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FAQs on the Flowerhorn Cichlid Foods/Feeding/Nutrition

Related Articles: Flowerhorn Cichlids, Cichlid Fishes,

Flowerhorn diet, maintenance, need for research
dear sir/madam
i am Denver from Bangalore India i have a 146L tank i have two pearl FH i had separated theme for the first two days in my tank but then i removed the division for a little while they were lip locked i would like to know if that is a sign of mating could you please reply and tell me all the mating rituals of FH as i am new to this hobby and am very interested in breeding FH the two of them aren't fighting now they are getting along with each other and swimming together i do not see any eggs as i don't know how the eggs look or where the female would have laid them}. is it healthy to feed them feeder goldfish i give them about five to six fish each a day. the male and female both do not have any lump on their head but the owner who i bought it from said that they were male and female how do i tell the difference. could u please write and tell me everything you know about FH if you don't mind.
thanking you, Denver drooge
<Hello. For a start, 146 litres is too small for these fish! The chances are they are fighting. If they persist in fighting, you will likely end up with at least one dead fish. While you might be able to keep a single specimen alive in 146 litres if you have good filtration and do LOTS of water changes, really these are BIG fish that need BIG tanks. Do see here:
http://208.112.95.51/FWSubWebIndex/flowerhorns.htm
Mouth-pulling is how cichlids fight. It isn't "kissing". It's a trial of strength. Sometimes potential mates do this, but so will fish getting really mad at each other! NO, feeder goldfish are NOT SAFE. Each goldfish is a chance of giving your cichlid an infection. Moreover, goldfish contain too much fat/thiaminase, so long term, you will have sick cichlids. These are basically hybrid Central American cichlids, so you need a diet that comprises insect larvae, small crustaceans, and a certain amount of plant material. I am not going to write back everything I know about Flowerhorn cichlids! That information is here at WWM. Use the search tool or follow the links. And next time, please remember to use capital letters where they're necessary! Cheers, Neale.>

Diet for my small Flowerhorns
Feeding Flowerhorns 1/3/08
What and which fish foods I should feed to my small Flowerhorns?
<Free swimming fry can start out eating baby brine shrimp or micro worms. As they get a little older you can add finely crushed flake food to their diet.>
Should I feed them with shrimps or feeder fishes?
< Feeder fish are never a good idea. They always have the potential to carry disease into the tank and make the main fish sick..
How should I treat the feeder fishes before feeding them?
< If you must use feeder fish then you need to quarantine them for a couple of weeks and treat them for any diseases. Its just like adding any new fish to an established aquarium. They fish will be relatively disease free and be healthier because you have fed them well for that quarantine period.-Chuck>
Please help me. Thanks in advance.......

Re: Flowerhorn Questions, Fdg, cleaning feeder goldfish... not likely 3/6/07
Hi Crew/Chuck, Your replies are awesome. Thanks a lot buddy. I have few more doubts, I promise to keep them short.
1)What are the treatments that I should give to feeder fish( I feed feeder fish only once in a week ( I give them salt bath to remove parasites and keep them in a bowl and add tetracycline) then feed them to my FH the next day is this enough?
< A salt bath is helpful to remove some parasites like flukes and worms, but ich on an infected fish is under the skin where the salt will not be able to reach it. Some bacterial parasites will be affected by the tetracycline, but this medication is really only effective in soft water unless it is heavily overdosed. To be safe they should be held for two weeks, treated with Clout and Nitrofurazone. They should also be fed a nutritious food.>
2)I feed High red/ Humpy Head pellets they are costly and I believe imported is this ok?
< Don't know anything about these pellets.>
3)My tank gets direct sunlight in the early morning say for 2hrs and then for few hours it gets sunlight which is reflected from the flooring is this ok and I have algae problem. My tank walls grow green in color is this dangerous to my FH? Please advice.
Thanking you, Arun
<Algae is not a health problem for your Flowerhorn.-Chuck.>

Growing A Hump On A Flowerhorn 3/6/07
Hi Guys, This is Ramanan. Pls find the attachment of my FH. I hope it is a male b'cos of its colour. Pls help me in growing his hump. I am feeding him with XO HUMPY HEAD, E-SHRIMPS and XO STARRY. Regards Ramanan
< The hump on your male Flowerhorn will increase as he ages. This is a fat storage device. I am not familiar with the food items you are currently feeding him.-Chuck>

Flowerhorn Not Eating - 12/12/06
Hello, I'm Aatif from Karachi, I brought this 4'' Flowerhorn some 2 months back. She used to eat fine in the beginning, but now she's not accepting any kind of food, but actually spitting food (I've tried Breadworms, Bloodworms, Flakes) she liked to eat the bloodworms in the beginning but now she eats nothing.
Apparently, she seems fine, her color is intact, fins are erect & she's swimming fine. I've observed this white mucous feces so I did some research on the internet and found that it was supposed to be Hexamita, I 've been treating the tank with Metro for the last 5 days, but I don't see any improvements....
Some inferred the spitting to gill flukes, but I don't see typical Fluke symptoms...I'll be glad if you can provide me with a solution. Many Thanks !
< I think you awe on the right track with the Metronidazole. Do not feed the fish while medicating. Keep the water very clean. Metronidazole gets absorbed by organics in the water. Keep the tank dark. Light may break it down. I would recommend treating with Nitrofuranace at the same time in case the problem is bacterial. When the fish acts hungry and begs for food he is on his way to recovery. Some aquarists have reported positive results with Clout too.-Chuck>

Salt in FW systems, feeding FHs, worms that are larval coleopterans   9/15/06
Hi, it's me. Again.
<<Well, hello again, Cecille.>>
Thanks for the fast response. And, yeah that will surely help.
<<Glad to hear it.>>
But, I just have another question. I've been browsing quite a lot in the net about aquarium maintenance and such and some suggests to use salt. I have this 15 gallon tank. How much salt should I put in it? And, what good would that give, actually?
<<Good question, Cecille. What you've read probably suggests one tablespoon of salt per five gallons of water. In your case, I would suggest a total solution of 2 1/2 tablespoons per volume of tank water. If, for example, you remove three gallons of water for a water change, dissolve 2 1/2 tablespoons of salt in the new water to achieve the 'recommended' solution rate. Obviously, you'll have to do some calculations for subsequent water changes to maintain this ratio properly. To be safe, err on the side of adding less salt than more during your water changes. (Remember that salt will not evaporate with water, which means that any evaporation that takes place effectively increases the amount of salt per unit volume.) As to the 'good' of adding salt, you'll find this debated among reliable sources. Most freshwater pathogens don't tolerate salt well and salt helps to keep these under control. It doesn't eradicate them but provides them with less than desiraable breeding conditions which keeps them at levels that the fish's own immune system can deal with. (Costia is an example.) Salt has also been cited as increasing a fish's ability to uptake oxygen from the water. This is true, particularly in the presence of nitrites in the water. Nitrites deprive the hemoglobin in the blood of oxygen and the sodium ions in salt (NaCl) combine with nitrite to become sodium nitrite which increases blood flow and provides oxygen to the oxygen-depleted areas of the body. Finally, salt increases the specific gravity of the water. In the event of physical trauma (injury) or, the like, swelling is caused by fluid build-up in the affected area. This fluid (low specific gravity) in injured area is released, via osmosis, to the surrounding water (higher specific gravity) relieving the swelling and increasing beneficial blood flow to the injury promoting healing. Now, is all of this enough to convince you to add salt to your tank? Possibly. Live plants are adversely affected by salt but, since Cichlids typically don't have these in their tanks, you might be inclined to give it a try.>>
Okay, I have just another one more:
I've been feeding my FH pellets for a few months now and a few brine shrimps whenever I could find them. But, the shrimps are really quite rare and a bit pricey, too.
<<Your Flowerhorn definitely needs a varied diet. Good for you for adding the Brine Shrimp to its diet but I understand about price and availability. Just keep in mind that too monotonous of a diet can lead to problems no matter how high quality the food might be.>>
A few days ago, my friend gave me a couple of worms.
<<I tried that with my wife but she insisted on jewelry. :)>>
Super worms, he said. Are those good food?
<<They're beetle larvae, as you probably know. The exoskeletons of the 'Super Worm' (Zophobas morio) are reportedly more easily digested than typical mealworms and they grow larger. Beyond this, I have no specific knowledge of the food value involved.>>
I haven't tried  feeding those to my fishes. He said it will enhance the "characters" in the fish's body. Is that true?
<<I find that a debatable issue, Cecille. In my opinion, it sounds like "hype" though, again, I couldn't verify this for you, one way or the other.>>
And, what do I do with them once they turn into beetles?
<<If you plan on breeding them for more "worms", hang on to them. I've run across several sites that describe how to breed these. A simple 'Google' search will lead you in the right direction.>>
Thanks in advance again.
Cecille,
<<Any time, Cecille. Glad to help. Tom>>

Flowerhorn feeding 8/18/06
Hello again.
<<Hello, Jesse. Tom with you this time.>>
I have another problem with my Flowerhorn....SHE IS NOT EATING FOR ALMOST 5 DAYS!!! What will I do? And I saw white, thin worms swimming in my aquarium. What's that?
<<The worms (flatworms, actually) are called Planaria. Harmless to your fish but indicate a problem, usually a surplus of uneaten food in your substrate/gravel. In turn, this could indicate poor water conditions, which might be leading to your Flowerhorn's "hunger strike".>>
Is that the reason why my Flowerhorn is not eating?
<<The Planaria aren't, no, but they could be an indication as to why it's not eating. Give the bottom of the tank a thorough cleaning with a gravel vacuum. In fact, I'd recommend 10%-15% water changes (along with vacuuming the gravel) over the next two, or three, days. Vacuum deeply, Jesse, all the way to the bottom of the tank. Don't try to do this all at once because it will stress your Flowerhorn. Better to do smaller changes more frequently. Also, do this after you feed your pet. This way, food that it isn't eating will be cleaned up. I think that with a good cleaning, leading to better water conditions, your Flowerhorn will start to get its appetite back. By the way, don't worry that your fish will starve. Fish can go for days, even weeks, without eating. We don't like to see this, of course, but I'm letting you know so that you don't worry unnecessarily.>>
Please help me...
Thanks again!!!
<<Glad to help, Jesse. Good luck. Tom>>

Flower Horn Fish not eating 8/8/06
Hello Crew, Jessica from Singapore here. I am 13 years old. I have a Flower Horn Fish and it's been with me for around four years already. For the past four or five days, my fish hasn't been eating. I feed it with pellets and not any other food. Both my sisters had Flower Horn Fish too. And both of their fish died because their stomach were bloated. But before that, their fish didn't eat too. So, I am afraid that my fish would end up like theirs. So, I really look forward to your reply. Thank You.
<Mmm, when/where in doubt, do water changes. Do you have water quality test kits? Is your nitrate elevated? I would immediately vacuum about 25% of the water out while vacuuming the gravel... Next, I would try a bit of live food... Earth or other large worms or suitably large (mouth-size) insect larvae... Do read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/flowerhornfdgfaq.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Flowerhorn Doesn't Eat 8/6/06
Hi to all crews of WWM!!
I had again a question about my Flowerhorn. I'm just a beginner so I am very curious about the behavior of the Flowerhorn. Last Tuesday I bought a baby Flowerhorn food, this are small pellets with krill, I think my Flowerhorn likes it. But yesterday, until know she doesn't eat it anymore. Please can you help me. I hope you will reply soon! God bless....
< Usually beginners over feed their fish. Wait a few days and then try again. Feed him once a day and then only enough food so that all of it is gone in a couple of minutes.-Chuck>

Flowerhorn Won't Eat II 8/6/06
Hi again to all crews of WWM!
I have a few questions about the behavior of a Flowerhorn, because I'm just a new owner of this kind of fish. Can you give me a list. Also, I have a problem about my Flowerhorn, last Tuesday I bought a Flowerhorn small pellets food it contains krill. She wants it so much. But yesterday, I notice that when I give it to her, she ignored it and didn't eat it. Can you help me about this, what other food can i give to my Flowerhorn?? I hope you reply soon, thanks and GOD BLESS!!!
< Flowerhorns are not too fussy when it comes to being fed. They will accept almost any kind of food. A varied diet is good so mix up different kinds of flake, pellets, frozen and live foods will be great accepted.-Chuck>

Flower Horn Not Eating From 3 Months! 7/22/06
Hi ! This is Avinash Jaiswal from India. I have a Flowerhorn about 1 feet. From 3 months he has stopped eating, he loves to eat fresh prawn but at this times he never turns back to see those prawns and his colour has also became dull and the size of his head has also decreased.
<A bad sign of starvation...>
Please help me this is not the first time I'm facing this problem 2-3 times this problem has occurred. I'm getting scare if something happens to him, he is my first Flowerhorn. Please reply soon I'll wait for your reply.
<Just guessing here, but this sounds like a part of one of the prawns exoskeletons has become lodged in this fish's "stomach"... You might have some luck in trying to pass this with the addition of Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate) at the rate of one level teaspoon per five gallons of water... Surgery to extract this mass might even be suggest-able... with the use of an anesthetic, reaching into the buccal cavity with blunt forceps. Bob Fenner>

Re: Flowerhorn Not Eating For 3 Months 7/24/06
As you have mentioned that the exoskeletons have in his stomach. Before feeding him prawns, I clean those prawns and remove their hard shells and I feed him only their soft flesh in which their seems to be no bones besides these I am feeding him OCEAN FREE's FLOWERHORN KING Pellets & BRINE SHRIMP.
<Ahh, I see... it isn't the prawn skeletons then... These other foods should be fine, provide complete nutrition, though I would try an occasional earthworm or equivalent here. Bob Fenner>

Flowerhorn help
Hi
I've been addict in Flowerhorn fish since 2000 when I saw the flower horn in my friend the color is saw great and the hump is so big my question is what kind of natural food or live food will I feed to my flower horn in order to gain a giant and wonderful nuchal hump?
<Try fresh washed earthworms. The hump is a storage unit for fat. >
my fish don't like to eat a pellets of feeds like grandsumo. What diet will I Apply?
< Try spectrum pellets. They are a high quality food that will bring out the color as well as encourage their growth of the hump. Fish seem to like these pellets long after they get tired of other types of pellets.-Chuck>
My Flower horn is about 3-4 Months old
Thank you and hope for your apply soon

Flowerhorn questions from India
Hi,
my name is Rohan, I am an aquarist from India. I have mailed a few times and have been fortunate enough to
receive quick and very good responses from you to which I am very grateful and thank you.
I have a pair of Flowerhorns. I have a few enquires to ask you, concerning the about two.
1) When do I know that the Flowerhorns are ready to breed?
< The male and female will be flaring at one another, their tubes from the anal region will become more prominent and they will have cleaned an area to lay their eggs.>
2) Whats the average size of the male & female when they are ready to breed?
< They can breed as small as 4 inches.>
3) I have noticed that my female FH changes her body colour often (from pale to dark green), is this a cause for concern?
< Flowerhorns are an artificial man-made fish. Their colors are a reflection of their mood, food and genetics.>
4) when going out for the week end how much should the fish be fed.
< None. I never feed my fish while I am out of town for a week or less. Fish are cold blooded so I lower the water temp. to 75 degrees to cool them down and lower their metabolism so they won't be as hungry and will not breed or tear each other up while I am gone.>
and lastly,
5) I read in a website (not yours) that you can underfeed the FH not over feed is it true?
< You can always overfeed or underfeed your fish. I feed only enough food so that all of it is consumed in a few minutes once a day. Over feeding creates internal bacterial problems like bloat and dropsy. If you check out our website often then you have seen these emails with people who have fish like Oscars that are bloated and lethargic. These people thought that they could not over feed their Oscar.-Chuck>
Hoping to get a reply soon.
Thanking you,
Rohan

Flowerhorn Diet 9/21/05
Thank you for your reply. Now I am having a different problem. I even think it is worse than the Flowerhorn not eating pellets. Now it is not eating at all. It doesn't look sick, but sometimes I find it only in a corner of the aquarium but most of the time it is swimming around. Another question. is it ok to feed the Flowerhorn pig's fat?
< If your Flowerhorn won't eat then you need to feed him once a day. Try premoistened pellets soaked in vitamins. Place the pellets in the tank and then remove them after two minutes. Do this only once each day. If he is still not eating after a few days he may have an internal bacterial infection that will require a treatment of Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace. Do a 30% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Heat the tank up to 80 F. Feed a high quality pelleted fish designed for your fish and skip the pig's fat unless you want your Flowerhorn to bloat up like a balloon and die.-Chuck>

Re: Asking advice about my FHorn
Dear Sir, I have some question to ask you. The effect of Tetracycline and Nitrofuranace is the same or not?
< While they are both antibiotics, there effectiveness is different depending on the water conditions and the bacteria type you are trying to control.>
How long do I need to keep in my tank?
< Depending on how far along the disease has persisted maybe up to a week if the water is good.>
Do I need to let him in the pure water for 3 days before starting medication with the chemical water you recommended as he is not still in anti-fungus water yet as I'm a bit worried for whether he still has resistance for these treatment or not?
<No, Clean the tank as recommended and then treat the tank right away. Don't worry about the other medication.>
Can they effect the coloration of my baby fish?
<Flowerhorns are a variable fish as far as color goes. Bacteria may leave scar tissue that will be dark and may never color up like unaffected areas of the fish.>
How many amount shall I use?
< Follow the directions on the package. Look at the expiration date of the medication and make sure it is still valid.>
Nitrofuranace is the same as nitrofuration or not? Is it a kind of Nitrate?
< Nitrofuranace is an antibiotic and nitrification is the process that breaks down fish waste like ammonia to a less toxic nitrite and finally to an even less toxic nitrate. There are no nitrates in Nitrofuranace.>
I also feed my FHorn very special dry food, not raw food but the hole in his head also appeared. Thank you so much for your advice. Thanks a million, sir. I really and truly appreciate your very genius advice. I hope my baby fish will be fine soon.
< These specialty foods are to enhance the color of your fish and not to provide any optimum nutrients and minerals. Clean water and a varied diet will help.-Chuck>

Flowerhorn Problems, Playing the Guilt Card?
I kindly request your help. Unless you help, my fish will be suffering this disease very disappointedly for such a long time. The fish that I have is Flower Horn, Red Texas. It's baby fish but the scales have just growing during these day. The first time I'm aware of these black spots on the skin of my fish is when I lighted the fluorescent lamp. It seemed to be small black surface when they unite each other. With the ordinary light, we can't see them. They all seemed to be formed under the skin. So I think it's a kind of fungus inside the body.
So, I put some anti-fungus capsule and some salt. As soon as I put some powder from the capsule, the water is turning green gradually. But, it seemed to me that the fungus are not faded away till 5 days after I use these capsule. Then, the fin of the fish become close and doesn't seem to work very well like before I put them into my tank. Almost all the time, he seemed to get itchy skin and he always rub his body with the undersurface of the tank very harshly. Starting from this time on, he can't even swim as much as he can and always stay calmly and quietly in one place for a very long time.
So, could you please answer my question?
< Sure>
What kind of fungus did he have?
< I don't think he had a fungus but a bacterial infection instead. Fungus usually only attack dead or dying tissue. Bacteria may have initially attacked the fish and the fungus turned out to be a secondary infection.>
What kind of treatment shall I take? If you know some way of curing this or some effective anti-fungus medicine, would you please let me know?
< Once again I think it is bacterial. I would change 30% of the water and vacuum the gravel. then clean the filter. Once the tank is clean I would treat it with Nitrofuranace as per the directions on the package.>
Is it a kind of fungus and how long it will take to completely recover from this suffering?
< Recovery always depends on how quickly the fish is treated. Usually I think you should see some improvement in three days or you have the wrong medication.>
Why has his fin been becoming close and close day by day?
< As the infection spreads along the skin the fish tries to reduce its surface area to the bacteria.>
I would be glad if I got your very detail answer. I'm looking forward to hearing from you in a near future. Can he died of fungus disease? Thank you so much.
< Absolutely. The bacteria will attack the gills and suffocate the fish.-Chuck>

Feeding flower horn (non-native writer) 11/20/05
Hi WWM crew. An excellent site for aquarists. I have a question. I have a flower horn that has been not eating. It has been over a month. I fed it on chicken liver.
<Mmm, I would not do this>
I performed a 25% water change but no luck. It does not appear to be affected by any disease. What do I do? and will the chicken liver help in the development of the hump and the colour or should I feed it on chicken heart or mutton heart/liver? Any advice will greatly be appreciated.
Thank you
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/flowerhorns.htm and the linked FAQs file... and on to cichlid feeding... Bob Fenner>
<<And feed ME the chicken livers.. yum! Marina>>

Flowerhorn Not Eating 10/31/05
I recently bought a young Red Dragon Flowerhorn probably around 2 inches in length. I noticed that it is not eating the pellets that I'm putting into the fish tank. I'm using a 10 gallon fish aquarium. Please help as I'm afraid that the FH's failure to eat properly may cause it to stop growing. Thanks!
< Keep the water temp up around 80 F. fed once a day. Place the food in the tank for only two minutes once each day. Remove all uneaten food after two minutes with a siphon. Repeat the next day. After a couple of days you should be see some feeding while the food is in the tank. If not then there may be an internal bacterial infection blocking the intestine and you will need to treat with Metronidazole.-Chuck>

Flowerhorn Doesn't Eat Much 11/28/05
Hi crew. I want to first thank you for your quick replies to my questions. The replies have helped me a lot. Now here is my question. My Flowerhorn has low appetite. It is not affected with any disease. What do I do?
< Increase the water temp to 80 to 82 F. Offer the food once each day for two minutes. If it is not gone then remove the uneaten food. If the fish doesn't eat after three days then it probably has an internal bacterial infection and needs to be treated with a combination of Nitrofurazone and Metronidazole.>
My smaller Flowerhorn has good shape and coloration but has no head. Even the special FLOWERHORN foods have not helped much. Will feeding it on shrimp meat help in the enlargement of hump?
<The large hump on the forehead of Flowerhorns is a fat storage device. It is usually larger in males but I guess some females could have it too. The difference between the two could just be heredity.-Chuck>

Request advice as My Flowerhorn is not eating, NNS- 2/28/2006
Dear WWM Crew,
<Hello there>
Greeting to you from Bangalore, India. I bought a Flowerhorn ? FEMALE almost 6 months back age being probably 2 to 3 years old. It was very active and used
to play with us the moment we went near the tank and would go after the live fish and eat them instantly. Later almost 45 days back I cleaned the tank
<Not all the water I hope/trust. Best to retain a good 75% or so and replace this if you have occasion to dump the whole system>
and filled in fresh water and later observed it was not active and was hiding behind the filter most of the time and used to ignore the live guppies or small gold fishes.
Then on keen observation I saw hordes of white minute dot like insects all over the tank. I put a locally available Mr. White medicine around 25
drops. The next day they were all over the tank like a white sheet. I separated the flower horn gave a potassium permanganate dip as advised by my dealer,
<Yikes... a strong oxidizer. So dangerous that it's rarely sold for American aquarist use>
cleaned the tank thoroughly and reintroduced the flower horn and put tetracycline 500 mg in the tank, She seemed to get better but it is almost 2
week now her appetite has not improved does not feed on live fish eats only the regular fish food that too only after 2-4 hrs.
Kindly advice. I do not want HER to die. I also observed that of late She keeps jumping in the tank throwing most of the water outside.
Kindly advice.
Regards.
G. KRISHNAKUMAR.
<Very likely all you need to do is actually stop treating this fish. Leave off with medicines, add activated carbon to the filter and in a few days it will likely return to feeding. Bob Fenner>

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