Regarding Flower Horn Fish

Question
Dear Sir, I am from India, very new in this field. I bought 100 flower horn babies for rising. Tank Size is 48 inch length x 12 inch width x 15" inch height. Please suggest me
1) What will be water condition? Should I use de-chlorination? We have hard water.is Fungus Remover liquid necessary?
2) How many times should i feed them in a day?
3) How many time should i changes water in a week and in what quantity?
4) Is beef heart necessary for flower horn? How to make it using easily available ingredients, like beef heart, spinach, prawns, garlic etc.
5) Is there any complete reference based on practical views to study more about flower horn in Indian Condition?

Answer
Hi Mangesh,

The two most important things to remember when raising baby fish like flowerhorns is keep their water VERY clean and feed them a well-balanced suitable diet.

If you take care to these two important needs your Flowerhorns will grow and thrive.

I'll answer your questions in the order you asked them.

1) Yes, always use water conditioner when adding new water to the tank or doing a water change. Hard water is fine. I would not use fungus remover liquid. Its not necessary unless the fish are sick with fungal infections.

2) I would feed them 6-7 small meals per day. Young babies do best with multiple tiny feedings throughout the day

3) For best growth and development I would recommend changing 50% of the water everyday. This may sound like a lot but it is necessary due to the number of flowerhorn you are raising in the tank and the frequent feedings. *Always remember to add the appropriate amount of water conditioner to the new water being returned to the tank. And try to make sure the temperature of the new water is close to or just a little bit warmer than the original tank's water

4) Beef heart can be too fattening for some fish but it is fine to use in small quantities and just occasionally. I prefer to substitute bloodworms, finely mashed prawns and shrimp, earthworms, brine shrimp (frozen and live) Krill...

~A good quality flake or small pellet is a great staple diet for growing flowerhorns. You can even find flakes or pellets designed for this fish specifically.

You can find lots of homemade fish food recipes online that include a balanced mix of protein and vegetable matter.

I'm not too sure if Flowerhorns will like spinach, but you could certainly experiment blending Beef heart, Spinach, Prawns and garlic together (garlic is great for fish health and enhancing their appetite) Many people also add hard-boiled egg, green peas, spirulina powder, among many other ingredients and unflavored gelatin powder to create a mixture you keep in the freezer.

I would recommend you experiment with recipes, do some research and decide what ingredients are available for you to work with and find a recipe that is easy for you to create.

5) Unfortunately I have not been able to get any information about keeping Flowerhorns in Indian Conditions. Try asking local petstores and perhaps you can find out some information better. I'm sure there will be knowledgeable people with experience in raising Flowerhorns in India.

I hope this helps!
Susan