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Common Beliefs
Physical Features and Related Superstitions

Hump on its forehead - Similar to the forehead of the Chinese God of Longevity. The high forehead of a Flowerhorn also symbolizes a cool, calm and stable mountain. Therefore a fully developed hump on the Flowerhorn's head would bring its owner prosperity, luck and longevity.

Black markings on the fish's body - Otherwise known as "hua" (the Chinese word for "flower"), they sometimes resemble Chinese characters. It is rumoured that the 2003 craze all sparked off when someone claimed to have made it rich after getting his lottery numbers from the black markings on the fish's body.

Red eyes - According to the Malaysian-Chinese tradition, its red eyes are believed to ward off evil. This caused many superstitious people to buy them and breed them at home to protect themselves against 'evil spirits'.

Other Flowerhorn related Superstitions

Some people put marbles in the fish tank, where on each of the marbles is printed a certain number. Due to its playful nature, the Flowerhorn would some times pick up those marbles with its teeth, and it is believed that the numbers that the Flowerhorn picks are very likely to be the numbers on the winning lottery ticket. It is also interesting to note that in the aquarium shops, the prices of the Flowerhorns are usually priced with many "8's in it, like $8888, because the Chinese believe that the number "8" when read aloud in Chinese sounds like the word "prosper", and therefore the number "8" is said to symbolize fortune and prosperity.

Many people were attracted to buying these fish because of these superstitions and the supposed good luck it is said to bring. The Flowerhorn has also been claimed by many "Feng Shui" masters and enthusiasts as the upcoming Feng Shui fish for period 8 (2004-2024) because of its amazing results of creating much fortune luck to owners through Singapore and whole of Southeast Asia area. The next section will touch briefly on what exactly "Feng Shui" is and the role of fishes and aquatic animals including the Flowerhorn in this concept.

Feng Shui, Fish and the Flowerhorn


Because of the its success on bringing good luck and prosperity to its owners, the Flowerhorn fish was declared by certain Feng Shui experts and enthusiasts as the Feng Shui fish of the period eight, i.e from the year 2004 to 2024. In the concept of Feng Shui, different species of fish are believed to attract or draw good or bad energy. For example, black goldfish are sometimes kept in homes, as it is believed that it is able to absorb bad energy, and should it happen to die, it means that it has absorbed the bad luck that otherwise would take up residence in the home. Similarly, the Flowerhorn is said to be able to draw and attract good energy from the environment. The rumour of the Flowerhorn being a Feng Shui Fish was a direct cause of popularity of the fish.

The Craze

The Flowerhorn Craze in 2003 was a very interesting event, for it is rare that so much excitement can be stirred up by a single fish, and even rarer, stirred up by a "longkang" (the Hokkien word for "drain") fish! Right now in 2005, when we look back, the whole incident was really very funny and ironic, and reflects the weird mentality of Singaporeans. This section covers some information on the craze itself, the causes, its direct social and economical impact as well as the lessons we as Singaporeans have drawn from that incident.

Causes

As we have explained in other sections, there are many superstitions related to the Flowerhorn Fish, and all of them were part of the causes of the craze. The fish is also attractive and cute to a certain extent, as well as easy to breed. However, all of these were unnoticed and unknown as the fish continued to live in the drains. What then, suddenly drew so much attention to the fish, and transformed the drain dweller into a thousand dollar fish overnight? It is rumoured that the craze was sparked off when someone claimed to have gotten its lottery numbers from the black markings on the fish's body. When this was published in the news, not every well-educated Singaporean believed that the claim was true, and lottery-number providing fish actually existed - even if the person really got his numbers from the fish, it was merely a coincidence. This however drew a lot more attention to the fish, and within days, the attractiveness of the fish's physical features and superstitions suddenly became known to the whole island.
Superstitions

As mentioned in the earlier sections, there were many myths and superstitions regarding the fish and its different physical features. This caused many superstitious people to rush to buy this fish, believing that it could really bring them success and prosperity in their businesses, as well as protection in their homes. People who believed in Feng Shui were also attracted by the Feng Shui Fish identity of the Flowerhorn.
Appearance



Not everyone believed the myths and supernatural ability of the Flowerhorn to bring good luck, but the Flowerhorn also served quite well as an ornamental fish, and its peculiar hump on its forehead was regarded as unique and cute to a certain extent. Even if the superstitions might not be true, it is still pretty nice to have it in your office as a decoration, to soothe your eyes after a completing a heavy load of work on the computer, isnt it?
Character

The Flowerhorn fish is also a very active fish, and despite its aggressiveness, it can also forge strong bonds with its owner. Playing with the fish provided a source of recreation to old people and children, it was regarded as fun to put your fingers on the sides of the tank and watch the fish swim towards it, and also watch the Flowerhorn as it eats up the small fish or insects thrown into its tank. The Flowerhorn thus also served as a very good pet and companion.
"Follow the crowd" mentality of Singaporeans

Our group feels that this is one of the greatest causes of the 2003 Flowerhorn Craze. Like little children, when someone buys a Flowerhorn, and shows it off to everyone he knows, since the Flowerhorn is after all quite a costly fish and a good reflection of the owner's economic status, everyone decides to buy one too, to prevent themselves from feeling left out. After watching experienced breeders show off their high quality fish on TV, everyone regarded rearing a Flowerhorn as the "in" thing and followed suit too. Before the Flowerhorn craze, there was also a similar incident, though not as big and sudden as the Flowerhorn craze, over the Arowana fish, a fish with dragon like whiskers. That incident, among other similar ones, showed how susceptible Singaporens are to the latest trends and fashions. We feel that if this mentality of Singaporeans did not exist, people would not feel so compelled to buy a Flowerhorn despite its costly price.

Details of the Craze


High demand for Flowerhorn fish

With all the different superstitions related to the fish and other causes, there was a high demand for the Flowerhorn fish, and the price of the fish shot up tremendously. From a fish that can be sighted rarely in the drains of Asia, it turned into a fish that could fetch up to thousands in an aquarium shop. The Flowerhorn fish could be seen everywhere, from offices to homes to shopping malls.

Impact on the Fish rearing trade



The fish was a savior to the fish rearing trade, for fish rearing was not a very popular hobby during that time, especially after the economic slumps. When the popularity of the Flowerhorn suddenly boomed, the fish trade suddenly became very lively. Everyone flocked to the nearest aquarium shop to buy a Flowerhorn, or other small fish as altertives to the high priced Flowerhorn.
Sudden emergence of aquarium shops

The Flowerhorn Craze involved the sudden sprouting of aquarium shops island-wide. A pair of Flowerhorn produces around 200 fry every six months, and with proper caring techniques, each of these fish will survive through adulthood and fetch up to hundreds, or the higher quality ones up to thousands or even tens of thousands. People soon began to see the easy profits they could make from it, and seeing how easily money can come, who wouldn't seize the chance? Aquarium shops thus suddenly emerged out of nowhere throughout the island, like an epidemic, all providing various breeds of Flowerhorn priced at various prices, with the small ones costing around 5-15 dollars a fish, and the big ones usually priced at thousands. A lot of these shops closed down as quickly and suddenly as they appeared, when the Flowerhorn craze was experiencing its last moments in the later part of 2003.
Fish rearing competitions

Some interesting events that were held during the craze were the many Flowerhorn breeding competitions, where breeders take their best prized fish and compete with other breeders for a trophy and prize. There were also many exhibitions in various shopping malls of the Flowerhorn candidates of the competition. Flowerhorn rearing became like a sport during that time.

End of the craze, late 2003

The craze finally ended in the later part of 2003, as with the emergence of many aquarium shops, the production rate soon exceeded the demand for the fish, and the price of the fish began to drop. Almost everyone had already owned a Flowerhorn in their homes, and therefore fewer people began to source for these fish in aquarium shops. Also, people began to see the irony of the whole situation, and decided that it was pointless in continuing to go after this trend. The demand for the fish dropped sharply together with the price of the fish, and now, even the Qian Hu Fish Farm, the biggest aquarium store in Singapore, which was once filled with many varieties of Flowerhorn, is now selling only one or two.




Copyright 2005 the flowerhorn fish thinquest