baby flowerhorns in community tank

[Elle]

Djamm brought home 2 "mystery fish" which are actually 1" baby flowerhorns last night.

They're in the 30g tropical/grow-out community tank right now with the other babies and seem to be doing fine. However, I know that these fish can be psychotically aggressive when they get bigger, so I'm nervous about how long this peaceful state will last and how fast they will grow.

I'm thinking that my best bet right now is to move them to the 75g by themselves when we get the current inhabitants into the 180g tank, but are they ever likely to be able to co-exist with 2 oscars, the JD and the catfish in the 180g? I think FH's are gorgeous, but I wasn't planning to have a single large tank for just them, assuming that they will even live together as adults without trying to kill each other!

[jlam86]

Hi Elle,

In my past experience, the flowerhorns ARE psychotically aggressive, but to their own kind only. I currently have my flower horn with a florida gar, synodontis catfish, black ghost knife and bichir and she seems to be quite civilized. She's about 6.5'' (maybe a bit more) and is a bit of a pig. She always gets first dibs on food as the others are aware of her aggression.

For most part, they do get along. HOwever, when I had another flowerhorn in the tank, she totally destroyed it after 2 weeks of living with it. It was just like sudden PMS. 2 weeks of being best buds, swimming together, then one day, I wake up to a badly beaten flowerhorn. hope this helps.

oh, if you're curious, all my other fish are smaller than the flower horn.

[Elle]

That's what happened with my JD when he murdered my green terror. Nothing, nothing, some chasing, then BAM! dead. How large was your tank?

My concern is mixing the adult FHs with either each other or the nasty-ass JD. Right now as babies they're OK, but as soon as they get a bit bigger they'll have to come out of the 30g. There's nowhere else to put them at the moment, as the SA cichlids would eat them at this size.

For now, I'm thinking that an egg crate divider in the 75g will be my friend as they grow out, but god knows where I'll put them when they get too big for that tank.

[CRS Fan]

Djamm brought home 2 "mystery fish" which are actually 1" baby flowerhorns last night. !

For the love of God, Drew ! Impulse purchases can be quite surprising. Good luck with you new 'terrors'.

Best regards,

Stuart

[djamm]

Well this was an impulse purchase...But its not like we have any lack of those in our house JD, Oscars, Silver Dollars, Catfish, etc... My intention is not to keep them forever together in a community grow out tank.

[Elle]

But its not like we have any lack of those in our house JD, Oscars, Silver Dollars, Catfish, etc...

Yeah, yeah. I'm way more guilty of this than you (since those are all my fish). I admit it.

I'm just nervous about a possible fishy Armageddon.

[Unicorrs]

based on my experience with our flowerhorns, the only tankmates they had are their food! since I'm not a "fish whisperer" I don't know how to tame these aggressive creatures and I don't want to try giving them tankmates other than their food.

[FishFreaks]

i keep my fh with severums,butterkoferi, and jack dempsey and like 20 corydoras with no problems and their all like 4-6inches

[cowis]

shortbody fh are alot less agressive then regular ones. The aggression leval is all based on each fish and their personality.... i have had lots of fh in the past some mean as hell some nice and calm. Its hard to say till what size or for how long the fish will stay peaceful.

[Acipenser]

F.H. grow fast, in no time they are will be busting up the community tank ! also they are psychotic, I have seen them in community tanks when they are slightly over crowded do o.k., but I ended up having to buy a separate tank and take mine out of my 125g SA/CA tank because it was too damn aggressive.