The goal of keeping Flowerhorns is the pleasure you get out of it. For some it’s relaxing for others they like the showpiece effect that Flowerhorns provide. Others like to watch the fish as they mature, developing a large nuchal hump and flaunting their brilliant colors. Their unique shapes and vibrant colors make them a favorite among aquarium hobbyists all over the world. When they swim inside the tank, they glow with the reflection of the light. They look quite glorious yet mysterious at the same time.
How does the Flowerhorn get its color?
Naturally, Flowerhorns are already colorful because of their history. They were bred from naturally colorful species of tropical fish. Their natural colors are red, yellow, silver, orange, green and blue. Breeders want to maximize the color they get from their fish. These colors should be intense and vivid with bold black patterns on top. If there are lines that separate these colors, they too must be enhanced. Balance is key when people are judging the quality of the specimen, if the red is more dominant and more vivid, but the green is being drowned out by the red, this is frowned upon. The goal is to avoid parts of its body being drowned out by others.
Although enhancing the fish colors is generally easy, problems may arise. The food that Flowerhorn eats affects its colors. Some fish can get allergic to color enhancers. That is why as a responsible owner, you must see to it that you are feeding the fish with high-quality food. It’s very important to not work against yourself. If you want to use color-enhancing food make sure that your water quality is premium.
Foods that are formulated to enhance color pigments are available almost everywhere. Even the most popular cichlid food by Hikari features color and growth enhancers. Mix these different pellets in conjunction with live food to achieve the best results. If you want to specifically enhance oranges and reds, choose food with astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is an ingredient derived from krill and shrimp. To enhance yellows, there is xanthophyll which is found in a number of different fish species.
To enhance blues, food with spirulina can be fed to the fish. This ingredient can naturally be found in blue-green algae but is also found in many of the commercial fish foods widely available. Having a colorful Flowerhorn does not only make your aquarium look good but it also makes you look legit as a fish keeper. Others in the hobby will take notice if you are doing a good job taking care of your fish.
