Will Female Flowerhorn Lay Eggs Without The Male?

female flowerhorn lay eggs without the male

Have you ever had some questionable eggs in your flowerhorn tank when you only have a female flowerhorn to start with? What are these eggs? Can a female flowerhorn really lay eggs without the male?

Like many hybrid fish, female Flowerhorns can also lay eggs without any pre-involvement of the male. A female Flowerhorn lays eggs almost every month with or without the male. The lack (or the presence) of males doesn’t affect the laying process in any way. This is only the tip of the iceberg; you need to know so much more to breed Flowerhorns properly. We have got everything you need, from their breeding behavior to the destiny of eggs to what to do with the eggs, etc.

So waste no time and go through our article to breed some Flowerhorns smoothly!

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Mating Rituals Of Flowerhorn

It is important to take a look at the flowerhorn’s mating rituals and breeding behavior to understand the best possible way to breed flowerhorns.

Breeding Behavior

It is difficult to tell apart which Flowerhorn is a female and which one is a male. This is why it is mainly advised to breed them in pairs of even numbers.

Taking an odd number of fish is risky because one of them can be bullied by others or left lonely. They mostly get to their sexual maturity around the age of 6 to 12 months.

Flowerhorns are generally monogamous. This is one of the reasons why breeding flowerhorns is difficult because if the female flowerhorn is not ready to spawn, there is a high chance of her being bullied to death by the male.

However, this can be avoided by keeping a separating wall between them.

Flowerhorns don’t really have a type of mating ritual or dance but some biting and tail slapping can be observed since it is done by the flowerhorns to see if they are compatible with each other.

They can act very violent toward each other before, during, or after the mating process. They can chase each other and get into fights before they start spawning their offspring together. This is when u mostly get to see which one is the male and which one is the female.

Differentiating Between Male And Female

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 they 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 they 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 they are about to lay eggs. This is the best way to differentiate between them.

Will Female Flowerhorn Lay Eggs Without The Male

Like many hybrid fish, female Flowerhorns can also lay eggs without any pre-involvement of the male. A female Flowerhorn lays eggs almost every month with or without the male. The lack (or the presence) of males doesn’t affect the laying process in any way.

The female will release about 700-1500 eggs in one batch. The male does not do anything to contribute to that. Only after laying the eggs will the male come and fertilize the eggs.

After that, either the female or the male can stay to take care of the eggs.

It is best to have them both around, but if that is not possible, Artificial Hatching can be done. It involves taking the eggs laid by the female Flowerhorns and fertilizing 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.

The Destiny/ Future Of Eggs- With And Without Male

Artificial incubating, which reduces the involvement of the father, results in a smoother breeding process and better results. As flowerhorns have an aggressive nature, it is difficult to keep them in the same tank sometimes. Even the compatible ones start getting aggressive after mating. Here is how the eggs will turn out with and without involving the father in the post-fertilization process.

Without A Male

Not involving the male flowerhorn in the post-fertilization process can the pre-fertilization process can save a lot of your time and energy. There is gonna be no unnecessary aggression and conflict since it is just going to be the mom and the fish. The mom is going to be much less scared, which is going to help her focus on taking care of the eggs more.

 

The male and female flowerhorn can both be pretty aggressive, but because of the male’s size, the female flowerhorn gets bullied more. She also sometimes gets bullied to death if she is not ready to spawn. Keeping the male flowerhorn out of the picture when not needed really saves everyone a lot of trouble.

There is a better chance of getting an abundance of fries as the female will eat less of them due to stress.

With A Male

Male flowerhorns can get very aggressive and territorial and can end up killing the female in the breeding process to display their power and position. They can also get very, very possessive about the eggs and can fight the female for them.

Having both the male and female can be beneficial, too, as they both can take turns fertilizing and hatching the eggs. This ensures a better future for both the parents and the fry.

What To Do With The Eggs – Hatched And Un-Hatched

What should you do with the eggs? And how to know whether the eggs are hatched or not. Find out in this section:

Un-Hatched Eggs

Male flowerhorns will not be that much of a hindrance on our way to dispose of the unhatched egg, but we have to be very careful while dealing with the situation if it is a female present.

Wait for the female flowerhorn to get less and less possessive over the eggs and dispose of the un-hatched eggs and clean the tank immediately.

Hatched Eggs

If you have some and you want to make sure that they live a healthy life and bear offspring, then you need to ensure a good environment for them. Make sure the fish that can harm or, even worse, eat them are kept away from them.

A regular filter could be very powerful for them and could suck them away. I recommend you get a sponge filter that will softly clean the tank without harming any fry. You can switch to your regular filter once they are independent in about a week or so.

We recommend the Hygger Aquarium Double Sponge Filter for that!

A fry’s diet should consist of newly hatched brine shrimp. Fry should be fed 3 to 4 times a day. You can feed them regular flowerhorn food once they arere big and independent enough.

What Can Cause Flowerhorn Eggs To Change Color?

Males not being involved are not the only cause for eggs to die. Here are some other reasons for flowerhorn eggs to change their color to white.

Mistaking Two Females For A Mating Pair Of Flowerhorns

Like any other hybrid, female flowerhorns can also lay infertile eggs with or without male involvement.

Because female and male flowerhorn are difficult to tell apart, you might just not have one in your tank.

And therefore, without a male flowerhorn to fertilize the eggs, they will turn white and die and grow fungus on them.

Male Infertility

Like many hybrids, flowerhorns can also be born very infertile. It is not impossible to find a fertile male flowerhorn, but there is a chance of the male being infertile.

And sadly, you cannot do much to save the eggs if that is the case.

Your only other option is to get the eggs fertilized by artificial incubation.

Fungal Infections

Fungi can find their way smoothly among your flowerhorn eggs, turning them white.

Eggs dying off unfertilized can trigger fungal infections.

Fungi can also get inside your incubator tank while transferring from the flowerhorn breeding tank.

You can use these medications:

API Melafix Fish Remedy for Bacterial Infection in Freshwater Aquarium

API PIMAFIX Antifungal Freshwater and Saltwater Fish Remedy

Methylene Blue

Poor Water Conditions

The eggs still need an aquarium that meets good and ideal water parameters that any adult flowerhorn would require to survive regardless of the eggs not being live fish or fry.

Dirty water and poor water conditions can destroy a breeding cycle’s worth of flowerhorn eggs in a night.

Transfer-related Casualties

Flowerhorn that are kept out of water for too long in between transfers between tanks will dry the fish out without you even noticing. Flowerhorns can die easily like this.

Should You Get Them A Male Partner?

It is generally advised that you breed flowerhorns in pairs since the beginning of their sexual maturity. Pairing them up in adulthood is a lot more difficult. The chances of bullying their new partner and not accepting them are high.

Some Flowerhorns are okay with having a new partner, and some will show you clearly that they don’t need any man in their life (by killing them or, even worse, eating them).

It is a bit tricky to decide whether they should get a partner. Flowerhorns are very okay with solitude and do not really feel lonely. But then we cannot just generalize all flowerhorns are introverts now, can we?

If they have already been used to having a partner, then it obviously might be a little sad for them.

Nevertheless, you shall never know until you introduce your single or “newly single” flowerhorn to a new partner. Some will get along with each other, some will absolutely despise each other, and some might just not care. Who knows? Getting them a partner is not a necessity unless you feel like it.

FAQ

Is Flowerhorns Monogamous?

Many flowerhorns have proven to be monogamous. A lot of flowerhorns will not mate or even tolerate another flowerhorn that is not their partner.

Is Male Flowerhorns More Aggressive Than Female Flowerhorns?

No, they are just bigger in size, which gives them the advantage over female flowerhorns. They are not more aggressive but more powerful and can hurt the females easily.

Is Most Male Flowerhorns Sterile?

Most male flowerhorns are sterile. Finding a male flowerhorn that can reproduce is so time-consuming. Fish keepers have to wait for around 8-10 months for the male flowerhorn to reach its sexual maturity to pair it with females and test their fertility.

Conclusion

There are many ways to breed flowerhorns, with or without male involvement. They all come with their pros and cons. It is up to you to decide which path you want to take on this journey of breeding and exploring flowerhorns. We have provided you with all the important information related to the difficulties you can face while breeding flowerhorns and the ways you can overcome them. I hope you make the choice that is the fittest for you. Good luck!

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