Flowerhorn cichlids are a lot like other cichlids, but there are notable differences.

The "making" of Flowerhorns (their crossbreeding) results in a fish which is less interested in other fish, and perhaps more interested in its owner. For example, my fish Bebe spins acrobatics when I come into the office. She rolls on her side and explores the tank with greater veracity. She looks at me.

The other cichlids I've kept, and continue to keep, are focused nervously on their nests, and on each other.

I've noticed too that Bebe and my other Flowerhorns, when mixed, are DISPROPORTIONATELY angry at each other. Any two fish put together will probably kill one. Both fish take a lot of damage.

This is different from a lot of cichlids in which a pecking order can be established and the fish don't go to the death.

But get this; when you accidentally put a very small Flowerhorn with a large one, there's no perceived threat to the large one, I guess, and I've not seen any fighting.

Breeding Flowerhorns is not really recommended. Mostly this is because the rate of compatibility is so very low, you will injure a lot of fish waiting on a pair to form. When you put some fish together, injuries will occur until a pair is established. Fish will die in the process. Based on what they typically cost, this is unacceptable.

On top of that, because of the fractionation of the genetics of the Flowerhorn, your offspring could be AMAZING or DRAB. I don't see much in between.

Seldom do two nice Flowerhorns produce similar Flowerhorns. This is because of the dominant and recessive traits brought by the earlier generations (cross species) in the "making" of Flowerhorn.

So the attitude of the Flowerhorn separates them.