How to get the best from my Flowerhorn cichlid?

Flowerhorns humps are mostly inherited, but they have to be fed well especially when young. I feed mine Tetra Cichlid Sticks, Tetra Jumbo Sticks, and cooked shrimp pieces.They grow really fast on cooked shrimp. The good Flowerhorn foods like Chingmix and Grand Sumo are very nutritious, but not any better than good pellet foods by Tetra and Hikari. Don't feed them baby fish. Flowerhorns are the most susceptible fish to Hexamita (hole in the head), and the parasite can come in with new fish, plants, or tank water.You should always have some metronidazole around in case one is incubating the disease, as it can take 6 months to show any symptoms.

Flowerhorns do best at temperatures considerably higher than African cichlids. Flowerhorns like 84-87 degrees. The young ones eat like pigs, and they can get constipated so I give them as many small meals a day as they want.

Shrimp keeps the red and orange oolors bright. High protein foods keep better color. All flowerhorn pellets should be at least 46% crude protein. If you are not going to feed shrimp, the Grand Sumo original food is probably the best color enhancer. None of phony hump foods like Humpy Head do anything specifically for the hump.