FYI about Flowerhorn fish

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wetfyre

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Feb 14, 2003
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Just a little information about the Flowerhorn fish (Cichlasoma sp.) that's currently hot in Asia...

The Flowerhorn fish (aka Fa Lou Han, Hua Lor Han) - a hybrid between two different Central American cichlids* - is currently very popular in Malaysia for its purported properties of enhancing one's luck and prosperity.

This fish is aggressively marketed as a bringer of prosperity and luck. The craze for it is such that one specimen on auction in Malaysia is asking for a price of RM1.2 million (USD315,789)!

It is a notoriously aggresive fish towards its own kind and can only be kept as a solitary fish. This "species" is artificially created from two different Central American cichlid varieties from a breeder in Malaysia.

As the sellers market this fish by concentrating on its shape, color and body markings (bearing some resemblance to Chinese characters), buyers are lured towards buying the ideal and perfect fish.

In actual fact, many specimens when reaching maturity do not meet the desired characteristics. These undesirable specimens are then thrown into the local waterways because killing them would be unlucky.

The release of these fish is a serious problem because being carnivorous, they kill off native fish, especially slow swimmers such as gouramis and bettas.

Being a Malaysian myself, I am saddened by the irresponsible buyers and breeders who dump unwanted specimens into the local waterways. I am a great fan of tropical freshwater fishes especially arowanas, snakeheads, gouramis and bettas. It is very sad to see smaller species being devoured by this artificially created monstrosity. I am especially against the artificial cross-breeding of any animals.

So please, before you decide to buy a Flowerhorn, think of the demand that you may be contributing to an already fanatic business. Think of that indirect support you may be giving to irresponsible dealers who throw many fish into the local waterways. Most of all, think of the extinction of wild populations of most of the Southeast-Asian tropical fishes.

Thank you.

* Thanks to Tiger15 for the information.

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Very interesting post and perspective on an additional aspect of this problem. Your comments about the existence of a substantial population of undesirable specimens confirm the theories held by some of us familiar with genetics; however, we had no idea that these fish were then being released into the wild. Talk about making a bad situation worse. The only good thing is that, being genetically unstable, they will not be able to sustain their presence in the wild indefinitely, once they stop being augmented by additional discarded specimens. However, they will obviously do substantial ecological damage in the meantime.
 
Don't worry. Their popularity will drop quickly because they are such a prolofic fish and soon the price will be driven down by over production. You're right that majority of them look rather ordinary, nothing like those pricy specimen, and soon people will get tired of them. I am surprised that the natural species in Malaysia have not already been disrupted because tropical fish farming is a big business there. BTW, I don't know how Firehorn can stand up to native specieis like arowana and snakehead there when they are problem for our native species here.

You are incorrect to state that Firehorn are CA and SA hybrid because they are straightly CA hybrid among several closely related Cichlasomine species.
 
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anybody know exactly what kind of fish they are spawnred from?

but i think cross-breeding, inbreeding and hybrid species is wrong and it should not be practied because it begins to make the hobby into a business that who ever can make the most beautiful fish but in the meantime they make some of the workst fish like the flowerhorn without a tail. i mean how can a fish live without a tail. they just cut parrts of the fish off and let it grow, its just a messed up practice and is just morally wrong.
 
Thanks for the correction!

Hi Tiger15,

Thanks for the correction. With regards to whether flowerhorns can stand up to arowanas and snakeheads, well, according to the action plan taken by the Malaysian govt, they would like to control the flowerhorn pest by introducing more snakeheads (particularly Channa Micropeltes) into the wild. We'll just have to wait and see if it works.

As for the arowanas, as you may know, they are an endangered species and their numbers in the wild are not large enough to have any significant impact on this pest population. Instead, we will be relying on more voracious predatory species like the featherbacks (knife fish) and snakeheads.

Originally posted by Tiger15
Don't worry. Their popularity will drop quickly because they are such a prolofic fish and soon the price will be driven down by over production. You're right that majority of them look rather ordinary, nothing like those pricy specimen, and soon people will get tired of them. I am surprised that the natural species in Malaysia have not already been disrupted because tropical fish farming is a big business there. BTW, I don't know how Firehorn can stand up to native specieis like arowana and snakehead there when they are problem for our native species here.

You are incorrect to state that Firehorn are CA and SA hybrid because they are straightly CA hybrid among several closely related Cichlasomine species.
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by wetmanNY
http://www.sydneycichlid.com/flowerhorn.html

This article by two knowledgable Australians is packed with information.
Click to expand...

The knowledgable Australians have accepted the rumor that Blood Parrot is a hybrid without verification. So they made the incorrect generalization statement that " Some hybrid fish exhibit particularly deformed anatomical features which lead to troubles feeding, swimming and undertaking behaviour normal to these fishes. This is of considerable moral and ethical concern. "

Blood Parrrot is now believed to be a Red Devel mutant, not a hybrid. Hybrid fish are typically very vigorous and rarely deformed. Firehorn, Red Swordtail and hybrid Tilapia for the food market are vigorous hybrid. Fancy goldfish, ballon Molly, Blue Dampsy and all alibino fish are weak, deformed mutants of pure species. If Firehorn were a deformed hybrid, there is no danger that they can out compete wild species.
 
Ron Coleman is in agreement with the knowledgable Ausralians. Read his very measured analysis of this hybrid at his famous website, one of the essential Cichlid sites:
http://cichlidresearch.com/parrot.html

Purveyors of art fakes are always concerned that you not learn the history behind the object, or that you remain confused... These are fake fishes. The dealers' motivations are similar. It's interesting that the trade is currently mis-appropriating the actual "Parrot Cichlid"'s scientific name to apply to this fish.

Once you know it's a genetic cripple, it's hard to see this fish as "cute" and "comical." That's just my feeling.
 
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I don't get it. I saw some flowerhorns at the Goldfish Bowl in Oxford. I couldn't believe it - drab fish selling for £50+!

There wasn't one that matched my the Blue Acara I got for a fiver.
 
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