Red Pearl Flowerhorn

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iangangoo

BIG FISH
Jan 18, 2006
122
0
0
48
Canada
I went to my lfs today and saw this type of chiclid described as a "hybrid" does anyone have any thoughts on this type of fish or own one? They look beautifull with their vibrant colours but I am not sure about them??

Have not heard alot about these ?? Was thinking of getting one?

any thoughts?
 

liv2padl

cichlidophile
Oct 30, 2005
2,686
0
0
north carolina
What is a hybrid?

The term "hybrid" applies when a male from one species mates with a female from another species to produce fry or vica versa. sometimes the term "crossbreed" is also used to denote hybrids. the two terms are interchangable and mean pretty much the same thing. the hybridization of fish, most notably cichlids, is largely confined to captive bred cichlids. Central American cichlasomines, Lake Malawi mbuna and Haplochromines or Lake Victoria cichlids will all readily crossbreed in the home aquarium if not provided with appropriate mates in captivity. hybrids appear to be very rare in the wild due to natural ecological barriers.

The accidental hybridization of cichlids is a common problem in the hobby and most responsible aquarists cull the fry or eggs. the creation of hybrids for profit, and their unscrupulous marketing as a 'new species' of cichlid is considered very poor husbandry and should not be condoned.

The intentional creation of hybrids has a number of negative aspects:

1. "Money" is more important than the fish's health. Sadly with the immense pressure on marketers to create "something new" for consumer demand often results in cosmetic/surgical mutilation of fishes. The removal of the fishes fins or tail is not uncommon. from the minimal amount of scar tissue surrounding the removed appendage it must be assumed that this is undertaken when the fish are still developing (under 1 cm). This process must, by its nature, be devastating on the fishes health, and it is reasonable to assume that many fishes do not survive to adulthood. There is also an issue of "quality of life" to be considered - hybrid cichlids, such as the red blood parrot, have deformed jaws and swim bladder problems. Cichlids are reknowned for high intelligence and complex behavioural patterns, such that gross anatomical deformities, impinge on the normal behaviours of the fish.

Philosopical and ethical concerns. many hobbyists, me in included, dislike hybrids because their deliberate creation demonstrates a certain amount of arrogance -- the idea that we can improve upon natural beauty. there are currently over 1500 species of cichlids in the wild. this is a large amount of naturally occuring diversity and it seems unnecessary to create hybrids just because it can be done. this natural diversity is fundamental to the attraction most people have for the cichlid keeping hobby. the creation of designer "Franken-fish" detracts from the natural diversity present in this assemblage of fishes.

The diversity of cichlid species is such that identification is a fundamentally difficult thing at best, and to confuse the issue with fish that do not exist in the wild makes it an nearly impossible task.

Perhaps of most concern is the way hybrid cichlids like the flowerhorn or 'blood parrot' could be mistakenly identified as "pure" cichlid species. It is conceiveable that poor quality flowerhorns, could be mistaken for cichlids such as A. trimaculatus or A. citrinellus and bred back with the original species. this has already occured in cichlids such as Vieja synspilus, V. maculicauda and V. bimaculatus, and this only due to accidental hybridization by hobbyists. with the deliberate large scale production of hundreds of thousands of hybrids, the risk to the hobby is increased many times over. In Australia at present it is very difficult to find good "pure" strains of the Vieja species mentioned above or "pure" discus species such as the brown discus.

reintroduction of cichlids in the hobby into natural settings can become a problem. it already is in Florida. with the threat to many ecosystems globally, the cichlid hobby may provide future sources of endangered fish for re-introduction into the wild. It is therefore important that all cichlid keepers are aware that the fish we maintain in our aquaria are potentially endangered in the wild, due to a variety of factors eg: competition from other species such as the Nile Perch and urban development. In this awareness it is important to strive - wherever possible, to maintain cichlids in our aquariums as they exist in the wild.

Specimen firehorns are created by hybridizing certain cichlid species and culling heavily to leave only those fish with a certain appearance. These resulting fish, although they may be fertile, do not represent genetically stable bloodlines and, when bred to each other, wind up generating a random hodge-podge of mongrel fish which may or may not display the characteristics of their parents, but are almost certain to suffer from various maladies and as a result die at an earlier age.

So why do people keep producing hybrid fish? A one word answer applies here: marketing.

In summary:

1. the demand for "new" and "different" breeds of hybrids such as the flowerhorn and the "blood parrot" has lead to a number of cruel practices including tattooing of fish, removal of tails or eyes, intentional damage to the spine and dying.

2. hybrid fish make identification of similar cichlids difficult.

3. hybrid cichlids have the potential to be acidentally bred with "pure" species lines.

4. the cichlid keeping hobby has responsibilities to the fish it is dedicated to, in ecological terms. although not currently standard practice, pure species may, in the future, be required for re-introduction to habitats currently under threat from urban development.

5. some hybrid fish exhibit particularly deformed anatomical features which lead to troubles feeding, swimming and undertaking behaviour normal to these fishes. this is of considerable moral and ethical concern.

what should you do to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem? JUST SAY NO to hybridization by not buying such fish.

http://www.flowerhorn.co.uk/

The Flowerhorn is an interesting study in hybrid fish . It was the focus of a major craze in Singapore and other parts of Asia in 2003. Behind this fish therefore lies many interesting myths, facts, as well as the story of the large impact it made on the Singaporean society.

An artificial fish produced from the cross-breeding of two hybrids, this fish has a unique appearance, and serves well as an ornamental fish to decorate homes and offices. Also an aggresive, but easily tamed, hardy and active fish, it serves well as a pet and its rearing can be a fun hobby for both young and old.

There are also many myths and superstitions behind the fish, most of which probably originated from old people, aquarium shop owners, as well as Feng Shui masters. Some of the body parts of the Flowerhorn resemble that of ancient Chinese gods, and sometimes Chinese characters, gold, or other "prosperous" or "lucky" items and mythycal beings, and because of these resemblences, the Flowerhorn is believed to be able to bring prosperity, success, protection from evil etc to their owners.

All of these and other social factors in turn led to the Flowerhorn Craze of 2003. The craze involved the sky-rocketing of the price of the fish, along with the sudden sprouting of aquarium shops and other phenomena. The ornamental fish trade boomed, after years of sluggish local business after the economic slumps.

The craze ended sometime in late 2003 to early 2004. Prices and production rates dropped together with the demand for the fish, and after the craze, many investors were left with many Flowerhorn fish that few people wanted. Because the fish was carnivorous had a voracious appetite, maintaining these fish deemed a pricey job, most of these fish were eiter exported, killed or thrown away and released into the wild. The Flowerhorn, being a hardy fish, many of them that were released into the wild managed to adapt to the wild environment all over again, and began to feed on other marine organisms, eventually wrecking ecological havoc. This problem was more significant in countries like Malaysia.

There are many lessons that can be drawn from the Flowerhorn Craze and the impacts the Flowerhorn made on the economy, the environment, as well as the society. Such lessons include, with regards to protecting the green earth, learning not to carelessly release artificial creatures into the wild to prevent harm to the environment, with regards to smart consumer habits, not blindly believing in superstitions or rumours, and with regards to smart investment, learning how to seize opportunities and ditch them as soon as they begin to fall. All in all, the Flowerhorn fish has a very interesting background, and also brought about a major impact not only in Singapore but other parts of Asia.
 

iangangoo

BIG FISH
Jan 18, 2006
122
0
0
48
Canada
holy smokes!~ thanks for the info dude I will NOT by this fish no way!!!!
 
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