If you intend to do flowerhorn breeding, it is important to start with the basics. Do get a sizeable tank (around 70 gallons would be an ideal capacity) because you will be putting a male and female flowerhorn within the same tank and their offspring may reach hundreds per coupling. It is recommended that you start with flowerhorns of the parrot cichlids or Oscars varieties to make sure the couple do not become hostile to one another. You should also get a juvenile couple because that would allow them to get used to each other's presence in the same tank.
The type of fry to be produced depends a lot on the breed of flowerhorn parents you have selected. Some people select two different flowerhorn varieties for coupling because they want to produce a new breed. If this is your first time to breed though you may want to stick to two fish from one variety only just to keep the coupling factors constant.
The type of food you give your breeding pair does influence the coupling outcome to some degree. Fish food pellets that have a balanced formula is a good choice. Just be sure you stick to a regular feeding program and don't make your fish too fat. Overfeeding can cause your fish to get ill. Some female fish tend to stop eating when it is time to mate, so you should observe the female closely when this seems to be the trend.
If the pair seem ready to mate, you should give them a semblance of privacy by taping newspapers over the sides of the tank. Some breeding pairs may show signs of hostility to one another at this time, so you might have to put a plastic divider to keep them apart. One sign they are preparing to mate is if one fish keeps still while being rushed by the other. However, if the two start fighting this may mean they are not compatible, so you will have to move one into another tank. You should check if you should pick another mate for the female fish at this point.
A water heater is a good idea both for helping the water reach tropical temperatures and for checking when the female is pregnant. The water temperature should be around 28 degrees Celsius to be comfortable for the fish. Generally, a female flowerhorn will look for a source of warmth when she has eggs in her belly. The male will also be staying close to his mate at this time. You may also notice your fish starting to dig around the rocks in the aquarium - this shows they are preparing to nest. If you have a water filtration system, remove it or turn it off - the fry might hatch and get sucked into the filter.
Flowerhorn breeding is not an exact science, and there may be factors beyond your control. For successful flowerhorn breeding, you may have to resort to trial and error until your breeding pair prove compatible and produce offspring in captivity.
