Frontosas
- Thread starter LA213
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they grow fairly slow when young, and grow progressively slower still the older they get. they're carnivorous, and like to eat small live prey, including fish. many people try to keep them in colonies, but I have a lone specimen that's kept with other Tangs and Malawis and Americans, he does fine, ounce-for-ounce is about as aggressive as a typical jack dempsey.
they can get to be a foot long but that takes many years. I got my specimen at 2" 2 and a half years ago, and he's about 7" right now.
don't keep them with malawi mbuna, unless the mbuna are a good deal smaller than the frontosa, cuz the frontosa will get bullied.
they can get to be a foot long but that takes many years. I got my specimen at 2" 2 and a half years ago, and he's about 7" right now.
don't keep them with malawi mbuna, unless the mbuna are a good deal smaller than the frontosa, cuz the frontosa will get bullied.
I've heard males will fight each other and they are difficult to sex when young so you are better off with one. Mine digs up everything in the tank so prepare to have you aquascaping rearranged. I keep mine with a tropheous dubiosi, neolamprologous brichardi and a yellow leleupi and they all hang around together, no scrapping.
Frontosa's are beautiful fishes that can grow to become beautiful Monsters! Thats why they always have a high demand in this hobby! They can grow up to about 4.5-5" per year, i've heard of them growing up to 14-16". They can live up to 15 years or a little more. They do best in an all frontosa tank, keep them in colonies... if looking to breed then they should be kept with a ratio of 1 male with 5 females. They will start to breed when they are around 7-8" of course if given the right habitat and the right water paremeters. Fronts require a high PH of around 7.8-8.5... but have also been known to be kept in ph as low as 7.4, but their colors are not as vibrant when kept in low ph and they will not breed. Aquascaping your tank with lots of rock and hiding spaces will make them feel happy cause they are deep water fish and love to hide and temperature should be from around 73 - 78 degrees. Fronts are carnivores and will eat mostly everything, some will even eat out of your hands when they are comfortable enough with you, but some are also very shy.
I have two males. one gets picked on a little bit but they come from the same mother and father so they are used to each other. they love hi pH. I keep mine around 8.1. Also I would recomend an A F Cichlid Chemistry and Cichlid Essential regiment every water change. These are both made by KENT and are great for buffering the pH where your crushed coral, hopefuly you use crushed coral, lacks and also replacing very vital rift lake minerals that R.O water does not have. Read the directions carefuly if you use these! Also They love structure in the tank so have lots of large rocks and roots. I never feed mine live food because I am soon to be adding a few young tropheus with them and I do not want them to think they are food. I feed them Hikari Cichlid Gold in the morning and Formula One saltwater formula at night, i know this sounds wierd but it improves growth and repairs any damaged fins. anyway good luck and post pictures as soon as you have them. Frontosa Colony's are sweet, i am building one as soon as my 180 comes into my LFS.
http://www.cyphos.com/
and
Cichlif-forum.com
has all the info you wille ver need to know about these beautiful monsters!
great single species tank 125 min 6ft long......
Getting another colong of Zaires when my 300 is done and my 120 is empty again!
and
Cichlif-forum.com
has all the info you wille ver need to know about these beautiful monsters!
great single species tank 125 min 6ft long......
Getting another colong of Zaires when my 300 is done and my 120 is empty again!
riskistang said:http://www.cyphos.com/
and
Cichlif-forum.com
has all the info you wille ver need to know about these beautiful monsters!
great single species tank 125 min 6ft long......
Getting another colong of Zaires when my 300 is done and my 120 is empty again!
this guy really does know his frontosas, check out his info.
reading all your responses really makes me want one. sounds like an awesome fish that all keepers really enjoy 
just another fish that i want to have. too many fish, not enough water, damn. saw some 2.5 inchers the other day. $49.99 ea.
just another fish that i want to have. too many fish, not enough water, damn. saw some 2.5 inchers the other day. $49.99 ea.thats a pretty standard price for them in a lfs for a larger one above 4". that seems very overpriced for a small one, assuming it is a burundi.