Marziyas Super Red Dragon Flowerhorns Breeding Pair, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
How to Breed Over Aggressive Flowerhorn Fish
In this article, you will find proven breeding tips for an overaggressive flowerhorn fish.
Flowerhorn cichlids are especially aggressive when they breed. However, there are steps you can do to reduce or manage that aggression.
1. Properly prepare your flowerhorn breeding couple.
2. Let the breeders live together in a single tank divided by a clear glass or acrylic for a long time; up to 2 month or more if needed. This allows both to become familiar with each other.
3. Feed both breeders to satiation when removing the divider to check if they can already live together without it. Hungry breeders are naturally more aggressive. Place the divider back when they start fighting.
4. Lip locking is not kissing. It is fighting. Separate them.
5. More often, the female is the aggressor especially when the male is not that big. Rule of the thumb is that an aggressive female cichlid should not exceed half the size of the male.
6. Breeding flowerhorn fishes that are both overaggressive is twice as hard. Choosing a more docile breeding partner for an aggressive breeder may just solve your problem instantly.
7. Keep breeding tank away from people. You may also cover the sides of tank with old newspaper to keep the breeders from being distracted when people pass.
8. Turn aquarium light a bit dimmer. It may help them calm down.
Flowerhorn Breeding Tips - the No Contact Technique
Yes, you can naturally breed louhans even without letting them touch each other. Here are the steps:
1. Raise the clear glass divider a bit higher, around 1.5 inches from tank bottom, so that you are able to slip through the space below a tile large enough for the breeders to share. A 12”x12” floor tile placed upside down should suffice.
2. Attach air stones on each side of the glass divider so that there is running water near the tile. This makes the tile the ideal spot for laying the eggs. When you notice the female cleaning her part of the tile, you have done this step successfully. The male should also be cleaning his part.
3. When you think the female is already ready for to lay her eggs, keep an eye on them.
4. When the female starts laying her eggs, let her deposit the eggs on top of the tile for about 15 minutes.
5. After she has already laid some of her eggs, slowly turn the tile so that the male could start spraying his milt into them. To turn the tile around safely, keep the male breeder restricted in a corner using a fish net while performing this step. Use your other hand to turn the tile slowly. The female may attack the glass divider, but your hand will be safe.
6. Continue doing this until the female has stopped laying her eggs.
7. Remove the tile and artificially hatch the flowerhorn eggs. You may also choose to let the female breeder care for the eggs until they hatch.
Breeding louhans can be risky and may cost you your breeders when not done correctly. Read more flowerhorn breeding tips and guides for additional information on how to keep your fishes safe
www.myflowerhorn.com/2012/02/flowerhorn-breeding-tips-for...