Or so some Chinese believe. The Flower Horn Fish’s massive melon is said to enhance its owner’s feng-shui (good mojo), but the real magic is in its horizontal black markings. Some of these marking resemble Chinese characters, and supposedly have predicted winning lotto numbers for their owners.
The Flower Horn Fish is a Cichlid hybrid and although it has been bred for its horn, its size is at least partially dependent on environment. It is highly territorial and the more it is confronted the greater the growth.
Many retailers advertise this fact and recommend stressing strategies like adding colorful stones (atypical to this fish) and placement of a mirror so that the fish will believe another fish is encroaching on its territory. However, any lamer like myself can tell you: when you create a monster it will always come back to bite you in the ass.
