How to Care for Red Dragon FlowerhornsSimple Tips for Enhancing Red Dragon Flowerhorns

The red dragon flowerhorn is one of the very first Lou Hans I kept. As with other flowerhorns belonging to the Zen Zhou category, the red dragon is unbelievably very easy to enhance and care for. If you are a newbie to this hobby, I suggest keeping this strain or any strain belonging to the Zen Zhou category.

In this post, I will discuss with you everything you need to know on how to care for red dragon flowerhorns. Even if you have very limited experience keeping fishes, I guarantee that by following the tips below, you will do just fine in keeping these hardy cichlids.

Choosing the Right Fish Health, above anything else, should be your primary consideration when choosing a red dragon. Fish should be free of defects, have no visible signs of disease, and should swim just fine. 

When it comes to buying flowerhorns, it’s better to buy a better quality fish even if the price is a bit higher. In my experience, it’s almost always better buying a single high quality fish at premium price than buying a few low quality ones at bargain price with the hope that they will turn out beautiful once enhanced. Check out my other post for a more detailed discussion about the traits, pricing, and origin of the red dragon flowerhorn.

Preparing the TankA 50-gallon tank would suffice for most red dragons aging two years or less. In fact, these may serve them just enough for their entire lifetime. Unlike many classic Lou Hans, new strains normally don’t grow as large. However, you should still observe the growth rate of your fish as it’s not uncommon for many new red dragons to grow to a fuller size. If you think your fish is already having trouble moving around its tank, you definitely should get it a much larger tank.

If you prefer buying a juvenile fish that you could rear until they achieve their best potential, I suggest using a 50-gallon tank until they reach 6-8 inches in size. If you think your fish is still growing, buy it a larger tank. A 70-gallon tank is the smallest in this case. Or you could just use a 70-gallon tank right away. With these fast-growing cichlids, bigger tanks are always better. Read more about this topic on our guide on flowerhorn tank sizes. 

Comprehensive Feeding GuideThe red dragon flowerhorn would eagerly consume any fish food designed for cichlids and they would just do fine. If you however want to enhance your pet to achieve its full potentials, provide it with fish food that are rich in Astaxanthin, preferably those derived from natural ingredients like krill. Personally, I stay away from synthetic astaxanthin. In my experience, they make fish develop redness much faster but there effects are not as long-lasting and as vibrant as with fish food containing natural enhancers.

At their growth years provide them with high protein fish food, but slowly shift to those containing more vegetable matter as they grow older. Personally, I believe that this will help you fish live longer. Always check that they are not very fat and overfed as this is the biggest reason for poor health. The growth rate of the red dragon flowerhorn typically starts to decline as they reach six inches. I think that’s the right time to SLOWLY shift to fish food containing less protein and more fiber and spirulina. Read more on food for flowerhorn head growth.

Keeping Your Fish HealthyFlowerhorns are voracious eaters so it’s expected that they would produce a lot of waste. Keep you fish healthy by following a strict feeding routine. Again, NEVER overfeed. 

Religiously follow a water change routine. Red dragons unlike many Kamfa are not as susceptible to the bad effects of water change and may in fact benefit from it more if done frequently. You don’t have to

remove the fish from the tank. Just siphon waste along with 30% tank water and replace with aged water. Do this every week or two. 

Provide your fish with properly lighting as well. Check out our guide on flowerhorn lighting.

How to Enhance Flowerhorn ColorA Guide on How to Improve Flowerhorn Color

Enhancing the beauty of flowerhorn fishes is not confined with improving the size of their nuchal humps alone. Equally important is increasing flowerhorn color intensity.

Natural ColorsThe most popular color for flowerhorn fishes is red. It is extremely popular among people who practice feng shui. Other popular colors include yellow, orange, blue, and silver, as in the case of Thai Silks.  

Which Color Should I Enhance?Your goal as owner should enhance the natural colors of your fish. A common mistake that beginners do is forcing the fish to develop red colorations even though is natural base is blue. Never do this as this could make your fish sick or develop some form of allergic reaction, especially if too much enhancer is used.

Intensity and Spread of ColorationIn enhancing the natural colors of the fish, consider developing both intensity and spread of its coloration. Its colors should be vivid and crisp, and their coverage should be as wide as possible. Often, there are lines that separate or surround the colors, enhancing those lines are also recommended.

BalanceFlowerhorns often have different colors at varying width and intensity. If one of its colors is more intense than the others, it is recommended to enhance the less intense ones more. This would make the colors of your fish more balance and that no part of its entire body appears dull.

Caution: Darkening of ColorsThis often occurs when the fish has developed a certain type allergic reaction because of too much enhancer. A good example of this is feeding blue dragon flowerhorns with red enhancing pellets thinking that this will make the fish red. As a result, the fish would turn dark for months even after feeding of the red enhancing food has already been stopped. 

Other causes of color darkening are disease, poor water condition, injury, or stress.

Golden base flowerhorns would normally turn dark before they shed off their scales to reveal its new coloration. 

Some fishes naturally have dark colors. In some cases, nothing can really be done to change that. As a rule, it is better to choose light colored flowerhorns than dark ones to avoid this problem. 

Pellets with Color Enhancing PigmentsMany flowerhorn and cichlid fish food contain varying amounts of color enhancing pigments. The most common is astaxanthin, which is used for enhancing red and orange coloration. Some may contain xanthophyll for enhancing yellows and spirulina for enhancing blues. Ideally, it is recommended using fish food that contain balanced amounts of all of these pigments. 

Fish foods that focus on enhancing a specific color are typically used by those who participate in flowerhorn competitions.

AstaxanthinAstaxanthin, enhances red and orange coloration of fishes. It is perhaps the most widely used in flowerhorn fish foods among other color enhancer.  Astaxanthin is derived from natural sources such as krills and shrimps. Some fish food would indicate containing canthaxanthin. This is the synthetized form of astaxanthin.

When using astaxanthin, be careful not to feed too much to blue-based flowerhorns as this may cause unwanted allergic reactions. XO Super Red Syn is known for such so use this fish food only according to instructions. 

Recommended flowerhorn fish food containing astaxanthin are XO Ever Red, Alife, XO Super Red Syn, and Cyclop Flowerhorn Food.  My personal favorite here is XO Ever Red. It takes a bit longer for this fish food to show desired results, but the enhanced redness is much beautiful and does not fade easily when feeding is discontinued.

SpirulinaSpirulina is used to enhance blues. In nature, they are abundantly found in blue green algae. 

In most cases, blue-based flowerhorns are somewhat dull in coloration. To address this, you must feed your fish with spirulina rich pellets consistently. It may take as long as three months before you notice the difference, but trust me it's worth the wait especially if you like classic flowerhorns.

Another common use of this enhancer is for the pearly dots or wormlike pearls found in many new strains. Thai Silks would also benefit from Spirulina-rich fish food. 

I have tried different brands containing Spirulina, but I always go back to Ocean Free XO Starry. I consider it as the best one in its category.

XanthophyllIf you have been shopping around for flowerhorn food that enhances yellows (those containing Xanthophyll), you should have already known that there is not many around.  As an alternative, you may cross-over to fish food intended for other cichlids or even to goldfish pellets. I have tried Tetra Goldfish Pellets and I really liked the results. 

You may also check your local pet shops and go over the ingredients lists of the fish food they carry. Look for those containing xanthophyll, marigold powder, dried egg, or corn gluten meal. These ingredients enhance yellows.

Live FoodAt one point, a hobbyist would try using live food to enhance the coloration of their fish. Shrimps and frozen blood worms may be used to enhance redness and dried egg yolks for yellows.  I have tried these ones, and I don’t necessarily recommend them as they could expose your fish to a variety of diseases. I assure you, you are better off using color enhancing fish foods.

LightingLighting plays a crucial role in enhancing the coloration of your fish. It has been noted that fishes exposed to ample indirect sunlight project more vivid colors. As a rule, your flowerhorn tank must be placed in a well-lighted room and much better if the light source is indirect sunlight. You may check ourguide on flowerhorn lighting for more information on this matter.

AgeAge plays a role in the color development of flowerhorns as well. They commonly start to develop their coloration when they are around two to three inches in size. For male flowerhorns, colors would continue

to intensify and spread in area until they are around six to eight inches in size. After this, their coloration will start fading slowly, a sign of aging.

At around 3-5 inches in size, golden base flowerhorns will also change their coloration characterized by first shedding off of old colors. After this, new coloration is revealed and intensified after some time.

BreedingWhen breeding flowerhorns, it is a common practice to stop using any color enhancing feeds. Some believe that too much enhancers could adversely affect the the breeding process. 

How to Make Flowerhorn Fry Grow FastA Guide on Improving the Growth Rate of Flowerhorn Fry

A big challenge that comes with breeding flowerhorns is making the fry grow as fast as possible. While it is more important to focus more on producing high quality fishes, this aspect of the breeding process is equally important.

ScopeThis guide deals with fishes from their wriggler stage (when the eggs are hatched) until they are 2 months old. These fishes are still kept in community tanks.

Juveniles that are “groomed” in individual tanks are not included in this guide. My next article will deal with those juveniles.

FoodAmong the different types of fry food, my favorite is the daphnia. However, this type of food is not readily available all year round. As an alternative, I use pulverized flowerhorn food. There are those that are especially formulated for smaller fishes. You may use those as well.

Does it have to be especially formulated for flowerhorns?

No, it does not have to be. I’ve used feeds intended for goldfish and other cichlids. The results are just the same. Of course, using those containing higher protein content would normally enhance flowerhorn growth. You also don’t need to use those containing color enhancers. As long as the feed is within your budget, you may use it. Feeding a thousand flowerhorn fry with expensive pellets is just not logical especially that most of them will be culled anyway.

CullingYes, culling plays a big role here. Space is very important to speed up growth. Whenever, you see fry with visible deformities, I recommend culling them right away. You would want to provide the high quality ones with the best possible conditions, e.g. more space, less competition. I do this at least once a week.

When the fishes are already one month old, I would already start separating fast growers. Typically, I would prepare an additional 50 gallon tank for this. I would transfer around 100 fast growing fry, each inspected that they have no visible deformities, to provide more room for remaining smaller ones to grow.

For a population of 1000, I would typically cull 800. The remaining 200 will be observed for any sign of head growth in small individual tanks. 

Population DensityTo really speed up growth, I recommend using the ratio of 100 1-inch fry per 50 gallons of water. Remember that the important thing here is not tank size. You should focus more on population density. Again, you need to separate the fast growers from the smaller ones to provide them the chance to catch

up. Never allow fast growers bully the weaker ones. Not all high quality flowerhorns are fast growers, so you really need to protect slow growers as well.

Water ChangeWhat if you have a limited number of tanks or your tanks are not that large?

I’ve seen breeders raise as much as 500 pcs 1-inch fry in 50 gallon tanks and would just do fine. However, they would have to do daily partial water changes to keep them healthy. Some even do it multiple times each day. This is fine if you are in a place with unlimited free running water and you have the time to do this process religiously. Your fry could really suffer if you could not keep up. 500 pcs flowerhorn fry are always bound to produce a lot of waste even in just a single day.

If you have enough space or tanks available, I recommend using the 100 fry to 50 gallon tank ratio. It’s much safer and their chance of survival is much higher.

How to determine if you already need to do partial water change?

A good sign that water parameters are not ideal anymore is when you notice your fry breathing near the surface. At this point, oxygen level is already very low or ammonia or PH levels are already bad. I don’t recommend that you wait for this to happen. Instead, create a schedule for water changes. For fry, I suggest doing it at least once a week. 

Diseases & Treatment

Click Above Picture for Better View White Spot Disease 

Cause and Symptoms 

The cause of this condition is Ichthyophithirius multifilis (ICH ) , a ciliated protozoan . Bad water quality can increase the likelihood that your fish will be victim to this parasite. Low water temperatures (< 25°C) are ideal breeding grounds for ICH. The most common way Flower horns get ICH is when they are fed live or frozen food that has already been contaminated with the parasite. The most prominent symptom of this condition are the pure white spots that will appear all over your fish. You may also notice the fins are clumped together, and they act a bit more lethargic than usual. Moreover, it's common for them to lose interest in food when ICH infects. Treatment 

The parasites resides under the skin of the fish, hence it is not affected by water treatment or direct treatment applied to the fish . Break the breeding cycle of Ich by washing the tank thoroughly to remove

the cysts of the parasite. Keep in mind that this is a highly contagious condition, so your entire aquarium must be treated. 

To cure white spots: 

Place Kordon Ich inhibitor in your tank. Add aquarium salt at 3g/l of water every 3 days together with the medication. After 3rd day, tank must be washed thoroughly to eliminate the causative agent. Add Kordon Malachite Green treatment to your tank. Preventive measures: 

Add Kordon Prevent Ich Fish Disease Inhibitor and Preventative to your tank. Quarantine new fish for three to four weeks. Avoid cross-tank contamination.

Hole-In-The-Head Disease 

Cause and Symptoms 

The cause of this condition is Hexamita Protozoa , parasitic organisms that are highly contagious. These parasites thrive with poor water quality management. If your fish has this condition, you will notice the appearance of small pits and pimples mainly on the fish's head. These pits will simply grow and form bigger pits. The pits are white in color, and sometimes mucous are visible around them. In addition to losing weight, becoming lethargic, and losing their appetites, the fish will produce white, stringy feces. Treatment 

Add Dimetrydazole (5mg/l) or Metronidazole (7mg/l). Repeat treatment once every 3 days. Do a 20%-30% water change. It is sometimes necessary to inject Metronidazole, but injections near the affected area should be attempt only by qualified personnel. Preventive measures : 

Change your water regularly. Quarantine new fish for three to four weeks. Avoid cross-tank contamination.

Mouth, body and tail fungus 

Causes & Symptoms 

This condition is caused by Saproglenia and other related bacteria. Bad water quality only causes these kinds of bacteria to thrive. Sudden changes in the water condition can also cause this condition in your fish. If your fish has this condition, you will notice cotton like tufts at the mouth, body, fin and tail. You may also notice your fish losing weight. Treatment 

Add Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Aquarium Salt to your tank. Adding Jungle Labs Fungus Eliminator will also help. Be sure to treat the whole tank, but quarantine the most seriously ill fish. Preventive measures : 

Change your water regularly. Quarantine new fish for three to four weeks. Avoid cross-tank contamination.

Dropsy 

Causes & Symptoms 

This condition is caused by a bacterial infection. Poor water quality, overcrowding, and stress can make your fish more susceptible to this condition. If your fish is affected, he may appear bloated and stop eating Treatment 

· Do not add aquarium salt to your tank. 

· Use a commercially prepared treatment available at your local pet shop. 

Preventive measures : 

Change your water regularly. Quarantine new fish for three to four weeks to avoid the introduction of new, dangerous bacteria. Avoid cross-tank contamination.

Fin & Tail Rot Disease 

Causes & Symptoms 

This condition is caused by Pseudomonas and other related bacteria. Poor water quality causes these bacteria to thrive in your tank. If your fish is affected, the fin and tail appeared eaten away and white edged. You may even notice the fin or tail beginning to literally dissolve. The color of the fish may dull, and the fins may clump together. This bacteria is highly contagious. Treatment 

Treat the whole tank, but quarantine and treat the heavily infected fish. Tetracycline should be added. Preventive measures : 

Change your water regularly. Quarantine new fish for three to four weeks. Avoid cross-tank contamination.

Air Bladder Disease 

Causes & Symptoms 

This condition is caused by a number of things, but the most likely problems are a virus or a bacterial infection. If your fish has this condition, you may notice they have trouble swimming correctly, or they tend to swim upside down. Treatment 

Because it can be hard to determine the cause of this problem, it can also be difficult to treat it, but in

general, an antibiotic agent should take care of the problem. Preventive measures : 

Change your water regularly. Quarantine new fish for three to four weeks. Avoid cross-tank contamination

Velvet Disease 

Causes & Symptoms 

This condition is caused by a fungus living in your tank. Poor water quality causes this fungus to thrive in your tank. If your fish is affected, he may stop swimming, and he may begin to look ill.

Treatment 

· Add Copper Sulfate (Blue Crystal) to your tank. Be sure to use the ratio of 1 g Copper Sulfate and 0.25g Citric Acid to 1 litre of distilled water. Dosage instructions: 12.5 ml to 10 litres of aquarium water for 10 days. Administer half of this on days three, five and seven. 

Preventive measures : 

Change your water regularly. Quarantine new fish for three to four weeks. Avoid cross-tank contamination.