What is Magma Flowerhorns? Why are these cichlids so pretty? Should I get one? How do I take care of it? If these questions are bothering you, then you have come to the right place.
Magma Flowerhorns are a very magnificent type of Flowerhorn cichlids. These cichlids have very distinct features and characteristics, and we are here to tell you all about these cichlids. This article has got all you need to know about how to take care of Magma Flowerhorns, from their appearance to their behavior to their natural habitat and ideal living conditions and so much more.
Read more to know more about Magma Flowerhorns.
A Little About The Magma Flowerhorn
Three South American cichlids, Cichlasoma trimaculatus, Cichlasoma festae, and Jingang Blood Parrot were crossbred to create the Magma Flowerhorn cichlid. Aquarists all around the world are becoming increasingly fascinated with this intriguing-looking cichlid, and their enthusiasm is only growing.
Here are some interesting and distinct details about Magma Flowerhorns.
Color
The coloring ranges from purple to pink to red, with fascinating black marks that frequently resemble “flowers” or Chinese characters.
Size
Magma Flowerhorns can grow from around 6 inches to 12 inches. While most cichlids reach a length of about 6 inches, some can reach lengths of 12 inches or more under the correct circumstances. Keep this in mind while buying a tank.
Lifespan
While flowerhorns with longer bodies often survive 8 to 12 years, those with shorter bodies sometimes only live 4-5 years.
The incoming generations have recently decreased this fish’s predicted lifespan since these fish are more inbred than ever.
Do not give up! This is merely something to be aware of and only applies to a selected few strains in various parts of the world. The majority of strains are still healthy and have not had any major health issues.
Tank Size
The recommended tank size for this Flowerhorn is 125 gallons, or 150–175 gallons if you intend to house a pair of male and female Magma Flowerhorns.
Although it is common practice to start them off in smaller tanks before upgrading them to larger ones as these fish become bigger, doing so can be a waste of money if you don’t have any other use for the smaller tanks.
These fish do technically have enough water in smaller tanks to swim around, but these fish are mostly too narrow for a Magma Flowerhorn to turn around. Even though all fish prefer more room, some of the smaller types can be kept in 75 or 90-gallon tanks.
Water Parameters
Here are some water parameters you need to maintain to keep your Magma Flowerhorn happy.
Temperature
The ideal aquarium temperature for these cichlids is from 72°F to 82°F (22°C to 28°C). Aquarium stocking will be less necessary as the temperature rises.
PH and Hardness
Maintain a pH of roughly 7.8 to 8.5. White limestone rocks or broken coral substrates are used to create this.
The ideal relative water hardness range is 10–15 DH. This will mimic the characteristics of hard limestone seen in Malawi Lake in Africa.
Nitrite and Ammonia
Nitrite ought to always equal 0, and the ideal ammonia level is also 0 ppm. Cichlids that are sensitive to ammonia will noticeably become less active and breathe quickly.
Nitrate
Nitrate levels should always be as low as 0 ppm. Few aquarium plants do not survive in cichlid tanks due to high pH and hardness. The easiest technique to keep nitrates under control is to regularly replace the water.
Substrate
The majority of the large fish kept in tanks with gravel run the risk of swallowing it along with their food. When the gravel gets stuck in the fish’s intestines, it prevents it from passing through waste, which poses a major health danger. Magma Flowerhorn Cichlids should have large tiles, bare bottoms, or substrates made of sand.
Like most cichlids, Magma Flowerhorns enjoy destroying vegetation. However, it is possible to experiment with tougher plants that can be super-glued to nearby rocks. I suggest java ferns, java moss, and anubias species.
Flow
Magma Flowerhorns are hardy fish that can withstand flows of up to moderately high levels, but too much flow can prove to be harmful. When your Flowerhorn is being blown all over the tank, the flow is too strong. To force waste into the filter, many Flowerhorn keepers increase the number of powerheads at the bottom of the tank.
Diet
Although Magma Flowerhorns are not fussy eaters, these fish do need a high-protein diet that is very diversified. These fish won’t have any issues eating dried and frozen foods. Therefore live items are not necessary.
These Flowerhorns need a staple pellet with minerals and vitamins in addition to supplements like sun-dried crickets, grasshoppers, mealworms, anchovies, and frozen shrimp. You can also feed these Flowerhorns worms like white worms, black worms, earthworms, and nightcrawlers.
To avoid excess ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, it’s crucial to feed your Magma Flowerhorn multiple smaller meals throughout the day.
Magma Flowerhorns are normally fed three times a day, much like other Flowerhorns. Depending on the sort of food being fed, different amounts need to be supplied. Generally speaking, when feeding these Flowerhorns, only give these cichlids as much as these fish can consume in 20 to 40 seconds.
Some of the foods I suggest you try for your magma flowerhorn are:
- 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
Tankmates
It is advised to keep these Flowerhorns alone in their homes because of their aggressive behavior and enormous size. It is possible to house them with tank mates, but you must watch them carefully for the first several weeks to make sure these fish get along.
Here are some tankmate recommendations.
- Common Pleco
- Sailfin Pleco
- Tiger Oscar
- Other large Cichlids
- Large Bichirs
- Smaller Arowana species (e.g., Silver)
- A Magma Flowerhorn of the opposite sex
Tank Mates to Avoid
Here are a few species you should not keep with Magma Flowerhorns.
Any Fish Smaller Than 10 Inches
Fish with a calm nature will not survive this Flowerhorn’s aggressive behavior if these fish are smaller than 10 inches. It is advised to only keep them with other giant cichlid species that are as aggressive as them.
Invertebrates
Magma Flowerhorns will devour any snail, crayfish, or shrimp that finds its way into their aquarium. You can keep some marmorkrebs and breed them to use as feeders for your Magma Flowerhorns, but there are no suitable invertebrate mates for these cichlids.
Reasons To Avoid Tankmates
Magma Flowerhorns, like any other Flowerhorn, have been developed specifically for their coloring and playfulness. The contact between you and this Flowerhorn will be significantly reduced if you add tank mates, as will the addition of accessories and toys.
The Flowerhorn won’t interact with you nearly as much if it is already exerting energy interacting with the other fish in the aquarium.
Your Magma Flowerhorn may simply be too aggressive to keep in a tank with other fish. Remember that this Flowerhorn will become upset if it is constantly chasing the other fish away.
This Flowerhorn may become frustrated because it sees them as an intruder into its area and is unable to drive them away.
Equipment Recommendations For Magma Flowerhorns
Here are some equipment recommendations for Magma flowerhorns.
Tank
If you want to keep only one Magma Flowerhorn cichlid, the tank needs to be 125 gallons or 150 gallons if you want to have other cichlids alongside your Flowerhorn fish. These fish have enough space to swim and turn while also allowing their enormous amount of excrement to be diluted.
Filtration
For the big tanks that Magma Flowerhorn fish require, canister filters are the best choice. These cichlids are much more effective at filtering big tanks than smaller filters, including sponge or Hang-on-Back (HOB) filters, Canister filters.
Hydro Professional External Canister Filter can be a great help in this regard.
Lighting
Some fish owners choose specialized LED lighting with programmable colors to display the optimal hues for their fish. When it comes to lighting, Magma Flowerhorns are not picky. Thus any aquarium light can be used.
MingDak LED Aquarium Plant Light is quite useful for the flowerhorn aquarium.
Heater
A heater is required to keep these Flowerhorns healthy. You need a heater to provide them with a temperature of at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Fluval M200 Submersible Heater, 200-Watt Heater for Aquariums is a great option because it is reliable and constant.
Breeding Magma Flowerhorns
Many Magma Flowerhorn owners are interested in trying to breed this wonderful fish. These fish might do this to get a complete experience of these Flowerhorns, out of sheer curiosity regarding their genetic makeup, or possibly out of a desire to make money by selling high-quality Magma Flowerhorns.
Limitations
The majority of Magma Flowerhorns are sterile since these fish are hybrid fish. Although it’s much more likely for males than females to be sterile, it’s extremely difficult to produce a pair of Magma Flowerhorns.
A more popular alternative is to pair your Magma Flowerhorn with a cichlid whose genetic makeup is most likely to be similar to that of your Flowerhorn. You can try breeding for particular patterns or perhaps try creating a brand-new Flowerhorn type!
The Breeding Setup
The main tank for your Magma Flowerhorn should not be used for breeding. During spawning, these flowerhorns frequently exhibit intense aggression toward both their partner and any other potential tank mate.
Additionally, after a few days, these fish must be removed from the tank, and it is faster to put them back in their usual tank(s) than to find a place for a Magma Flowerhorn or two to reside there.
The breeding tank and fry tank are typically the same size and should be 55 gallons or larger. It must be large enough to hold the two fish you choose to breed, as well as the 500–2000 potential fry. In a larger tank, aggression is more likely to be subdued or, at the very least, there will be more room for the smaller fish to escape.
The tank’s bottom should be made of sand or should be mostly bare. If you go with the latter, the male should use a hole he digs in the substrate to deliver the fry there once they hatch. The tank should be heated to between 82 and 85 degrees with several large sponge filters present.
Setting Up A Fry Tank For Magma Flowerhorns
The breeding tank should also double as the tank for rearing fry, so other tanks won’t need to be put up for approximately a month. This is due to the fact that relocating the fry during the first two to four weeks is not advised. New set tanks will be necessary to give each fish enough room as they grow.
With a heated bottom and sponge filtration, each should be set up similarly to the original breeding tank. Only two things should be different between the adult and fry tanks’ layout and water quality.
Determining Gender
Canister filters should be used to filter the adult tank, while sponge filters are required for the fry tanks. Nitrate concentrations in the adult tank and the tank containing the young Magma Flowerhorn should both be less than 40 ppm.
Male Magma Flowerhorn cichlids, but not all, have larger nuchal humps and are typically brighter in color. Additionally, these fish feature a V-shaped vent and square breeding tubes with flat ends.
The dorsal fin of female Magma Flowerhorn cichlids frequently has a black stripe, and these fish may have a very little nuchal hump or none at all. These fish also have a U-shaped and a breeding tube with a triangular shape.
Conditioning Your Magma Flowerhorn
Most Magma Flowerhorn cichlids currently consume a diet rich in protein. In light of this, if the male and female fish are already kept apart, they can be introduced to the spawning tank without conditioning.
If these fish are housed together, they must be separated for a week or two while receiving extra food. The temperature can also be increased by 1-3 degrees Fahrenheit if it doesn’t exceed 85 degrees.
Spawning Magma Flowerhorn Cichlids
Just put the Magma Flowerhorns in the breeding tank so that you can keep an eye on them for hostility and spawning. It is imperative to constantly monitor them due to their aggressive nature and their unusual, intriguing breeding practices.
Despite having mixed DNA, Magma Flowerhorns perform dances for their mates as part of complex ceremonies before spawning. Get ready early because 2000 fry requires an incredible number of cultures and will be dependent on live food for the first month or so of their life.
The Magma Flowerhorn fry will eat young brine shrimp for the first one to two weeks, but these fish need to be fed 4–10 times each day. This will quickly contaminate the tank; therefore, water changes are essential.
Magma Flowerhorns will outgrow the brine shrimp after the first several weeks and should move on to giant daphnia species, scuds, or small shrimp species..
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Train My Flowerhorn?
The “nuchal hump” on the Flower Horn’s head, the pearl spots on its body, the color of its fins and body, and the overall roundness of its body all contribute to its worth.
Place a mirror close to the aquarium to pique the fish’s interest to reduce the size of the hump on their heads. It’s as if it’s facing a different fish when it looks in the mirror, and because this species is territorial by nature, it will try to shoo the mirror image away. The “nuchal hump” on the fish’s head can enlarge, and the fish’s overall color can become more vibrant with this technique.
Why Is The Forehead Of My Fish Small?
There are a few factors at play here. Please check the water’s pH level. Verify the fish’s sex. Another possible explanation is that this particular breed’s strain does not have a large, projecting brow.
Do We Have To Keep The Aquarium Lit Constantly?
No, at night, it is preferable to switch off the lights to improve the environment for the fish to sleep.
Will The Fish Die If It Is Not Fed For Two To Three Days?
Do not be concerned; the fish will survive for a week without food. Don’t put enough food in the tank to last a week. Just make sure the water is of high quality.
Conclusion
Magma Flowerhorns are a very exotic and magnificent breed of flowerhorn cichlids. These cichlids have very distinct features and characteristics. These fish can add a new charm to your fish tank. These fish are also very fun and playful.
We have told you all you need about Magma Flowerhorns. I hope this made you get one!