02/07/2016
Flowerhorn cichlids are ornamental aquarium fish noted for their vivid colors and the distinctively shaped heads for which they are named. Their head protuberance, or kok, is formally termed a "nuchal hump." Like blood parrot cichlids, they are man-made hybrids that do not exist in the wild. First developed in Malaysia, Thailand, and Taiwan, they became very popular with Asian fish hobbyists. They are also kept by hobbyists in the US and Europe, but their importation is banned in Australia. Some hobbyists[who?] have questioned the impact of flower horn breeding programs and their impact on the health of the animals, and on natural fish species.
For quite a long time, flower horns were believed to be fish of luck. Very few of them developed Chinese characters on the humps and sides.
Why is it called Flower horn?
"Flowerhorn" is a common name for this species. They received the name "Flowerhorn" from their physical appearance. The word "Flower" came from the two black spots on both sides of their heads or humps, as demonstrated on the picture on the right. The word "horn" came from the hump. Most babies (fries) or young flowerhorns do not have a hump. As they grow adult, they will develop a hump and the two black spots on the side of the head spread out look like two-dimensional flowers. Therefore, combining the two words came with the name "Flowerhorn." However, not all flowerhorns have humps and flowers. Some flowerhorns have very big humps; some have small humps, and other have almost no hump. Like wise, some have flowers whereas the others do not. Nevertheless, they fall into same category—Flowerhorns.
The Flowerhorn fish is a completely unnatural fish, a hybrid of hybrids. This makes it a very amazing fish, because with the imbalance in the amount of chromosomes or genetic material in the s*x cells of different species, it is able to reproduce.
Flower horn cichlids have a life span of 10–12 years. It was produced after meticulous selective breeding by fish breeders in Malaysia.
