flowerhorn

[kjathe]

got from another forum...

 

[Colisa lalia]

I hate flowerhorns. There just are not enough fish in the sea to please people so they make their own. On top of that if that thing interbreeds with it's parent species what then, a lot of weak hybrids that's what. Please encourage people against buying, or selling of these monsters.

 

[cryosi]

what a horrible hybrid, should not be allowed! not an oddball more like a freak! bad people mesisng with a fish just to make money $$$$$ ££££££ and at £75 in kingston! lol what rip off!!!

 

[ste2k3]

I think the same, its no nicer than any NATURAL FISH. saying that don't all go out and be cruel to flowerhorns, after all its not there fault some one decided to make them. i sorta feel sory for the poor fish being top of the hated fish list. but on the other hand I don't agree with any cross bred or GM fish. inc parrot cichlids-just aint natural

 

[smb]

I think to each their own if kept in their personal tanks but hybrids shouldn't be in stores or sold anywhere, imo.

I wanted to know what all the fervor was about FH's so I bought one (yes it's hyppocritical and goes against what I believe but I can't have an educational opinion if I don't know) and I don't see why they are all that.

I don't agree with to each their own when it comes to dyeing fish or when you crossbreed fish that have no fins or tails. That's just inhumane imo and going to far.

 

[joshua]

there was an idiot in singapore who won lottery after "seeing numbers" on the flowerhorn and sparked a whole craze and many people bought flowerhorns. most people feed them with live fish and some flower horns even go for 10k SGD here. in case u think that singapore currency is similar to thai baht or soemthing... 10k SGD is approx 7k USD.

 

[one-envy]

this was an interesting topic because i (or my family) actually has two flowerhorns and two parrot fish. i did not know that they were hybrids. its good to know. i think the flower horns have a lot of personality though. ours are quite active and entertain for hours.i think they are ugly though, but my dad has a thing for expensive fish.i absolutly hate the parrot fish though.i personally think we should bet rid of them, for they bother our sting ray.

 

[ramesses]

Pardon my ignorance on this subject.I didn't know flowerhorns were hybrids.As far as I can tell hybrids are the offsprings of parents from two different species close enough,sharing enough genetic info. as to have babies,and most of these babies are uncapable to have offsprins of their own.
Having said that I don't understand why people hate them;That some may not like a hybrid and won buy it,fine,Flowerhorns didnt ask to be created and even a "freak of nature"has the right to live and, being and ornamental fish,to be taken care of.
About the only think I would agree is to "dissagree" on their high price tag.
About being ugly.....Well.I've seen much worse than the flowerhorn.Many people spend tons even pay for an illegal fish to enter our countries and not necessarily a pretty fish,just rare,illegal and in some cases on the endangered list.
Now,talking about hybrids,remember that mules are hybrids and still very useful in certain places for transportation and hard labor etc.I dont want to get rid of hybrid mules,the same goes with these fish.They were were crossbred by a human to make money.Is that right?!If thats the case....whats the big deal.If you dont like it dont buy them.If there isn't a market,they wont make more of the hybrids.

 

[smb]

Having said that I don't understand why people hate them;That some may not like a hybrid and won buy it,fine,Flowerhorns didnt ask to be created and even a "freak of nature"has the right to live and, being and ornamental fish,to be taken care of.

It's not so much that it's hated but it's hated that it's out in the hobby. I wouldn't ever condone misuse of any living thing but that doesn't mean people have to like them.

They were were crossbred by a human to make money.Is that right?!If thats the case....whats the big deal.If you dont like it dont buy them.If there isn't a market,they wont make more of the hybrids.

The big deal is that you can't go into an lfs anymore and be 100% positive that you are buying a trimac. Fish should be pure and not diluted but with hybriization noone can really be sure what they are buying and it's getting worse all the time.

The "don't buy them if you don't like them" argument isn't the right approach. Thousands of people buy them possibly without knowing that they aren't really cichlids.

I'm not against people crossbreeding their own fish and I even bought a flowerhorn for 6 months to see what all the fuss was about them. I don't object to people having them. I object to people selling them to the public.

 

[ramesses]

Before I say anything else about this subject,what two species were crossbred here.Do they dye these poor fish ?Honestly dont know much about the flowerhorns.
Can you even find these fish at your lfs?I have never seen them and if so under what name?

About my "dont buy it if you dont like it" attitude I will defend 'cause as a consumer I should know better than going to my lfs and buy a fish I've never seen or heard of before.
Unfortunatly this is a free country and basically everything goes,therefore you as a consumer should protect yourself by doing some research on the matter.

Now,I definatly agree with you about people laying just to get your hard earned money.That I dont agree with.But like I said before you gotta do your homework.

If there wasnt a market,these hybrids would not be out there.

 

[smb]

Before I say anything else about this subject,what two species were crossbred here.Do they dye these poor fish ?

Noone knows for sure but the people doing it. I hear a cross of midas, trimac, festae and synspilum or variations of some, all or others.

Can you even find these fish at your lfs?I have never seen them and if so under what name?

They are all over the place. Yours is one of the few places that I have heard that hasn't had them.

About my "dont buy it if you dont like it" attitude I will defend 'cause as a consumer I should know better than going to my lfs and buy a fish I've never seen or heard of before.
Unfortunatly this is a free country and basically everything goes,therefore you as a consumer should protect yourself by doing some research on the matter.

I respect your opinion to choose what you like and even if you wanted to have a flowerhorn I wouldn't care. That's not what I'm talking about at all tho. The problem is the mixing of the purebred fish, whether intentionally or not, is what is at stake here. Before long you won't be able to walk into any lfs and get a fish that is true. It will be a fact that we will all buy a fish, not knowing what it is, what it eats or what it will look like when it matures. This is where we're heading, imo.

Now,I definatly agree with you about people laying just to get your hard earned money.That I dont agree with.But like I said before you gotta do your homework.

I agree also but a lot of fish are bought on an impulse. Another thing is, imo, most lfs's don't employ people with any knowledge of fish whatsoever to help an aspiring aquarists. They even lie to consumers and act like they know what they are talking about so the consumer "thinks" they have all the info they need but are misguided.

If there wasnt a market,these hybrids would not be out there.

There IS a market out there but that doesn't justify the harm that hybrids cause when the market is flooded with them. There's also a market out there for real cichlids but we won't be able to buy them if this keeps up.
There's a market for shark fin soup where the commercial fishermen catch sharks, cut the fins off and throw the rest of the shark in the water. There's a market for the killing of whales also. That doesn't mean it's right or that I have to like it.
What about the fish they are creating now that have no dorsal fin and those that have no tails? This is the same thing and I don't agree with that. I don't think anyone should keep them either. Same with blood parrots. They are a monstrosity and they should not be in this hobby.

I'm not against you or anyone having whatever they want. You have every right to keep what you like and I wouldn't tell anyone different. I just don't think it should be in the public where further harm can happen.

BTW, this isn't directed at you at all. I just happened to be replying to one of your questions and went on.

I pretty much agree with what you said in your last post.

 

[juanveldez]

my wife did bring up a good point tonight SMB in that there are alot of LFS out there that don't even know what they have. for example I have seen a lfs where they have 3 juvie N.Livingstonii in an overcrowed 20 tetra tank. and all the lfs knew about them was their name. needless to say that they were shocked when I told them about the fish getting up to around 12 inches each, but they did recoil to my comments in that they told me that there was a guy that wanted to buy them. that was two weeks ago I don't think that the guy is going to buy them now.
luckly I can also say that of the 3 lfs within driving distance none carry flowerhorns, and I highly doubt that any of them would even know what I was talking about if I did want one

 

[ramesses]

SMB I agree with pretty much what you have to say,we may have a few differences but equally I value and respect your opinion.This is a place where we exchange ideas opinions and info.
I originally posted in responce to some people saying how much they hated these fish,something I strongly disagreed with,hybrid or pure breed they all deserve to live and being taken care of.
Just like JUANVELDEZ I've never seen a flowerhorn in person.I only visit these two pet stores to buy anything supply I need.I seldom buy fish from them,since I buy fish directly from reputable breeders,but I stop by to see what stock they have in.And its true that much of the people they have working there have no clue about the fish theyre selling.
But like I say before I have to inform myself before I buy.
About......"If there wasnt a market , these hybrids would not be out there"Think...If there wasnt a market for shark fins nobody would go out to the sea catching "jaws" the same goes with the whales,elphants and their tusks or rhinos and their horns and "their magical powers"tiger paws and so on.
My idea of a solution would be to inform the public about it maybe write to the auction websites like Aquabid where they are being offered,let people know about them,where they come from and how they are "created"not being pure bred and all.
Maybe contact organizations that may help,like the ones that decide certain species are banned from entering our borders.I dont know.In any case calling the flowerhorns "ugly" and "I hate those hybrids"won't do anything to stop breeders from flooding your lfs.

.

 

[smb]

my wife did bring up a good point tonight SMB in that there are alot of LFS out there that don't even know what they have.

An excellent point and I totally agree.

This is a place where we exchange ideas opinions and info.

Absolutely. I feel the same way and that's all I try to do and it's just for exchanging ideas and us all learning from each other.

My idea of a solution would be to inform the public about it

I agree. That's all I'm trying to do when I post about it. Just getting the info out there to try and let people know and hopefully they won't buy them.

In any case calling the flowerhorns "ugly" and "I hate those hybrids"won't do anything to stop breeders from flooding your lfs.

You're right. I wasn't talking about the FH's when I said I was totally against anyone having the fish. I was talking about blood parrots and the fish that have no dorsal fins or are without tails. To me, that is cruel punishment to make a fish go thru life like that when nature intended otherwise. OTOH, getting the word out to unsuspecting people on forums is a start to let them know how bad it is for the hobby.

Glad you tok all this the right way and we can talk about it because there are a lot of people that have to resort to arguing when this subject comes up.

 

[juanveldez]

I will say this much for the makers of the flowerhorn.... at least they made a fish that somewhat even looks like a real fish... can't really say that for the makers of the blood parrot