Flowerhorns, alias Nightmares

by Madhu Soodhanan
of Tamil Nadu, India
Aquarticles

Introduction
Enhancing the beauty of natural specimens, innovation to improve nature, developing beautiful and exotic breeds and strains - these are the words one may hear from a hybrid breeder or a hybrid loving hobbyist. But the truth is that hybridisation is nothing more than HUMAN AGGRESSION TO THE NATURAL WORLD. Many of us know of a lot of hybrids, with so called blood parrots and flowerhorns leading the list. In this article I would like to focus on the flowerhorn cichlid.

The flowerhorn
A demon fish created in Malaysia around 1996-1997 (which may possibly acquire legs and come out of the water one day!), this fish has made a storm in the hobby mostly in Asian countries, and is now spreading to the western world. The marketing and hence the demand for this fish has grown exponentially. Many breeders, distributors and LFS owners today have these creatures as their primary selling product.

The myth
The myth is that the nuchal hump of the flowerhorn resembles the Chinese God of Longevity. It is believed that the black markings on the fish bring luck and prosperity to the owner in accordance to feng-shui.

Generally, Chinese believe in mythical creatures like dragons. In recent times arowanas (belonging to the group Osteoglossidae and otherwise called bonytongues) were believed to bring prosperity as they resembled the mythical dragon. Similarly, the myth of the flowerhorn is that the Chinese God of Prosperity had a hump in his neck and so does the flower horn. It is believed that as the nuchal hump grows so does the bank balance, prosperity and longevity of the owner.

Origin
So far, the exact origin of the fish is unknown except by the ones who created it. But many researchers and experts believe that six cichlasoma-like cichlids were involved in assembling this fish. Cichlasoma trimaculatum (trimac cichlid), Cichlasoma festae (red terror), jingang blood parrot, Amphilophus citrinellum (midas cichlid), Amphilophus labiatum (red devil) and Vieja synspila (redheaded cichlid) are believed to be its parents. There are so many strains and breeds of flowerhorns today that it is nearly impossible even for an expert to identify what species were involved to create such a hybrid. Some flowerhorns are even dyed, and/or hormone induced.

Purpose
EXPONENTIAL GROWTH OF PROFITS for breeders, distributors and LFS owners. A single specimen flowerhorn has reached a price of US$319,790. From this price tag the purpose is quite obvious. No one will be able to sell a trimac, a midas, a red terror or a redheaded cichlid for more than say US$100 or $200. Big gains in the short term is the only purpose behind the creation of this so-called exotic fish. Even today the demand for flowerhorns is high, and a colourful flowerhorn with a big hump will sell for nothing less than $500.

Craze
So why are people crazy about this fish?
The answer lies in one coincidal incident. A person is said to have won a million dollars in a lottery by bidding the number corresponding to the bands in a flowerhorn. This news spread like a fire-storm all over far-east Asia and a lot of people hoped to become millionaires just by owning a fish.

Another reason for the craze for this fish is its beauty. Many flowerhorn breeders claim this to be the most beautiful fish.

It is also very easy to care for. I have seen one housed in a 20 gallon long tank with no problem. The fish grew to a size of around 10" with a big head, even in such a constrained place.

Flowerhorns are most popular amongst amateur hobbyists who seek only colour, beauty and luck in a fish. They are the ones who really don't understand the very ethics of the hobby, or that fishes are more than mere colourful swimming objects.

Catastrophe in the hobby
1. The biggest threat of flowerhorns to the fish-keeping hobby is that it has become very difficult to identify a pure species from a hybrid. Often a dull-coloured flowerhorn is sold as a trimac and a red flowerhorn is sold as a redheaded cichlid. Many LFS sell flowerhorns in sizes of about 1½". At this size some flowerhorns resemble convicts or orange chromides. One hobbyist in my locality mistook this fish for a convict and dropped it into his Central American tank. When this demon fish grew it terminated its tank mates and by the time he realised that it was a flowerhorn it was too late to save its tankmates.

2. The high demand for more strains has led breeders to some cruel practices:
- Round bellied flowerhorns are much sought after, and the spines of these fish are purposely bent using some technology.
- Rich coloured flowerhorns are sought after, and these fishes are dyed.
- A nuchal hump is sought after, and these fishes are constantly stressed by a mirror, very strong lighting and fluorescent gravel.

3. Aquariums are highly constrained environments. So the probability of a hybrid like this one mating with a pure species is very high. If breeding of these toy-fishes continues at such a high rate, then one day we may not see any pure species in the hobby.

4. Since it is a hybrid its characteristics are undeterminable. No one is sure of what these creatures are capable. To my knowledge a flowerhorn is tough enough to take over an oscar and most cichlasomines such as Texas, redheaded cichlids and severums. Also if one goes for tankmates for this fish, the tankmates and hence the hobbyist will be sitting on a ticking time-bomb.

5. Today flowerhorns have found a way to be true breeders, unlike blood parrots. People are breeding different flowerhorns together. For example, let us take FH1 as a flowerhorn developed by crossing a trimac and a red terror, and another flowerhorn FH2 is developed by crossing a trimac with a redheaded cichlid. If FH1 and FH2 breed, the resulting one will be a new kind. A demon giving birth to a demon of a new kind. Just imagine how awful the future of the hobby would be.

6. Flowerhorns attain sexual maturity at around 4" and from then on they will lay around 200 eggs every six months. If the production rate rockets up and fills aquariums, where will the pure species go? Then one day Local Fish Stores will become Local Flowerhorn Stores. In many Asian countries this has already happened.

Nightmare to Nature
The biggest threat that these monstrous creatures possess is to the natural world. This fish is believed to be a feng-shui fish. A bigger hump and good colouration is believed to bring good luck, so obviously the vice-versa is believed. When a flowerhorn loses its hump and/or its colour it is thought to bring bad luck. Thus, many owners just throw flowerhorns into nearby water bodies, and these 'Franken-fishes' (as Dr. Ron Coleman calls them) take over the entire eco-system of that particular watershed. Most flowerhorns are brought up by being fed live fish. When a 10" fish raised on such a diet is introduced into a watershed the result is obvious.

Here is a case study:
There is a small pond called Ammapet pond in my locality (in the state of Tamil Nadu, India) with an area of around 4 sq. kms. Many barbs, mosquito fish, a few Asian native cichlids such as Etroplus maculatus (orange chromide) and Etroplus suratensis, and a rich vegetation of hydra and other water weeds used to call that lake home. Some flowerhorns were released into the pond by a few hobbyists. These flowerhorns grew to around 12" in the wild and bred there. The smaller species including orange chromides were taken as lunch. Green chromides were bullied and massacred by these aggressive creatures. There were no fish to feed on the vegetation and the water level depleted. There were no mosquito fish to feed on mosquito eggs and the pond became a breeding spot for mosquitoes. The entire ecological balance of the pond was ruined by just a handful of flowerhorns.

Stories similar to this have become very common in Malaysia. Almost all watersheds in Malaysia have been infested by this fish, although no instances of this fish entering Malaysian rain forests have been reported yet. But in future if these devils find a way into the forests then highly endangered species like the Asian arowanas (Scleropages formosus) already in CITES Appendix I, and other native fishes will vanish.

Conclusion
Aquariums should be considered to be miniature versions of natural habitats. Even though we are not able to establish perfect ecosystems in our aquariums, we can try to provide environments as close as possible to natural habitats to enjoy their beauty.

- If you buy a flowerhorn for the nuchal hump, take a look at the frontosa (Cyphotilapia frontosa) a Tanganyikan cichlid. When left in small groups in a big enough tank the dominant male develops a hump which no flowerhorn will produce.
- If colour is what you seek in a fish, then take a look at the redheaded cichlid (Cichlasoma synspilum). It's got all the colours of the rainbow.
- If you desire black markings, a trimac (Cichlasoma trimaculatum) has a distinct pattern.
- If you are looking for pearls, consider the Texas cichlid (Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum).

If there are natural specimens that have all the traits one expects in terms of sheer beauty then why go for the man-made stuff? There are 1500+ known species of cichlids in the wild and hundreds with striking beauty and amazing personalities available to the hobby. This availability is rich enough to fit anyone's need. Let us respect Mother Nature. Doing something awful is not difficult but the consequences would have to be faced. As far as we know only one planet holds the key to create, support and cycle a phenomenon called Life. Let us not cheapen it or take it for granted.

So STOP BUYING HYBRIDS, and if you ever come across one never hesitate to kill it. Even if your conscience doesn't allow you to kill it NEVER THROW IT INTO ANY WATERSHED. We as a species have the power to conserve nature's creations but do not have the right to redesign them. So say no to hybrids, hormone induced fishes and genetically redesigned species. Remember, when the buying stops, the production will too.


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319790 dollars for a flowerhorn ... anyone believe this guy? ... lol

Big Dogg beat you to posting it. This article was written some time ago in 2002 I believe. While FHs are gaining acceptance from most moderate cichlid hobbyists, the majority of purists detest the FH. Members should always remember this when posting in a non flowerhorn site.

There are two important things that will help gain greater acceptance if we as a hobby can self-regulate them.

1. Never release any tank raised fish into the wild.

2. Don't sell your homemade hybrid fry without notifying the buyer or store that they are in fact hybrids.

That was promotion from Malaysia in Taiwan for FH. Just to make media take attention. that's all.

This is a bigger threat to wild CA cichlids, as well as people, cattle, pollution, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bK5wg2tZ0U

ok so who wants to go to mexico with me and help clear this problem........ and fatten our pockets all at once?

The flowerhorn is no better or worse than any other introduced species. Even the pleco can cause serious damage given the right ecosystem. Any species entering an ecosystem without the proper population checks and balances will cause destruction hybrid or not.

I agree. and if purists really thought about it how do they think there are so many differnt species of fish? i am suew that alot fo species in the wild had be cross bred, i would be silly to think that all of these species have been around for hundreds of years. obviously there are some that have.. but not all of them ........ I'd still like to caught a bunch of those plecos ... he he he

also look at those big head carp from Asia that got into Mississippi river. They are in Ohio river I think it is and are poised to get into the great lakes. They are building some big underwater electric fence in chicago to try and keep them out, but the experts say if they enter great lakes they will devastate the native fish, and wipe out the salmon population. (which is non native also, but was introduced by man) But the great lakes have big envasive species problems that were introduced from the ballast water in cargo ships. Zebra mussels, some kind of gobies, and sea lampreys are just a few, along with a few species of plants.

I sense alot of hate from the author. What a jerk.
The first few sentence is enough to know that the whole article is worthless.

Not only hybrids but pure species can cause chaos if they're not natives to your continent.

that is very true bro. I live in Michigan and there is a big problem with fish, plants, mollusks being introduced into the great lakes from the ballast water of cargo ships, and it has become a huge problem. An even bigger threat is the asian big head carp that was used by catfish farmers to control algae in there ponds. Some got into the mississippi and are spreading like wildfire!! They even built an underwater electric fence to keep them out of lake michigan. I sure hope it works as they say it will dessimate the salmon population in the great lakes. http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/invasive/asiancarp/

Here is a link to see what kind of invasive species and the problems they cause in the great lakes region. This is a real hot issue around here. The great lakes are a treasure and are very important to the economy around here.
http://www.great-lakes.net/envt/flora-faun...e/invasive.html

lol didn't read my old post sorry guys

And what about theseguys,oscars,jags,mayan,texas,chocolate,keyhole,acaramidas,reddevil,jackdems
eys,and other pure breed fish that are doin damage right now moveing north like a wild fire,and pythons,nile monitors, and white swans,squrrelsgray,and so on they were introduced to the wild poeple are just irrisponsableand it doesn't matter what u have as apet just dont do any damage to the environment i love all fish,pure and hybrid and is up to us to make a deffreance

I know years ago alot of hobbyist released Oscars into ponds in Florida and that is the reason they had to introduce peacock bass into lakes and ponds there. So they would eat the oscars. This is the worst thing any hobbyist could do, and brings a bad name to our great hobby.

so can i release infertile hybrids into the wild hrmm?

they may not reproduce but they might rob the natural fishes of their daily diet

or considering flowerhorn as free infertile food for the bigger wilder fish. I wouldn't mind catching a large mouth bass who has the coloration and the flower marking of a flowerhorn because he's been feeding on flowerhorn throughout his life.

i confess, i purchased the first flowerhorn ever made for $319,790US :)

You never know how the balance of power would shift, the snake head issue is they are not crossing with local fish but eating them. Flowerhorns are powerful and have bawls so who knows what damage they could do.

I doubt flowerhorns would do much damage seeing as how fertility rates are rather low. They might thrown things out of balance for a while but to me they seem like a fish that would not be too much of an issue. Also I think they're on par when small with bass and other local fish in terms of strength and aggressiveness. They won't get out of hand. When they get bigger we'll have no problem fishing all of the out due to their aggressive personalities. Those plecos in that vid are way more of a threat imo.

here look up your states and check this out.

NAS

i was amazed how many are out there in local waters in the US.

This post has been edited by Marcus: Apr 18 2008, 01:49 PM