Red Dragon Flowerhorn

Originally bred for fighting, these tough fish make nice pets. But they aren't nice. Like the blood red parrot cichlid, the flowerhorn cichlid is a successful hybrid from two or several species, including red terror, synpillum, and citrinellus cichlids. Malaysian breeders were the first to successfully export these to the United States. Today there are more strains than can be mentioned in this short description, but the red dragon flowerhorn is a hardy and affordable creature. When these fish get big, they get mean, really mean, so expect to provide them with their own aquarium down the road.

Quick Facts

Care Guide

Tank setup: Give them strong filtration, a smooth bottom and only a few sturdy decorations, since they rearrange the tank.

Feeding: Feed a quality cichlid pellet once or twice a day, only as much as they eat in a couple of minutes. They also enjoy frozen foods like shrimp.

Tankmates: Flowerhorns are very aggressive and are usually kept alone.

Good to know: Flowerhorns are full of personality and often learn to recognize their owners.