Hi guys, I wonder if you can help. Someone posted in a forum I moderate asking for information on flowerhead cichlids and how to keep them. I hadn't heard of them and asked if he meant flower horn cichlids. This is his reply.
I'd be really greatful if you can work out what he's got and give me any information to pass on.
On the tank in the pet shop where I bought the fish it said Flowerhead Cichlids. There was 2 app. 4" ones in a split tank, (indicating aggressive), these were nearly white, with a Red stripe going from under the gills to half way along the body, with a black blob surrounded by a flower shape in flurescent blue above the eyes, all fins were tipped with red. They were priced at £280 each. In a tank further down there were about 15 1" dark greyish fish, marked up as baby Flowerhead Cichlids and priced at £10 each, I bought 2 of these, thinking the would grow into the lovely specimens in the other tank. Wrong!!!
Right now to describe mine; they are like a cross between Convict and Firemouth Cichlids. They have both got the black spot and florescent flower surround over the eyes, and the red stripe under- neath. But during the few months I have had them, some days they have had a row of black spots from head to tail, other days they have had vertical black stripes down the body and sometimes both spots and stripes. One is slightly larger than the other and used to chase the smaller one round the tank, turning nearly jet black in the process. This was up to about a month ago. Now the larger one has gone a pale silvery colour, with 4 black spots near the tail and a row of pale vertical stipes going from the top of the body to about half way down. The smaller one is more or less the same but a lot darker. The red is more prominent on the smaller fish but they both have brilliant orange eyes.They do not chase round the tank much now, they just keep circling and rubbing up and down each other and cleaning rocks as if ready for laying, but then move away and do the same somewhere else in the tank.
I have had a word with the shop keeper on several occasions, at first he said I may have got 2 females, which are not as colourful as the 2 white ones they had, (over the weeks these were dropped from £280 slowly down to £65 or offers for the pair, then they disappeared)when I explained what was happening now he said I might have been lucky and got a pair.He also said mine are still young yet and when fully grown they have a large prominent lump on the head. How big is fully grown, mine are about 6" and 5" now.
I will try to get a photo posted when my camera comes back off loan.
Sorry for the length of the post, but I tried to describe them fully.
I subscribed to the tropical/coldwater fishkeeper forum when it first opened, I didn't know it had been merged with another.
I'd be really greatful if you can work out what he's got and give me any information to pass on.
On the tank in the pet shop where I bought the fish it said Flowerhead Cichlids. There was 2 app. 4" ones in a split tank, (indicating aggressive), these were nearly white, with a Red stripe going from under the gills to half way along the body, with a black blob surrounded by a flower shape in flurescent blue above the eyes, all fins were tipped with red. They were priced at £280 each. In a tank further down there were about 15 1" dark greyish fish, marked up as baby Flowerhead Cichlids and priced at £10 each, I bought 2 of these, thinking the would grow into the lovely specimens in the other tank. Wrong!!!
Right now to describe mine; they are like a cross between Convict and Firemouth Cichlids. They have both got the black spot and florescent flower surround over the eyes, and the red stripe under- neath. But during the few months I have had them, some days they have had a row of black spots from head to tail, other days they have had vertical black stripes down the body and sometimes both spots and stripes. One is slightly larger than the other and used to chase the smaller one round the tank, turning nearly jet black in the process. This was up to about a month ago. Now the larger one has gone a pale silvery colour, with 4 black spots near the tail and a row of pale vertical stipes going from the top of the body to about half way down. The smaller one is more or less the same but a lot darker. The red is more prominent on the smaller fish but they both have brilliant orange eyes.They do not chase round the tank much now, they just keep circling and rubbing up and down each other and cleaning rocks as if ready for laying, but then move away and do the same somewhere else in the tank.
I have had a word with the shop keeper on several occasions, at first he said I may have got 2 females, which are not as colourful as the 2 white ones they had, (over the weeks these were dropped from £280 slowly down to £65 or offers for the pair, then they disappeared)when I explained what was happening now he said I might have been lucky and got a pair.He also said mine are still young yet and when fully grown they have a large prominent lump on the head. How big is fully grown, mine are about 6" and 5" now.
I will try to get a photo posted when my camera comes back off loan.
Sorry for the length of the post, but I tried to describe them fully.
I subscribed to the tropical/coldwater fishkeeper forum when it first opened, I didn't know it had been merged with another.