The Flowerhorn fish does not exist in the wild. It is a hybrid created in Malaysia during the last years of the 20th century. Exactly which species that were combined in order to form the Flowerhorn fish is still unknown, but it was several different South American cichlids. The secrecy has naturally been a good breeding ground for several rumours regarding the true ancestry of this remarkable fish, and some if the more bizarre theories claim that the first Flowerhorn fish was created in a secret Malaysian genetics laboratory where genes from the South American Trimac cichlid was artificially combined with genes from a Goldfish. More plausible theories suggest that the Flowerhorn fish is the result of selective crossings of several different South American cichlids; most likely intricate combinations of the Trimac cichlid, the Midas cichlid, the Redheaded cichlid and the Red Devil cichlid.Flowerhorn cichlids can display striking patterns on their body, and these patterns will sometimes resembles letters, numbers and signs. This has made Flowerhorn cichlids extremely popular among followers of the ancient Asian Feng Shui tradition. South East Asia has a long tradition of keeping aquarium fish in order to bring luck and happiness to the home. The Arowana has for instance been kept for centuries since it resembles a Chinese dragon – a very strong symbol for harmony and happiness in Chinese mythology. The Flower horn does not look like a Chinese dragon, but it has still been embraced by the Feng Shui followers since it has a hump that makes it somewhat similar to the Chinese God of Longevity. The larger the hump, the more luck will be brought to the Flowerhorn fish keeper. The markings on the body also play a vital role when determining the monetary value of a Flowerhorn fish. Flowerhorn fish with markings that resemble attractive Chinese letters have been sold for enormous amounts of money. If a Flowerhorn fish features the Chinese sign for “Luck” it will immediately become extremely valuable. This craze has been fumed by stories where Flowerhorn fish keepers have actually won money at casinos or at the lottery.
credit : http://www.flowerhorn.co.uk/
