Frontosa always at the top

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C

cdc

Candiru
MFK Member
Jun 11, 2008
291
1
48
Menifee, socal
I picked up a 8" frontosa about 2 weeks ago which was completly black and showed no stripes. I thought it was just stressed out and would start coloring up after a few days.

However it has not colored up at all and spends all its time at the top of the tank hiding in a corner.

Any ideas? it eats fine when I put food into the tank but goes right back to the corner.
 
Its in a 300g with another 5" frontosa, arowana and various sa/ca cichlids. I know the convict cichlids are bullying the other frontosa so they will be removed but I have never seen them bully this one.
 
If that front was stressed when you put him in, It will never get better with those tankmates. Fronts should be kept in groups larger than 2,and generally not mixed with fish other than a few compatible taganyikans. You should decide what direction you want to go with your tank, either get rid of the fronts, or get rid of everything else and make it a tanganyika tank, but they will never do well in the current setup
 
shellies215;5020296; said:
If that front was stressed when you put him in, It will never get better with those tankmates. Fronts should be kept in groups larger than 2,and generally not mixed with fish other than a few compatible taganyikans. You should decide what direction you want to go with your tank, either get rid of the fronts, or get rid of everything else and make it a tanganyika tank, but they will never do well in the current setup
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i have had a 5 inch front with a 7 inch jag 6 inch dempsey 10 inch oscar 5 inch devil nad a 3 inch terror and he was perfectly fine. He wasnt the boss of the tank but kept a very beautful color and thrived, even fought with teh dempsey at times over a cave. i'm not sure whats wrong with your front but i dont think its the tank mates
 
The other frontosa was fine until I put the convicts in so they are definitely going, probably along with 3 BGJD's. This will leave me with the big aro, 6 red hooks, pollini, 6 severums, clown loaches and 3 pleco's. I want to keep these fish as they are some of the first fish I started the hobby with.

I have 7 other fronts in my 55g but they are only 1.5" so they would not last long in this tank.

I will get a picture tomorrow.
 
I understand that MOST aquarium fish will live under a pretty wide spectrum of water conditions, but to say these fish will "thrive" together is a stretch in my opinion. If keeping fronts with american or asian fish, somebody is living in less than ideal water conditions.
 
ye but most of these fish were bred by hobbiests, i understand a wild caught species prbably will not tolerate those conditions but most have been in such a wide range of water conditions since birth it doesnt really matter they are so far from their wild counterparts and can handle alot more
 
I disagree, if you ask a few people who breed front's about their water, Most will tell you the ph is around 8.2 - 8.3, and ALL the lfs in my area keep africans at 8.2 - 8.3. They are not kept in a wide range of conditions. To say this group of fish is "thriving" they should breed readily right? Show me front's that are thriving and breeding in a tank full of arowana's, JD's and whatever else and I'd be pretty surprised.

I'm not saying front's can't live, or will die if kept with these tankmates, But I wouldn't do it myself and I think some effort should be made to keep them(or any fish) in conditions reasonably close to their natural environment.
 
Either change it up, or try another front....I have had a single front with all sorts of innappropriate things (twice actually)...and it still work, and the fish seem pretty happy....eventually it didn't work out (a year and a half later and a year on the other one)....but how often do tanks stay the same if you do monster type fish, a regular african cichlid rift tank might work better......

btw....I had an Mpimbwe, and that seemed to help...the mpimbwe's have a stronger personallity.....

I wouldn't worry about people saying how awful it is that you keep the fish in a less than perfect situation...but what's perfect anyway....we all live in not so perfect settings.....and sometimes perfect settings change and kill everything in the wild so.....what's the difference anyway....have fun......


And "thriving" that's just b.s. anyway.....no fish is "thriving" in captivity....if you want it to thrive.....let it stay in the wild....

maybe try an mpimbwe.....or get a couple more so that there is a larger group...

that's my 2 cents...
 
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