Strains
Flowerhorn strains, and how to tell them apart
Kamfa, ZZ, SRD, Thai Silk: the names on a flowerhorn tank tell you something, but never everything. Here is how the strains differ and what to look at first.
What “strain” means for a flowerhorn
A flowerhorn strain is a line of fish bred, generation after generation, toward a particular look: a square body, heavy pearls, solid red, a silver sheen. It is not a breed in the dog-show sense. There is no registry, no written standard, and no pedigree papers. The names come from breeders and sellers, and they spread by word of mouth.
Because every flowerhorn is a hybrid (see where the flowerhorn came from), strains overlap constantly. A fish can carry Kamfa structure and Red Dragon color at the same time, and many do. Think of strains as families with recognizable faces rather than sealed boxes.
The founding lines
Reference sources usually group the early derived flowerhorns into four main varieties: Zhen Zhu (the pearl flowerhorn), Kamfa, Golden Monkey, and the Golden Base group, which includes the faders. Accounts disagree on which came first, and dates vary by who tells the story, so treat any precise timeline with caution.
Most of what you see for sale today was built on those foundations. Red Dragon and Super Red Dragon are color lines selected mostly from ZZ-type fish. Kamfa was pushed further with Vieja and parrot-type crosses. Thai Silk, Kamalau, King Kamfa and the short-body fish came later still, each selected for one standout trait.
How to tell the major strains apart
Color is the least reliable clue, because it changes with age, diet and mood. Start with structure: body outline, eyes, mouth and how the fins sit against the tail. The table below describes typical fish; individual fish, and especially crosses, will break the pattern.
| Strain | Body shape | Kok | Pearling | Color | Eye | Typical fertility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kamfa | Square and compact; dorsal and anal fins wrap the tail | Very large, often a softer water head | Dense over face and body | Varied; red to blue-red with a metallic sheen | White or yellow, often sunken; red possible | Often poor, especially males |
| Zhen Zhu (ZZ) | Longer, tapering; lower jaw juts; rounded tail | Firmer hard head, usually smaller than Kamfa | Heavy, often blue-green or white | Red, pink or orange | Red and bulging | Generally good; matures earlier |
| Red Dragon / SRD | Mostly ZZ-type | Moderate to large | Clean pearls on the sides and rear | Solid red over the front half or more; SRD deepest | Usually red | Follows the base line, usually ZZ |
| Thai Silk | Standard flowerhorn outline | Smaller and pale | Light; the sheen is the point | Metallic white, silver or blue; often little or no black flower | Often red | Varies by line |
| Golden Base | Standard to stocky | Moderate | Light to moderate | Starts dark, fades to gold, yellow or orange | Varies | Varies; a hardy, common first fish |
| Kamalau (KML) | Kamfa-like body and face | Kamfa-style, often large | Heavy, often greenish | Varies | Varies | Varies by line |
| Short body | Compressed and round | Can look huge for the body | Follows the base line | Follows the base line | Follows the base line | Varies; health is the bigger question |
For judging quality within a strain, rather than identifying it, see how to grade a flowerhorn. As experienced keepers point out, without breeding records nobody can tell what a flowerhorn is made of by looking.
Why the names get confusing
Strain names stack. SRD ZZ means a ZZ-type fish graded as Super Red Dragon for color; SRD Kamfa is a Kamfa-structured fish with that same deep red. The same fish might be sold as Kamfa in one shop and KML in the next.
- One name, several meanings: Kamalau is described as a Kamfa and Malau cross in some sources and used for Golden Monkey in others.
- Several names, one fish: Kamfa is also sold as Jin Hua, and Thai Silk is often marketed as Titanium.
- Labels that aren’t strains: F0 to F4 are generation claims for Kamfa, not separate strains. The breeding page and glossary explain the terms.
- Trade names: sellers coin new names for fish with little real difference to stand out.
Our advice at the counter is always the same: buy the fish in front of you, not the label on the tank.
Strain guides
Each guide covers origins, identifying features, common variants and what to check before buying.
Questions about flowerhorn strains
How many types of flowerhorn are there?
There is no fixed number, because breeders keep crossing lines and coining names. Most fish sold today fall into a handful of families: Kamfa, Zhen Zhu, Red Dragon, Thai Silk, Golden Base, Kamalau and short body.
What is the difference between a Kamfa and a ZZ?
A Kamfa usually has a square body, even lips, sunken white or yellow eyes and fins that wrap the tail. A ZZ is longer, with a jutting lower jaw, red bulging eyes, a rounded tail and heavier pearling.
Is SRD a separate strain?
Not really. Super Red Dragon is a higher color grade of Red Dragon, and the label is usually paired with a body type, as in SRD ZZ or SRD Kamfa.
Which flowerhorn strain is best for a beginner?
ZZ and Golden Base fish are generally the hardiest and most forgiving. Kamfa lines are often described as more sensitive to water changes and swings in conditions.
Sources
- Flowerhorn cichlid, Wikipedia
- What makes a flowerhorn ZZ or Kamfa?, MonsterFishKeepers
- 5 ways to differentiate between a Kamfa and ZZ, Flowerhorn Fish Craze
- Is KML the same as SRD?, MonsterFishKeepers
- Flowerhorn fish: complete guide on varieties, Guidarium