Fronts with ???

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
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DustyBZoo

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 18, 2010
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Southern Indiana
I'm currently cycling a 55g tank. I really want frontosa. The ones I'm looking at are on 2-3 inches now. Obviously if they do well and get bigger I'm going to upgrade tanks.
I can't decide if I want to put anything in with them or not. I'm nervous about other africans because I'm not familiar with them enough to know their aggression levels. What about angel fish?
IDK. I'm leaning toward 3 of the fronts and maybe a pleco or synodontis. Any ideas.
The upgrade would be a 4'X2'X2' 120g, however I'm not going to do it unless they do well, because I would upgrade the 120g that I currently have to a 150 or bigger.
I'm new to cichlids and would appreciate any ideas.
Thanks!
 
I think that you'd be better off starting with more fry than you eventually wish to house....... You'll need to establish a ratio eventually of 2 males to 7-8 females. It's much easier to do if you have raised 20+ from fry and can cull the group down to what you will want later. A 55 will do for a short period of time, but plan on a 6 foot tank within a year.
 
Jim- I understand that fronts can reach 15", however your advice that I need a 6' tank within a year conflicts with advice I heard from front owners. I know people who have had fronts for 6-7 years and they're only 8-10". Not dissing you or anything, but have you seen fronts get 12"+ in less than a year?

CornBread- I have heard suggestions of Labs with them for nice color varitation. I not familiar with 'acies'. I'll look into them, but I'm thinking labs might be simple and nice! thanks
 
if i were you i would get a group of about 15 tropheus. they would look great and you would most likly not need to upgrade you tank.
 
I have a front in my show tank with some male peacocks, yellow lab, acie, and assorted mix of other mumba and haps without any problems. Fronts grow fast when they are younger and will probably get 4-6 inches long in there first year and then slow down growing to about an inch or so a year after that. A rule of thumb I have heard is dont let the fish get too much longer than half the width of the tank, just so they have room to turn around. So if you have a standard 55 gallon that is 12 inches wide its not recomended to have fish over 6"-7" long for the long term.

Being that the ones you are looking at are already 2-3 inches long and if you really want fronts when they get 7" long or so it would be time for a larger tank which probably would be in 2-3 years.
 
I also think you should start with a large group and keep it a species-only tank. Maybe add some Altolamps down the road (after you upgrade), but they'll have to be big enough to not get eaten. A group of synos would also be pretty cool.

I'm generally not a real fan of mixing lakes, but that's just me.
 
Actually they are correct when they say the wont last more then a year in a 55gal. I started out with a group of 15+ frontosa... and kept them in a 55gal... yeah that did not last to long before I had to upgrade and got myself a 150gal. Yes frontosa do grow slow.... but when they are young they grow fast. I would also suggest getting 20+ fry growing them out and once they hit a size where you can weed out your males, then do that untill you have the amount that you want to for the tank with a 1-2 male and the rest female ratio (1m,3f or 2m,6f.... or whatever, you get the idea). If you do this and use a 55gal some fish will grow faster then others you will end up with fish that are a decent size within a year... they may not all grow that big at once but keeping that many small fish... even if its just 10 of them... your water quality will go to crap, the fish will be cramped/get more territorial and you will have a hard time keeping up with it as the get larger. I had to keep 13+ 2in-4.5inch fronts in a 55gal temporaraily when my 150gal tank had a cycle crash for some odd reason. It was horrible... lots of fin nipping, territory fights, one jumped the tank, crappy water quality... needless to say I wouldnt reccommend it unless you were in an emergancy situation like I was. If you are going to do it...these fish are not cheap... unless you get your fish from someone who can hook you up with cheap burundi (here you pay $20 a piece at the lfs for regular burundi.) so if you do them your best to do it right.

As for tank mates.... I ve seen yellow labs and or calvus housed with them. I keep a synodontis with mine.... he does fine. I think the catfish are really cool. Outside of that I would also suggest no tank mates as they are a fish that are best kept in a colony and species only.
 
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