Buying a Flowerhorn ·Feb 02, 2021

Buying a Flowerhorn: What to look for in Flowerhorn

What to look for in Flowerhorn:

Introduction:

Buying a flowerhorn and getting your moneys worth
The following covers the broad range of fish called flowerhorns, to write in detail for each type of FH would take a book so heres just a basic guide to hopefully cover the lot.
There are lots of Flowerhorn websites around the world, but I have found that its best to stick with your local websites as a main focus so you can gauge whats happening on your local or national scene.

Health:

Unfortunately diseased fish are common in the aquarium hobby overall, and flowerhorns are especially sensitive to parasites. Various parasites such as worms and hexamita are fairly common and if not treated present a serious threat to the health and survival of a flowerhorn.
If you are buying a fish and the seller doesn't offer a health guarantee automatically then politely ask if they do. Things to look out for:

Checklist:

check fishes poo, a healthy poo should be solid shade of brown or reddish brown depending on what the fish is eating, if you see a fish with long translucent poohs(empty pooh casings) it can be a sign of parasites such as worms or hexamita, if you can avoid these fish do so, otherwise if you get caught with one then refer to our medical section for ways to treat these fish.
Fins should be clear, any sign of mucus, lumps or white and/or red discolourations could be signs of bacterial infections, this can be improved with providing good water quality, if the symptoms persist then various antibiotic treatments may need to be considered.
Body, the belly shouldn't appear be sunken or overly swollen, sunken belly can be underfed or parasites, swollen belly can indicate internal bacterial infection such as bloat.

Look for deformities:

What you want is symmetry. The most common deformities are a break from symmetry.

Fins:

Check pectoral fins first, these are usually clear fins, look at the rays, these are the soft bones visible through the fin, deformed pectoral fins can effect the way the fish swims, the fish can loose its grace in the water and once you become aware they can seem unsightly, they also pass on genetically to further generations so please don't breed these fish. Check all the fins, are the fin rays straight, are there any irregularities that appear unsightly? Healthy pectorals should have nice straight fin rays that out outward from the fish as in these images
Deformed pectorals, the rays are curved up or down and irregular - not straight, please don't breed these fish.