Flowerhorn Fish Craze

Sunday, March 14, 2010

5 Ways To Differentiate Between A Kamfa and Zz?

One of the most frequently asked question is how to differentiate a pearl lo-han(zhen zhou,zz) from a flower lohan (kamfa/jinghua). Here are the differences of each as conceptualized by the FH founders.

1.The forehead.

The head of the flower lo-han rises higher than the pearl lo-han.

Flower Lo Han Pearl Lohan

But some zz now a days have equally high heads.

2.The Black Mark/Dark Flower
On the side of the forehead we see that the Pearl Lo-han has a more conspicuous mark than the Flower Lo-han.

But some pearl Lo-han will have less conspicuous mark or no mark as they get bigger.

"Uber" Owned by Doc Wilson Photo by blue ice

"Fagioli" Thaksin zz

And some flower Lo-han may have conspicuous mark.

"Pag-asa" Owned by Howell

3.Mouth/Lips

The lips of the Kamfa is smooth and circular.

"MB" By sir Ernie aka Trojan

The lower lips of the ZZ is sticking/protruding out and the upper lips is shorter.

"Twiggy" owned by Twigtwig

4. Eyes
The eyes of the pearl Lo-han are outstanding/bulge out.

Chianmai crossbreed club

The eyes of the flower Lo-han are hollow/sunken.

"MB" By sir Ernie aka Trojan

Nice king kamfa with prominent sunken eyes.

5.Finnage

The dorsal fin and anal fin of the Kamfa would wrap around the caudal fin and they would look like one whole fin.

Chan2009

Lamborghini diablo by Master Bejita showing nice wrap tail

The dorsal fin and anal fin of a ZZ would usually go upward and downward. The caudal fin of the ZZ is usually smaller also .

5.Tail

The bigger and older ZZ, it would have a droopy caudal tail.

P&P

This condition would not occur to the Kamfa strain because tail are stronger and more fan like.

"Pagkakaisa" by Denl

Just a reminder that these are guidelines that have been set by the masters. A newbie would be advised to patiently study these different traits and to see as many fish as he could see before being able to differentiate between a kamfa and a zhen zou. Other experts would say that a simpler way of diffentiating between a kamfa and a zz is that if the fish has features which are predominantly amhipolus trimaculatus then it is a zz. If it looks more like a vieja then its a kamfa.

Here is a picture of a zz and a trimaculatus.

Amphilophus trimaculatus regarded as the staple in creating the zhen zhou flowerhorn.

Fagioli modern day thaksinzz. Any resembalnce to the trimaculatus? How close to a trimac is he?

Vieja synspila regarded as one of the ancestors of todays kamfas.

Pagkakaisa how close to a vieja is he? Any resemblance to a vieja?

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Seven easy ways of sexing your flowerhorn.

Knowing how to sex a flowerhorn is one of the most frequently asked question by someone who wants to venture in either keeping a flowerhorn or somebody who wants to eventually go to breeding of flowerhorn. More often than not a newbie sets out to buy a flowerhorn hoping to get a highly potential flowerhorn male fry but ends up getting a female. Males are more sought after because of the potential of forming big koks and because they grow bigger and have more vibrant color. While females are more often than not culled and disposed of because they have features that are not sought after by buyers. Top females of the school will either be not for sale or will command a higher price if the breeder decides to sell it.
Here are the different ways of sexing your flowerhorn.
1. Difference in body shape and size.
Male flowerhorns are bigger than female flowerhorn. If you are selecting from a community of frys choose the bigger or biggest fry because the males are more dominant than females and stronger so they always have access to food which makes them grow bigger fast.

female flowerhorn

male flowerhorn Emperor by Master Norman

Fagioli mating Notice obvious difference in size between male and female flowerhorn.

2.Difference in KOK size
Male flowerhorn will have bigger koks than female flowerhorn.

Male flowerhorn with nice big hump.

Female flowerhorn ($600) rare big head female by Mickkamfa commands a high price.

Female flowerhorn with small kok. More common find.

3.Presence of black markings on dorsal fins.
Female flowerhorn will have black markings on the dorsal fins. These black markings will be evident even in fry as big as 2-3inches. It is accurate way of sexing 80% of the time.

My Thaizz from Rainnybetta with black markings on dorsal fins. Below is a female flowerhorn with prominent black marking.

4.Difference in body deportment or posture.

Female flowerhorn will have particular body deportment or body posture.

Some nice looking females. Notice the body shape, small kok and the shape of the fins when they are at a standstill. Female fry aside from being small will project this particular deporment.

5.Difference in body color.
Female flowerhorn will change in color when breeding time comes while the male maintains its vibrant color.

Female flowerhorn by Iceman4242 notice presence of vertical black stripes on body.

Same female after laying eggs. Notice how her body had turned black.

My female kamalau from rainnybetta. She had better color then but as she is nearing her first egg laying her color changed to dark green black color.

My experimental pairing. Chose the male due to its bright red color. Small kok because its a mix kamfazz. Hopefully these pair will produce monsters. If not i just cull the frys and experiment on another pair.

6. Difference of shape of vent area.
You can differentiate the sex of your flowerhorn by venting.

Male reproductive organs will appear in a more shape manner. The tip of the v is pointed towards the anal fins. While the vent is situated between the arms of the v. You can gently squeeze on the vent area and if you notice squirting out of the vents then the fish that you have is a male. Similarly females will have a more u shaped structure at the vent area no fluid will squirt out of the vent when you squeez the vent area.

7.And lastly and most sure fire way of determining if your flowerhorn is male or female.
EGGS

Female lay eggs as early as 3-4inches in size.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

All About Flowerhorn Kok.

What is a flowerhorn kok?
The flowerhorn kok or nuchal hump is the crowning glory of this fish. Often associated with luck it is actually a storage area of fat. The more fat stored in the nuchal hump the bigger it gets. Below are pictures of fat that is stored in the nuchal hump.

Photo by James Ancheta on just what is inside that flowerhorn kok. Can't see any water in there so water kok maybe more of a misnomer.

The kok are described according to their types, size shape and the general appearance it gives to the fish. The following are basic description used to describe the flowerhorn kok.

Types of kok.
1. Hard kok

Reminiscent of old school flowerhorns. Hard koks are usually just a small protrusion on the forehead of the male flowerhorn. As the name implies if you touch the head part the area feels hard and flat this is due to minimal amount of fat deposited in the nuchal hump. They are usually not that attractive unless the fish has wonderful pearl and color patterns. Flowerhorns with this type of kok can be entered in a flowerhorn show under the free head category.

My thaizz with hard kok but with nice reddish pink color and worm pearls. The small kok makes this male look like a female.

2.Semi-water kok
A combination of hard and water kok.These koks don't grow to be enormous but may grow to a certain size which may be harmonious to the general appearance of the flowerhorn. These koks would feel soft on light pressing but the hard kok would be felt underneath the soft water kok when you press the kok area a little harder. Also when you shine a light behind the kok area the translucent part of the water kok would be evident.

Thaizz x kamfa-semi waterkok the kok would grow to a certain size only and would shrink back to a smaller size every time water change is done.

3.Water Kok
The most sought after kok is the water kok. These kok has the potential of growing to enormous size. It feels soft all throughout and would appear translucent when light is shone through it.