Flowerhorn 101 Part 3

**IanGalas** Mon Nov 09, 2009 4:00 am

King Kong Parrots And Ingots

The blood parrot was the earliest defined type of cichlid hybrid, whereas the King Kong parrot represents an early stage in the transition to flowerhorn breeding. The blood parrot is smaller, with a bigger head, more protruding eyes, and a V-shaped mouth. The King Kong parrot is longer, with a reddish orange color, and a dorsal fin shorter than the anal fin. The shape of the King Kong is similar to the red devil cichlid, and when it reaches a size of 18 cm, the shape of the mouth changes to a triangle with a more protruding jaw. Only 20% of these fish grow to a size of a half kilogram. Blood parrots and King Kong parrots are sometimes colored purple or blue by pigment injection. This practice is unhealthy for the fish, and the color will fade with time. Parrot cichlids fed with natural colorants and attractants naturally develop a red color. With further breeding, a round body shape has been selected, with the dorsal fin and anal fin longer than the tail fin, and the mouth can open and close naturally. These fish have clear eyes, and 90% of them grow to 1 kg or above, with the characteristic flowerhorn head shape. The Red Mommon and Red Ingot breeds are the most typical of these hybrid cichlids. Both of these fishes are appreciated for feng shui. The Red Mommon is named for its high forehead, which looks like the hat worn by the God of Fortune. The Red Ingot is named for its yuan-bao shape, referring to odd-shaped gold or silver pieces formerly used as money in China. The Red Mommon and Red Ingot grow faster in the first year, with a size of about 20 cm. They grow to 25–28 cm by two years later. Their maximum size is not yet known, and it is believed that the fish may grow to 30 cm or above in the future. Both of these fish are raised at 28°C water temperature, pH ~6–8 (with slightly acid water preferred), and kH ~3–6, while avoiding any sudden change in water quality. It is also common to test regularly for ammonia and nitrite. Both of these fishes can be bred with different kinds of cichlids.

Golden Monkey

The genuine Golden Monkey or Kamalau was bred by Mr. Lam Seah and Lam Soon in Bercham, Ipoh, Malaysia. After the third generation, all of them were sold to the A-1 Aquarium in 2001. This type of flowerhorn is an original Luohan-based fish and not a mixed type Zen Zhu or Kamfa.

Kamfa

Kamfa Identification

This breed originated from Louhan. It's main characteristics are white or yellow eye (red eyes possible but not common), fan tail, water head, sunken eyes, smaller lips than zz. Generally has a larger and squarer body shape than that of a ZZ. Head flowers can be found on the Kamfa, but not as prevalently as ZZ. The most common and basic type of Kamfa is a Zhen Zhu X Blood Parrot. These fish typically carry more Zhen Zhu features with a better tail and yellow or white eyes. More complex Kamfa's come from the vieja side of the flowerhorn tree above.

Kamfa Breeding

Kamfa's typically are viewed as being much more difficult to breed. Their time to breeding maturity is much longer than that of a ZZ. In addition to a longer maturation period Kamfa's also have fertility issues. A general rule of thumb is that fish with red eyes tend to be more fertile on the whole, than those with white or yellow eyes. Since most Kamfa's have yellow or white eyes they tend to be less fertile. Because of these fertility issues refined kamfas are hard to find. Most Kamfa strains are the result of an outcrossing resulting in a few specimens of superior quality and hybrid vigor. Since Kamfas are more difficult to breed on the whole they are also more expensive than most other breeds.

Kamfa Care

Kamfa care and upkeep is a little more intense than most other breeds as well. They have a greater sensitivity to fluctuations in water parameters. This is especially true for older Kamfa strains, they actually prefer aged water (water that has been conditioned, heated and aerated for a period of at least 24hrs prior to adding to the tank). Newer Kamfa strains are not as finicky about the water used but do require diligent tank and filter maintenance to look their best.

Kamfa Behaviour

Kamfas also differ in the way they act and interact with their environment and owner. Generally Kamfas are thought to be more aggressive than other breeds (although aggressiveness also comes down to the individual fish). They also use a more rear propulsion method of swimming style which gives them a different look and feel in the owner’s tank. Many people enjoy the way their behavior manifests itself in the fish’s interaction with the owner. Kamfas are great "finger chasers" and delight in defending their tank and territory even from a well-meaning owner. Their territorial nature is important in the way a Kamfa looks and matures. A Kamfa that is not happy with their tank placement, water parameters, tank mates, etc will not show off their true potential. It's important to try different methods for a Kamfa that is not up to par. Some common practices include:

1. Add a mirror to the tank - Some hobbyists use a mirror to induce the fish to spar with itself. One must be careful not to place the mirror in an area where the fish can injure itself while sparing. Placing the mirror outside the tank could cause serious damage to a fish, including spinal fractures from the impact against the aquarium glass.
2. Adding a Tank mate or BP - Using a divider some hobbyists will place a smaller fish or "Target fish" on the other side of the divider or in a protective mesh net. This strategy works well for those fish who've figured out the mirror trick. The more dominant and comfortable the Kamfa feels the better his appearance. There are some drawbacks to this method however. If the tank mate is permanent the tank will require more upkeep and cleaning. If the target fish ends up being more dominant than the Kamfa, the Kamfa will be worse off than when started. Some Kamfas do not do well with tank mates at all. Even a simple pleco can make some fish feel vulnerable in their own tank. This method can work extremely well for some individual fish and backfire for others.
3. Corals and crushed corals - Many Kamfa owners add crushed corals or whole coral pieces to their tank. The coral acts as a PH buffer to decrease the fluctuation in water parameters that occurs doing a water change. Given a Kamfa's sensitivity to water parameters this can aid greatly in their development. In addition coral pieces provide great surface area for in-tank biological filtration.
4. Background - The background on the tank can greatly influence the look and appearance of an individual fish. Some Kamfa owners use a colorful saltwater tank background to encourage the fishes color to become more vibrant. Other types of Kamfas, like King Kamfas, do better with a black background. This can help set off the double flower row that KKs are known for and make them appear more solid and less faded.
No matter which combination or combinations of the above it's important to understand that not every method will work for every fish. So if your Kamfa is not looking as good as you think he could, keep experimenting with these environmental factors until you find the combination that works best for your individual fish.

Zhen Zhu

This breed originated slightly after the Kamfa, derived from the Luohan. It has a rounded tail, large mouth, red protruding eyes, and a prominent head flower. Zhen Zhu means "pearl flowerhorn." This breed's strongest characteristic is pearling. Breeders often cross other types with Zhen Zhus because they breed easily and can create better pearling for the next generation. Weak tails can also carry over, however.

Zhen Zhu Identification

Zhen Zhou or pearl flowerhorns are the most common breed of Flowerhorn available in the US. The ZZ name and breed has served as sort of a 'catch-all' breed name used for identifying Flowerhorns. In order to review the zz breed effectively there are several factors that need to be kept in mind to further narrow this wide category and appropriately so as different strains of ZZ differ in appearance greatly. Two important factors are country of origin and timeline. ZZs from different countries can vary greatly as well as modern strains differing from classic strains greatly.

Zhen Zhu Breeding

ZZs do not share the same fertility problems as the Kamfa strain nor does it take a ZZ as long to reach sexual maturity. This likely accounts for why they are the most readily available. This also is likely responsible for the physical variation in strains, as ZZs are often mixed with other less fertile strains. This strain doesn't require much special treatment apart from normal flowerhorn breeding practices.

Zhen Zhu Care

In addition to being one of the most fertile strains, ZZs are also among the hardiest. They also don't require as much special treatment apart from normal flowerhorn husbandry.

Zhen Zhu Strains
*please note this is an incomplete and working list*

If you would like to see a strain added please send a pic and description to my PM box
As stated above the ZZ category is very wide and encompassing. Within this breed category breeders have created a tremendous amount of variation. Each subset strain has its own unique characteristics, which means two very different looking fish can be classified as ZZ. Each country and breeder has their own take on what a ZZ should look like and what traits they find desirable. Some ZZ have huge heads with no color and weak fins while others have hard heads with strong fins and deep red color. It is therefore necessary to delve into the individual subset strains. This is difficult for two reasons; firstly there is no stopping a breeder from naming a new strain with no new or different characteristics but simply to differentiate himself/herself from other breeders. And two, the flowerhorn hobby and especially the ZZ breed is constantly evolving. Chances are as soon as this list is completed it will immediately need revision. Therefore in order to understand the ZZ strain better, we can refer back to the 4 pure cichlid chart and note that the ZZ side of the family tree is based on the Trimac. Some characteristics, with all of the cross-breeding happening, are still around today. The head flower spotted flower line, red eyes, red breast, and green pearl sheen and rounded tail all point back to the pure species Trimac Cichlid. The more traits from a particular fish that you can tie back to the original 4 pure species Cichlids the easier it will be to identify it. IE the more traits in common with a Trimac, the more likely the fish are a ZZ. Conversely the more characteristics in common with a Syn, the more likely the fish are a Kamfa.

Classic Strains

Red Dragon:

Identification - Red Dragons belong to the Zhen Zhu strain of flowerhorns. One of the most popular breeds of all time the Red Dragon is so named, of course, for the spectacular red coloring on their bodies. Since this is the most readily available, easy to breed strain of flowerhorns there are many different looking fish all classified as Red Dragon. Their differences come as breeders across the world have their own take on how the fish should look. Whether the emphasis of a particular breeder may be on the pearling or the large heads, one thing is certain when it comes to Red Dragons, the more Red color on the fish the better!

Blue Dragon:

Identification - Blue Dragons belong to the Zhen Zhu strain of flowerhorns. So named for the blueish tinge mixed with the green metallic sheen on their bodies. Contrary to popular assumption blue dragons often do have red coloring, though this is mostly confined to the lower breast just below the pecoral fins as the Blue Dragon is a Trimac based fish. Their rise to popularity in the US around 2003-2005 was a result of their predisposition for large nuchal humps. Blue dragons were among the first strains to consistently produce big headed fish as well as the most consistent production of "water koks". The Blue dragon while being a member of the Pearl Flowerhorn strain has very subtle pearls. Most Blue dragons do not have what are now pearl spots. Instead their bodies have a green metallic.