Cyphotilapia Frontosa and Gibberosa

they aren't called 'cichlasoma frontosa'...

go to cyphos.com and find out everything you need to learn.

check out the forums stickys....but yes, really slow growers.

Frontosa's are an African cichlid.

they are pretty laid back yes, but they are very piscivorous, meaning they eat live fish as a main diet in the wild, so no small fish with them (do not feed feeders)

they are very slow growers, they grow an OK rate till 6" or so, then they slow down dramatically.

males attain 15".

dont have any pics of mine as of now, but they are only babies anyway, not to impressive.

they are really slow growers...slow but my all time favorite fish. it took about a year and 2 months for my alpha male to hit 6 inches here he is. with his ladies.

Mine went from about 1" to about 5" or 6" in their first year (then perhaps an inch or two annually after that), which means they grew faster than many of my lake malawi mbuna's. Tiny frontosa fry will be big fish in 3 years and are nowhere near full grown by then.

In my opinion they're slow growers from the perspective of how long it takes for them to attain full size (12"+). They're slow growers when compared to fish which can pack on an inch per month.

Slow swimming, careful fish (though capable of short bursts of speed when required). Can easily be intimidated by more aggressive fish, including fish that they happen to dwarf.

Of all the african cichlids I own (some from each of the great rift lakes), my frontosa's are the only ones that don't fully trust me. They'd sooner hide from me than rush to the side of the tank and beg for food. In many ways the seem to retain a 'wild caught' aura which adds to their intrigue.

Deep water piscivorous Cichlid from Lake Tanganyika. They live in colonies in the wild and one will get the best of his or her fish if kept in similar conditions.

Avoid using jagged rocks for the aquarium scape, frontosas can get seriously injured as they "dart" for cover. Smooth rock, or just plain open space is preferable. Schools of at least 12 individuals, preferably 1/3 male to female ratio ..in a minimum 180gal tank.

Tankmates? Altolamprologus Compressiceps, Calvus; Neolamprologus Sexfasciatus; Lobochilotes Labiatus; Ctenochromis Horeii ...and if you want a more exhaustive response PM me ...never go for silver, sardine like medium/large fish, so no Cyprichromis species, Haplotaxodon Microlepis, nor Bentochromis species (Tricoti or Melanoides).

Oh... feeding regimen: sinking pellets exclusively. You don't want your frontosas to come to the surface and "GULP" for their food. That's how one of the deadliest afflictions develop, it is called FLOAT and it is caused by the air caught in the Frontosa's innards. Deadly.