Kentaaa
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hello everyone!
As the title suggests, I am interested in starting a Flowerhorn tank in my office. I was going to setup a reef tank, but decided that for my office freshwater would probably be best. There were a few questions I had that I could not find a straight answer to on the internet.
I am thinking of starting with a 55-70 gallon tank. I know they can grow very large and should be housed in a larger tank but I will be purchasing a juvenile (as they are MUCH cheaper and I would love to see the progression of their colours as they grow). I will use a soft sand as my substrate so it will not be harmed while it digs. I know plants are a no-no so I was thinking of doing either a barren driftwood theme or having extensive rock work and doing a "shipwreck" theme.
I know Flowerhorns are VERY hardy fish and can withstand almost any water conditions but I still want to cycle the tank completley with my three Cherry Barbs that I keep around in a seperate five gallon tank just for this purpose. My tap water here is naturally at 8.0pH and that is what I will keep the tank at.
I have never owned Cichlids before. All of my tanks that I have ever done have been community, including the 46 gallon I have in operation right now. I know all Cichlids are not compatible with eachother. I have read some articles that say Flowerhorns must be kept alone. However, I have also read in other places that they can be housed with other Cichlids of similar or bigger size.
I would LOVE to have 1, 2, or 3 Parrot/Blood/Jellybean Cichlids in the tank with him as well. I would love to have an Arrowana as well but I'm almost positive they wouldn't be compatible. If a Flowerhorn can indeed cohabitate with others, what would you recommend as good tank mates? I would prefer to have a bottom feeder to clean up algae and vacuum the sand for leftover food since FHs are such messy eaters and eat meaty (heavy nitrate/trite producing) foods.
Finally, I am a little confused on where to purchase one at. None of my LFS stock them. There are some BEAUTIFUL specimens on eBay, but I don't know how I feel about buying from a person/small operation verses buying from a large scale operation company.
Other than that, does anyone have any tips, tricks, or suggestions to ensure my future Flowerhorn has a happy and healthy home? Like I said I am a COMPLETE newbie when it comes to Cichlids so I want to make sure I am very well versed before purchasing it. I also don't want to jeopardize the safety of any possible tank mates as well.
Thank you all so much for your help!
Alex
As the title suggests, I am interested in starting a Flowerhorn tank in my office. I was going to setup a reef tank, but decided that for my office freshwater would probably be best. There were a few questions I had that I could not find a straight answer to on the internet.
I am thinking of starting with a 55-70 gallon tank. I know they can grow very large and should be housed in a larger tank but I will be purchasing a juvenile (as they are MUCH cheaper and I would love to see the progression of their colours as they grow). I will use a soft sand as my substrate so it will not be harmed while it digs. I know plants are a no-no so I was thinking of doing either a barren driftwood theme or having extensive rock work and doing a "shipwreck" theme.
I know Flowerhorns are VERY hardy fish and can withstand almost any water conditions but I still want to cycle the tank completley with my three Cherry Barbs that I keep around in a seperate five gallon tank just for this purpose. My tap water here is naturally at 8.0pH and that is what I will keep the tank at.
I have never owned Cichlids before. All of my tanks that I have ever done have been community, including the 46 gallon I have in operation right now. I know all Cichlids are not compatible with eachother. I have read some articles that say Flowerhorns must be kept alone. However, I have also read in other places that they can be housed with other Cichlids of similar or bigger size.
I would LOVE to have 1, 2, or 3 Parrot/Blood/Jellybean Cichlids in the tank with him as well. I would love to have an Arrowana as well but I'm almost positive they wouldn't be compatible. If a Flowerhorn can indeed cohabitate with others, what would you recommend as good tank mates? I would prefer to have a bottom feeder to clean up algae and vacuum the sand for leftover food since FHs are such messy eaters and eat meaty (heavy nitrate/trite producing) foods.
Finally, I am a little confused on where to purchase one at. None of my LFS stock them. There are some BEAUTIFUL specimens on eBay, but I don't know how I feel about buying from a person/small operation verses buying from a large scale operation company.
Other than that, does anyone have any tips, tricks, or suggestions to ensure my future Flowerhorn has a happy and healthy home? Like I said I am a COMPLETE newbie when it comes to Cichlids so I want to make sure I am very well versed before purchasing it. I also don't want to jeopardize the safety of any possible tank mates as well.
Thank you all so much for your help!
Alex
