Flowerhorn , non-hybrid equivalent

[weird]

Hi

As you know I fell in love with my brother-in-laws flowerhorn, I am wondering is there a non-hybrid equivalent to a flowerhorn ... aggressive guy, with heaps of personality, keep by himself ... but ... big cavet here, I may not be able to get much more than a 3 foot tank for this project ? Any thoughts ?

Any guys that require a larger tank size welcome as suggestions.

Thanks.

[kevkoi]

Amphilophus (Cichlasoma) trimaculatus..... The Grandpa of the Modern day Flowerhorn. :lol:

... and the flowerhorn ppl will say that the pic is a flowerhorn. It's NOT. It's the base fish from which the flowerhorn was created from. Same bloody aggressive temperament...

[weird]

OK I am officially in love ! I want this guy ! Or if someone can recommend something similar ? I can get a juvenile flowerhorn from mandarin centre for $40 ... that I see doubling his size every 2 weeks ... so please don't tell me this guy is over $1000. How much for a juvenile beautie like this or a similar species ?

Also does he have a local name in oz, easier to google ?

[Proteus]

You will prob get a good quality Trimac for less than a FH

[weird]

I have officially gone crazy with excitement, thanks Kev and Proteus.

Some basic questions ...

1. is the guy or of course possibly girl known under other names ?

2. what is min tank size for adult ?

Hahaha, don't know how I am going to break this one to the mrs, might have to do the, "the trimac followed me home... can we keep it ... with bag in hand."

[kevkoi]

Trimacs when available are usually about $8-$15 for a 5-8cm fish. I haven't seen a Trimac in shops for a long while though. Last time I saw some was at St Geogrge aquariums about a year ago.

[weird]

Thanks Kev, I thought maybe St George although I have yet to travel there before, also Pet Centre at Birkenhead Point seem to have a few cichlids, but I have a very untrained eye (and they don't label their tanks !).

[weird]

Looks like I will be looking at 75 gallon or 280 litres min based on flowerhorn recommendations, so a small 4 foot tank may just suffice, no possible way of going 3ft.

[weird]

Well I am having trouble finding trimacs in Sydney.

Also can anyone recommend a good american cichlid forum ?

The more I am investigating this , there may be similar cichlids which may meet my requirements like a Texas Cichlid (Herichthys cyanoguttatum) , red devil and green terror !!!! kewl.

Haha ... my mrs is going how typical ... why do guys always need something big ? OK this is definitely not a size issue ! :oops:

[Mattzilla]

i love flowerhorns as well and would love to have one/some one day.

[BlackGhost]

Flowe horns themselvesare genetic monstrositys. sorry to offend any one but i must speak out! I have nothing against their origin but them selfs should be put down.
And may i ask where they got the bump on their head would be from a red devil isnt it? I just feel sorry for them poor animals that had to but injected and stuff.

[Proteus]

No injecting or manipulation was required to create the flowerhorn, so no cruelty is involved.

They are simply a cross bred fish, and so long as people know they are a Hybrid, fine...

It is those that call then a species of Cichladae that are a problem

[weird]

I agree with Mattzilla. And agree with Proteus. They made different comments, so I will agree with them separately.

To be honest I have seen a flowerhorn in its magnificent beauty, and to me ... it was certainly no freak , was extremely happy and beautiful. I will probably own a flowerhorn in the future. However I do understand why people are against them, however most arguments I have read on the web are so loaded with emotion, that the actual point gets lost.

However the flowerhorn is sitting lower on the list than these guys as my next purchase apart from more discus, which are: green terror, red devil, texas cichlid and my new favourite , a Tilapia buttikoferi (zebra tilapia) - this guy is african !

Now all I need to do is change my status from renter, to owner/occupier of a house, so I can put drain holes in every room of the house !!!!

And proteus/ro when you starting a cichlid <non discus> forum ?

[Proteus]

Dave, we already have several cichlid domain names on hold...

if there is enough interest, for either a local or a general based site, then we could add it to the list.

[Fishpimpin73]

Flowerhorns are GORGEOUS!

As far as subs....

Trimacs are great.
If you can find a decent Albino Tiger Oscar ( I have seen some that are absolutely AMAZING )
Severums are not aggresive, but they do get a tad on the big side and have TONS of personality.
Many of the geophageous get bigger than average and are very personable fish.

Something else that you may want to look into ( ducks behind wall and shouts ) are the Jelly Bean or Parrot cichlids AKA Blood Parrot.
They are another hybrid that gets a tad on the larger side, have been known to be EXTREMELY aggresive, and again have TONS of personality.
My sister had one that LOVED to play TAG......
WITH PEOPLE!
If you explore that avenue just make sure that you don't get one that has been dyed.

HTH

Pimpin

[flukes]

weird - In the mean time you can check out AusFishForum. Click here (http://ausfishforum.com)

Plenty of knowledgable people there too help you on your quest..

HTH