Few shots of my flowerhorn.

[Mettle]

Decided to snap some pics of my flowerhorn. The tank is bare right now because I ripped all the decorations out for cleaning and haven't put them back in just yet because I find the tank easier to maintain like this.

This my flowerhorn that I picked up at Big Al's for $20.

Anyway, here's the shots.

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[mseguin]

Nice fish, how big was it when yuo got it, and how big is it now?

[PaleoFishGirl]

Wow, what a beauty! I think maybe you should enter that top one in the Photo Contest!

[jodes22]

WOW!  Nice Looking fish!! Thanks for sharing!

[Mettle]

Thanks for the compliments!     This fish is more of a wet pet than 'just a fish'. He has tons of personality.

Matt - He was about 1.5" I think when I got him and he's about 8" now but still growing. Normally flowerhorns attain a lot of their size in their first year, I think. But this guy's growth has been a bit different. Who knows. 

[Toss]

Nice fish!
I like the bottom pic, looks like he is going for the kiss

[beowulf]

Very nice, I think it was BA in Montreal that had a huge one of these for sale this weekend.

[Mettle]

Thanks again for the compliments folks. With this being my last real tank setup with a fish in it (2gal betta tanks just don't seem to count for some reason, heh) I like sitting and watching him and such.

Beowolf - it seems Big Als often has flowerhorns in. But they're rarely the cheaper ones. I guess I just got lucky at the end of the day.

[murgus]

I think BA-Kanata had some earlier this week in the sub $30 range - they were about 1-1.5".

I may have been mistaken though, wouldn't be the first time

Andrew

[Crumpet]

Very pretty fish!  Love the last photo, too.  I also like that you called him your "wet pet" -- I felt the same way about some of my bigger fish, as well.  Have you given him a name?

[babblefish1960]

I would go with either Mercutio, or Roderick, both good names steeped in literature, he looks like a literary fish to me. Nice pet there Mettle, give him back his decorations though, he looks bereft.

[plecoL83]

Awsome photos, very cool fish...nice

[Mettle]

Eek. Lost track of this thread, lol. 

I mostly call him 'Fish'. Whenever I walk into the basement room that he's in he's always there begging for food and I say "Hi Fish!" probably a lot more loudly than I should. Haha. His 'official name' is Sid Vicious - but there's a story behind that...

One time my friend was over and I was feeding my flowerhorn and showing him how he would come up and out of the water an inch, eager to get the food. After doing this a few times the one inch turned into about two or three and he clamped onto my finger. It didn't hurt - but it certainly startled me - and in whipping my hand away the fish came up and out of the water and flew half way across the basement where he began to flop on the floor. I was a bit shocked. My friend told me that the fish probably needed to go back in the water so I rushed over and simply picked him up and tossed him back in the tank. About 20 seconds later he was circling the tank and begging for food again and once more trying to bite at my fingers, lol.

[Heidi]

What an awsome looking fish. Now I am pondering getting one??? Which store did you get him from? BA in Kanata has a huge one but want some obscene amount for him. I just go in and look at him several times a week and pretend he's mine!! 

Nice pics tho, love the way he poses!!!

[sniggir]

yea I know of the one that you are talkin about so nice looking... but I think they want like 300 for him....

[Heidi]

That's such an insane $. It's such a shame too since he is such a nice looking fish and he'll probably spend his life there. Even with the OVAS discount or on boxing day 20% off sale...way to pricey for my budget. Oh well, am there about 3 - 4 times a week anyways, I just visit. Too bad about the other one, the more expensive one - pretty sure he died!!  Oh well, maybe someone with a deep pocket book will bring him home!!!

Still, they are nice fish and have such personalities.

[Mettle]

I got mine at BA Kanata. He was in some random tank with some catfish or something with a small sign indicating what he was. But I recognized him right away and decided on the spot that he would be coming home with me, heh. It was a good decision. 

I'd never pay $300 for the fish you're talking about. I've seen him a few times as well. Good shape, probably would have better colours if he was in an appropriately sized tank, etc. I don't understand why stores bring in pricey fish like those only to let them die in their tanks. It seems like such a waste... Same with some of those aros... I think that $300 one has been there for a really long time, too, hasn't it? Probably stunted its growth by now.

[Heidi]

As the guy in the Indiana Jones movie once said " you chose wisely!!". They have a tank of smaller ones now and I keep humming about getting one and putting it in a tank until it is large enought to go with my bigger guys. But i've seen how possesive of their tank space they can be so I don't think he would do well...actually he would do well but my parrots and Jag wouldn't like it!! They have one small one just starting to show his colours too. Hmm...maybe wed and he can go in and live with my small gars....have to sneek him by my husband.

I have no idea why they or any store for that matter brings in fish that expensive if they don't already have someone waiting for it, in other words they ordered the fish. I can see some marine being expensive (don't like it but can see why) but there's no need for fresh to be that expensive. Look at the price of arrowana's. Personally I can't stand them but I know of people who adore them...but they are WAY over priced as well. Such a sad thought to think of the fish living out it's life in a tank too small for it at a price no regular person in this hobby can afford. SIGH - oh well, as I said I am in there so often, I just pretend he's mine but the store cleans and feeds him for me. Boarding a fish without the expense.

[Heidi]

ps - yes he has been there for awhile. Almost a year now if not longer. There were 3, I think they may have sold the younger one, and I believe the older one, more expensive one died. Sad, sad, sad.

[Mettle]

I've heard of flowerhorns sometimes doing alright with parrot fish. I don't know why. Maybe it's the hybrid solidarity? Heh. There is a chance he would kill them, though. Same with the jag. However, the jag may fight back and kill the flowerhorn. They're both pretty tough fish at the end of the day and there's no telling how that would work out. I wouldn't put him in with the gars, either. Flowerhorns can be mean to any fish - not just other cichlids. It's worth a try, I guess - but a back-up plan is a good idea.

I keep my flowerhorn alone, save for a long whiptail pleco (whose origins I'm unsure of, lol) and that's the only way I can ensure things are good. Sometimes I do throw in some ghost shrimp for the flowerhorn to snack on though. That's alwaysn a riot.