Switching to Frontosa from All Male Peacock/Haps

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Dego510

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Apr 26, 2009
93
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Addison, IL
I currently have a 75 gallon All-Male Peacocks/Haps tank that I like but I'm going to be getting a 125G soon and have been thinking of switching to a Frontosa setup with a few Calvus and Compressiceps. I've been watching some Frontosa videos and like the way they look.

I know it's a personal choice as it depends on the person, but has anyone else already made that switch? Do you recommend it? Do you like it better or find it more enjoyable?

On the flipside, did you go from a Frontosa tank to peacock/haps tank and like that a lot more? Why?

Before anyone suggests it, I can't do both since I don't have the space.

Your opinions are appreciated
Thanks!
 
I am a Front fan. The main issue with them is they grow extremely slow.
 
Fronts are way more enjoyable imo. Tangs rock, my favorite fish and I'm a new world guy.
 
I kept frontosa for years until I got bored with them. Smaller fish are more enjoyable. Bigger fish don't swim much, but they are impressive. Thing is you end up tying up a large tank for a small group of fish.
 
joe jaskot said:
I kept frontosa for years until I got bored with them. Smaller fish are more enjoyable. Bigger fish don't swim much, but they are impressive. Thing is you end up tying up a large tank for a small group of fish.
Click to expand...

Thanks. This is the type of info I need to consider.

Anyone else?
 
I've done both. Some people miss the higher activity level of Malawis. I didn't. Plus, for me, making a change from time to time makes the hobby more interesting. Cyphotilapia behavior is more subtle, but more varied if you spend some time observing them, especially if they're comfortable in their surroundings. You can usually keep other fish with them if you want to, whether other tangs or milder haps or peacocks. Does pay to do some reading on them, though, not typically as easy as Malawis.

As far as which makes a better display, partly a matter of taste-- a blur of color and activity vs. larger, more regal fish. I recently basically went back to new worlds after doing Africans for many years-- the one African I still keep? Zaire blue fronts... tell you anything?
 
Dego510 said:
I currently have a 75 gallon All-Male Peacocks/Haps tank that I like but I'm going to be getting a 125G soon and have been thinking of switching to a Frontosa setup with a few Calvus and Compressiceps. I've been watching some Frontosa videos and like the way they look.

I know it's a personal choice as it depends on the person, but has anyone else already made that switch? Do you recommend it? Do you like it better or find it more enjoyable?

On the flipside, did you go from a Frontosa tank to peacock/haps tank and like that a lot more? Why?

Before anyone suggests it, I can't do both since I don't have the space.

Your opinions are appreciated
Thanks!
Click to expand...

I have a frontosa and peacock hap tank got rid of all the mbunas but im buying a 125g just for my malawis so I feel were your coming from I just want to see my fronts just peacefully swimming without torpedoes shooting past them lol here's a vid of my tank....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpMC58e3zNQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
It's going to be a tough decision. I'm getting 5 BCWP Calvus and 5 Muzi Gold Head Compressiceps around 1.5" this weekend. Maybe I'll put them and find a nice young colony of blue Zaire frontosa and keep them in a 55 gallon in my basement for a while to see if I like it. If so, I'll repace the 75G with a 125G, sell my peacocks/haps, and move the Tangs into the 125.
 
Just a comment on the thought that they grow slow. Really, that's somewhat relative-- it can also vary between different fishkeepers. Consistently my growth results are: 4-6.5 inches the first year (females on the smaller end, males on the upper end, those in the middle might be either male or female). After the first year, another inch or two per year on average, with males tending to add closer to two inches per year (sometimes a bit more). So the bigger males might be 6-6.5 inches in one year, 8-9 inches after second year, 9-11 inches third year, after which they slow down somewhat to maybe one inch per year and after about 5-6 years they slow down even more. I wouldn't call all of this a rule, but it's my consistent experience.

There are exceptions. Rescued a sick one once, wasn't eating, was already 6 years old or so and only about 5 inches. Nursed it to health, got it eating well and it had a growth spurt where in just 6 months it grew another 4-5 inches.

So, do they grow slow? Whether you think so partly depends what you're used to. Another reason someone might say that is they're a long lived fish (20 years or more) and take several years to reach adult size. Unlike a lot of Malawi fish that might be breeding in six months and reach young adult size in a year and, depending on species, may grow a little more for another year before basically hitting their max or slowing way down.

On the other hand, cyphotilapia don't wait for maturity before they color up. The bluer types of fronts (Zaire, Tanzanian, etc.) will look blue even as fry and also look good as juveniles, unlike most Malawis that have little color as fry or juvies.
 
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