Minimum size to sex Frontosa

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tiger15

tiger15

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
Oct 1, 2012
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I have two frontosa that are approaching 6 inch, one is a Samazi and the other a Zaire Tembwe. They are currently housed in separate tanks and I was trying to bring them together. I was assuming the Samazi is the female because it has shorter fins of the two, but they fought immediately and I had to separate them.

Are they big enough to be sexed by fin length or venting. I am not trying to breed them but want them to grow up together in a 125. Is there any chance they will get along in a 125 if both of them are male.
 
I agree, they do much better in groups.
It's hard to vent through pictures but try to get some clear shots of the vents and maybe we can figure it out. If you're unfamiliar with what venting is...just take a good picture of it's butt and you can't miss it, the "vent" (sex organ) is right behind the anus.
 
Do they need to reach certain size to be sexable by venting? They are about 6 inch.
 
I will try to vent them next time when I do WC. It's easier to catch them at lower water level. If it turns out to be male and female, I will try again to bring them together. I will temporarily relocate the more aggressive Front in another tank for a month before uniting the two so there is no home court advantage for either fish. I have no interest in breeding them or keep a Front colony. I like variety and the Front will be the center pieces among other medium size Africans and CAs.

In researching for Front, I came across this article and can't believe the guy cramped so many Fronts in a small tank.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/frontosa_hong_kong.php

I put to my 50 gallon tank one 4 in. and one 5 in. Mpimbwe blue, four 5 in. and four 1 ½ in. Zaire blue, three 3 in. Samazi blue, one 5 in. Ikola, one 5 in. Kasanga blue and one 4 in. Burundi. They are all male or at least appear like males. Tankmates include four O. Ventralis, some small Malawians and lot of sucker catfishes to clean up algae and left overs. The density is startling, but even more startling is that it is only half of that of other hobbyists. Just like the others, I overfeed too.
 
I vented them today during WC. One appears to be male and the other a female. I will follow my protocol to unite them in a month's time preparation and see if it works out. I know most people keep mixed sex Front colonies. Just wonder if anyone is successful in keeping a pair in 125.
 
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