all of which can vary a great deal depending on where they came from,
and who bred them..
Everyone has a different take on how each strain
should look, so as these fish are bred more, there becomes a lot more
difference within each strain..
As an example, you may find a ZZ
(Zhen Zhou) with large kok lots of red, but be lacking when it comes to
pealrs and script (flowers) and body shape..
Then the next one you
may see might have great script, good body shape, good pearls, good body
and fins, but has small kok (nuchal hump).
The reason for this is
that each breeder has there own idea of their perfect flowerhorn, and
breed for there most desired traits.
This example is also true for all other breeds of flowerhorn..The 4 groups we have are: ZZ/Zhen zhou, Kamfa, gold base/ Faders, and Kamalau/golden monkey..
Firstly,Zhen zhou..
Zhen zhou means pearl flowerhorn, and these are the most widely available,
mostly because they are the most hardy, and the most fertile, therefor
making them much easier to breed..
For this same reason, ZZ have been bred with most other strains to improve fertility/hardiness and certain desired traits..
Zhen Zhou Breeding: ZZ are very fertile, and can be bred the same way as most aggressive american cichlids..
The use of a divider is very handy and is the most common technique used
Zhen Zhou Care: They have no special needs in terms of care, they can
tolerate a wide range of ph (6.8 - 7.6) 7.2-7.4 seems to get the best results..
They can also tolerate quite high temperature of up to 32*c, with 26-28 being the optimum range
Basic routine maintenance is all that's required..
Clean water and varied diet is all that's need for these to thrive..
Classic Zhen Zhou Strains: within ZZ there are 2 strains, Red Dragon, which is
known for it bright red collar and Blue Dragon, which can still have the
red collar, but has more of a blue sheen on the body rather than the
brighter pearls of a red dragon..
As mentioned above, there can be a lot of variation within each strain..
Red Dragon Samples
Blue Dragon Sample.
Kamfa Identification:
Some Kamfa characteristics are white/yellow eyes, although they can be
red also, they can have a larger square body and large water kok, also even lips.
A wrapped tail and sunken eyes are desirable..
A basic Kamfa can be made by crossing a Zhen Zhou with a blood parrot or king kong parrot,
but these normally carry more of the zz traits with yellow or white
eyes and a stronger tail..
More desirable kamfa can be made using many of the vieja (paratheraps) species.
Breeding Kamfa: Kamfa have been known to be less fertile than ZZ, and it is said
that yellow and white eyed kamfa are likely to be infertile where as
red eye kamfa have been known to be more fertile..
Because of these fertility issues it can take a lot longer to produce high quality
kamfa, and they therefore demand a higher price..
Kamfa Care: Looking after a kamfa takes a bit more work, as they can be more sensitive to water parameter changes..
It's best to use aged water (water that has been heated, airated and conditioned for at least 24 hours)
Newer strains arent as bad, but do require good tank maintenance to look there best..
Kamfa Examples
Goldbase/Faders:
They are called "Faders" because when they are juvies, they turn a dark
colour, and then fade to a nice yellow/orange or red colour..
As stated above there is a lot of variation within this classification, for example, the red texas is also classed as a fader..
Fader Care: no special care is needed, just good water conditions and a good
diet the same as a ZZ will bring out there best potential..
Gold Base/Fader Examples
The example below is still fading
Last but not least, Golden monkey/ Kamalau..
I'm not going to get into the big argument that can be had about kamalau, what ill do is give a quick overview..
The original Kamalau does not exist anymore, what is around is a replacement for them..
They are as close as breeders could get (the original breeder couldnt even replicate this breed)
To
be classified as GM, it should have a shorter face then ZZ, an
underbite, stronger tail than zz, but not as wrapped as kamfa, and
generally worm pearl covering covering at least the head..
Remember this is just my opinion..
I could write a couple pages just on GM, but i wont, ill just end this thread on some nice new age GM for all to enjoy..
So that's the basics for now, i will discuss older strains, and some of the newer strains later..
For now, i hope this helps!
For more flowerhorn info, visit www.flowerhorninsight.com
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