keep the mirror for 15-30 minutes inside the tank. If possible, try keeping the mirror at the same interval every time you keep the mirror. If you wish to see faster results, use the mirror twice a day, 15-20 minutes session each time.
However, do remember to feed your Flowerhorns proteins such as shrimps of clean bloodworms an hour after the training session, as chasing the mirror is a strenuous task. So, a protein-based diet will help your Flowerhorn re-gain the lost energy without acclimating fat in its body.
- Hikari Flowerhorn Fish Food
- OKIKO flowerhorn Cichlid Fish
- Fluval A6581 Bug Bites Cichlid Pellets
- Amzey Dries Shrimp Fish Foods
- Appetizing Shrimp Mealworms
- Tetra Jumbokrill Jumbo Shrimp
- Ocean Pellets Humpy Xo Flowerhorn Food
This process should be carried out very carefully since the growth process will decrease if any mistakes are done.
Bringing aggression in Flowerhorn does not mean to make Flowerhorn aggressive by:
- Keeping Flowerhorns in a crowded tank
- Feeling bored or lonely
- Lesser tank size
- Stress
- Harassment by humans
- Aggressive tank mates, etc
Generating aggression properly is very crucial in increasing the hump size by using the aggressiveness factor of the Flowerhorn.
Curing Flowerhorn Injuries During The Mirror Training
If you notice that your Flowerhorn is getting extremely aggressive at his reflection in the mirror and is injuring itself during the mirror training, please consider stopping the use of this technique for 3-5 days and try again.
Larger Flowerhorns need to be monitored when they use the mirror to chase their reflection. Keeping an eye on your Flowerhorn can help prevent life-threatening injuries.
In case of any minor injuries during the mirror training, be sure to maintain water quality as well as add 1 teaspoon of non-iodized aquarium salt to the tank after every water change.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Do Flowerhorns Need Mirror?
Yes, if you want to increase their hump size and increase their growth, the mirror is needed. Mirrors produce a reflection of the observer. Flowerhorn is a territorial fish. So, it reacts to the mirror as a threat and shows aggressive behavior, and starts to fight with the mirror image. Mirrors are used to bring pearls, aggression that results in a large hump and bright colors in Flowerhorns. The technique of keeping a mirror also makes Flowerhorns active.
Can We Keep Mirror Inside The Flowerhorn Tank Whole Day?
No, you cannot keep the mirror inside the Flowerhorn tank the whole day. Keeping the mirror for the whole day will increase more aggression resulting in stressing the Flowerhorn. It becomes harmful for Flowerhorn if the mirror is kept the whole day. Therefore, you need to keep the mirror for a limited time. You can keep the mirror for 15-30 minutes inside the tank. If possible, try keeping the mirror at the same interval every time you keep the mirror.
What Kind Of Mirror Should I Use To Groom My Flowerhorn?
Get a mirror with no sharp edges. Place the mirror inside the Flowerhorn tank. Most hobbyists use Toblerone Mirror for Flowerhorn to make the hump of the Flowerhorn bigger. Do this exercise a few times a week and remove the mirror at other times. This will make your Flowerhorn feel that it defeated the other fish in the tank.
You can use the Toblerone mirror. Using this mirror as a bait fish helps to develop confidence in your Flowerhorn. It helps to develop a larger hump in Flowerhorn, thinking that it’s the dominant fish in the tank that will increase aggression. An increase in aggression results in an increase in the hump size.
Does Hump-size Affect Aggressive Level in Flowerhorn?
Flowerhorn cichlids are aggressive by nature. You can determine the level of aggression by looking at its hump size. Oppositely, the Flowerhorns have a high level of aggression and have a larger hump.
Conclusion
Flowerhorns need mirrors for a specific purpose. You can use a mirror to bring pearls, aggression that results in a large hump and bright colors in Flowerhorns. The technique of keeping a mirror also makes Flowerhorns active. By seeing itself in the mirror, the Flowerhorn thinks its reflection is a different fish and starts attacking the mirror, thinking that it is attacking some other fish. This creates excessive aggression in the Flowerhorn. Hence, aggression creates a nuchal hump to grow larger. In addition to the larger hump, grooming them with a mirror also helps to increase the color of the Flowerhorn.
There is no doubt that the Flowerhorn hump size depends on the genes. But you can make their hump bigger by using the mirror technique.