Flowerhorns are interesting fish, and they are even more fascinating. Whether you want to breed them or you are just curious about them, it is always fun and enlightening to learn about how Flowerhorns reproduce. Female Flowerhorns can lay up to 700 to 1000 eggs at a time, and the eggs can develop into little fry that will start to grow when taken care of properly. How To Know If Flowerhorn Eggs Are Fertilized?
Identifying fertile eggs from fertile ones is very simple. The fertile eggs will turn clear, and the infertile ones will turn white. If you are interested in hatching and taking care of these eggs properly, then you’d want to read more. We have put all the important things I had to figure out for myself in my journey of taking care of Flowerhorn eggs and fry.
Do yourself a favor and read more because we are going to make your job so much easier.
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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How To Differentiate Male Flowerhorns From Females?
It is necessary to know the difference between male and female Flowerhorns if you want to breed them. Here are some of the things that will help you differentiate between them easily.
Size
Male Flowerhorns are bigger than female Flowerhorns in size, even if these fish are of the same age. Male Flowerhorns have longer and wider bodies, while female Flowerhorns have shorter and narrower bodies.
Dorsal Fins
Male Flowerhorns have long-running dorsal fins, and the females mostly have shorter dorsal fins. The Female Flowerhorn’s dorsal fin has some dot-shaped markings which are not present in the male Flowerhorn.
Eggs
To put it in simple facts, the first female Flowerhorns are the ones that lay eggs. A female Flowerhorn can lay up to 700 to 1000 eggs at a time. But in Flowerhorns, most females are infertile since these fish are hybrid fish. Males are much more likely to be fertile than females.
Nuchal Hump
Female flower horns have smaller or no nuchal humps, whereas males have large nuchal humps.
Reproductive Organs
Female Flowerhorns have O-shaped or circle-shaped vents and male Flowerhorns have V-shaped or a triangular shaped pointed veins. The female reproductive organ, however, can only be seen clearly when flowerhorns are about to lay eggs. This is the best way to differentiate between them.
How To Choose The Correct Pair Of Flowerhorn Cichlid For Breeding?
You can have a plethora of Flowerhorns, which have been bred especially to get the desired attributes of the fish. Some Flowerhorns are bred to accentuate darker shades of colors, while most Flowerhorns are bred to promote the big nuchal hump.
Breeding Flowerhorns Requires a lot of carefulness and precision. The upcoming generation of fry depends on the type of fish you choose for breeding. In the new batch, you can choose the Flowerhorns with the features you have in mind.
The fry of Flowerhorns with large nuchal humps will grow a big nuchal hump when flowerhorns grow up. Just like that, a short-body Flowerhorn will give birth to fry with short-body attributes. It is strictly advised to avoid any Flowerhorn cichlids with genetic deformities or any sort of other complications for breeding. Such Flowerhorns will weaken the bloodline.
Flowerhorn cichlids with larger Nuchal humps have always been the best choice for every breeder. This attribute is what every person interested in Flowerhorns strives for. Select Flowerhorns, which have perfect dense and string fins, and the ones that don’t have any sort of genetic deformities. We recommend short gut for breeding as they have proven to keep their line strong and free from any defects.
Setting Up A Breeding Tank For Flowerhorns To Mate I
Set a tank of around 40-gallon for breeding your Flowerhorns. This is the minimum-sized aquarium for breeding Flowerhorns.
Next is to keep the water very clean and a good amount of water change will push the fish to breed. The temperature doesn’t play a very important factor in the Flowerhorn breeding process, but a temperature of 28 degrees Celsius or 82 degrees Fahrenheit is preferred.
Using a sponge filter is recommended as it is very gentle for the fry and eggs.
Preparing Flowerhorn Fishes For Breeding:
Flowerhorns reach their sexual maturity when the female Flowerhorn grows about 4 inches in size. You can visually know the sex of the Flowerhorn cichlid only during this size. The female may give eggs regularly. The fertilization of eggs depends on the mating of the fish.
Loss of appetite, aggressiveness, darkening of eye colors, and some marks appear on the fish’s body in vertical order. The tube from which the eggs are being laid will elongate. The tube has a pointed end that looks like a human male reproductive organ but is not that long.
We got to make sure the pair is compatible. Only then can we keep them together for mating. A partition between both female and male Flowerhorn should be set until after a week of close observation. Then if they seem to like each other and do not show any aggressiveness towards each other, we can say that they are compatible and can therefore start breeding.
How Do Flowerhorns Mate?
Flowerhorns don’t perform any mating ritual or dance. A little bit of biting and tail slapping can be observed but that is mostly done by the Flowerhorns to confirm that their breeding partner is suitable for them to pair up with.
A female Flowerhorn can lay up to 700-1000 eggs at a time. The male Flowerhorn will swim over the newly hatched eggs and fertilize them. The fertilized eggs turn into a clear color, and the unfertilized eggs will turn into a white color. The female Flowerhorn will eat all the bad eggs on some days.
Both parents will try to guard and protect the eggs. They might lose their temper as they are a bit too protective over eggs at this time and can start being aggressive towards each other. Similarly, these fish might destroy their eggs sometimes in the process of fighting with each other. They can even try to eat their own eggs.
The fertilized eggs hatch in around 2 to 3 days. The newly hatched fry move in a group and are usually inactive for a couple of days because their size is very
small. The newly hatched become free swimmers in 2-3 days, and they start to swim in the aquarium looking for food. This is the perfect time for you to shift the parents to another tank, allowing the fry to take care of themselves.
Caring For The Flowerhorn Eggs
There can be a lot of difficulties while waiting for the eggs to hatch. As Flowerhorns are very unpredictable and live in tropical nature, Flowerhorns tend to eat their own eggs when frustrated.
When female Flowerhorns are angry and hungry, they tend to eat their own eggs as well. So keeping the eggs away from angsty mothers is a way to let the eggs hatch properly, taking their time. You will have to take measures to save the eggs from the mothers.
These are some of the protective measures that you can take for the eggs;
- Feed the female fish to keep the mom happy and not let the hunger affect the way she handles the eggs.
- Don’t disturb the mom while hatching the eggs and taking care of them. Make sure to keep the tank in a place where there is less human interaction.
- Make sure the fish are compatible before letting them mate.
- Give the female Flowerhorn some alone time before, during, and after laying the eggs. This way, she can do her business calmly without being nervous.
- Use Methylene blue so that there are no chances of fungi appearing on the eggs or chances of the fish eating the eggs along with the fungi are more.
- The female Flowerhorn will take an hour to lay eggs; make sure u there is no disturbance at all.
Artificial Hatching/ Incubation Tank
In the case of having aggressive parents, artificial hatching is helpful. Many owners of Flowerhorns have started taking the eggs laid by their female Flowerhorns and hatching them separately in a different breeding tank.
There are better chances of getting great numbers of fry when the eggs are incubated and hatched artificially. This is a great option for those who are hatching the eggs for the first time.
How To Know If Flowerhorn Eggs Are Fertilized?
Differentiating between fertile and infertile flowerhorn eggs can be tricky for beginners but don’t worry; it is a piece of cake once you know the basics.
Fertilized flowerhorn eggs start turning into a clear color, and the unfertilized ones turn into pure-white colors. If it is still difficult for you to differentiate between them, keep in mind that the fertilized eggs develop a bat dot or mark in every single one of them.
Water Parameters For Hatching Eggs
Having an idea of ideally preparing an incubation tank of Flowerhorn fish eggs to hatch is a must. The tank should contain less water. It should be at least 10 to 14 inches big. Use methylene blue mandatory to avoid fungi appearing on the egg and put a protective layer on it.
Check water temperature regularly.
The water temperature should be which should be 28 degrees Celsius or 82 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also use aquarium heaters in winter if necessary. Water should not contain a lot of saline content which makes it hard. Hatching quality will decrease that way.
There should be compulsory use of water filters. Hard water could make the outer layer of the eggs very rough. You can also add air stones to aerate the tank. Use sponge filters instead of air stones.
As mentioned before, there is a noticeable decrease in the rate of hatching eggs in hard water but also, there are chances of the off-springs getting physically handicapped by birth, so one should regularly filter the water in the tank.
You will lose a lot of eggs to poor water quality if not filtered regularly. Maintaining the water temperature in such filtered water will increase the quality of eggs. The eggs will turn into cute little healthy fries once hatched, according to their breed, size, etc.
Make sure your tank is big enough for the baby fish to swim around in.
Caring For The Newly Hatched Flowerhorn Fry
It is hard at times to raise Flowerhorn fries. A large tank for the fries to be able to swim freely. Fries tend to be very aggressive so they will get even more aggressive in a small tank. Make sure you separate the smaller fries from the larger ones. The large fries will bully the small ones. They sometimes even end up killing them in the process.
It is okay to feed the fries baby brine shrimp once they hatch from the egg. The Flowerhorn fries are very small so they will not be able to eat from their pellets. You can change the food to tubifex worms and daphnias. You can feed staple pellet food after the Flowerhorn fries grow up to 2 inches in size.
Feeding your fries with high-quality fish foods that have a high amount of protein content always is very important for them to grow and prosper.
Frequently Asked Questions
At What Age Do Flowerhorn Cichlids Start To Breed?
At around 8 months to 10 months, flowerhorns reach their sexual maturity and can mate, and can continue breeding for up to 6 years. You can easily breed them over and over again if you provide the Flowerhorns with good food and good water condition.
How Often Do Flowerhorn Cichlids Breed?
If your flowerhorns are provided with good water conditions that are suitable for breeding purposes, then your Flowerhorns are more likely to breed once every 2 to 4 months.
Are Flowerhorn Cichlids Easy To Breed?
Yes! They are If you can pair up a compatible pair, then your flowerhorns will breed regularly. However, raising them can be quite a difficult task for most people. If you have all the tank requirements like filters and a good water state, then breeding flowerhorns is quite easy.
What Filters Should We Use To Breed Flowerhorn Cichlids?
Avoiding aquarium filters that have a strong flow is important while breeding Flowerhorns. Aquarium filters that have a gentle flow rate are to be used while breeding. Personally, I think you should use a sponge filter. They are very reliable. Sponge filters can be used while breeding and for the tank as well.
- Hydro Professional External Canister Filter
- Eheim Classic External Canister Filter
- Aqua Clear Power Filter IIO
- Fluval FX6 Canister Filter
Do Flowerhorn Fries Die Fast?
The risk of fries dying is always there, but as long as you follow proper water parameters and feed your fries regularly, your fries will thrive. Also, don’t forget to separate the smaller fries from the larger ones. The large fries will bully the small ones. They sometimes even end up killing them in the process.
Conclusion
Breeding flowerhorns can be a tough task if you don’t know the basics. We have given you enough information on breeding flowerhorns and taking care of their eggs and fries. Information includes the fact that Flowerhorn eggs that are fertile turn into a clear color, and the infertile ones turn white.
I am sure you got everything you needed, now go out there and have fun living your fish keeper life. Have fun taking care of your little flowerhorn eggs. Good luck!