TIPS FOR A NEWBIE, please

[dhizzle]

Hi,
I've kept various types of fish and is a hobbyist at heart, but completely new to Frontosas. Didn't even know there's that many variety. I have a 150 gallon cycling now with danios, and was wondering which variant to keep. I want an easy-care, bluish, and hardy Frontosa. Looking to start a colony. how many should I buy and what size is best? I see on ads mpmbwe 1.5" for $8 or 4-5" for $40. Also, the 7-stripe is less blue, right? please help. I want to succeed at first try. Which is the best value and least headaches?
Thanks

 

[frozen-fire]

in terms of care and hardiness i would say they are pretty similar. just really depends what variety you'd prefer to own.
Do some research...look at pictures...then decide what you want to keep. First time with african cichlids? perhaps just get a few burundi and start off seeing if you'll like them.

 

[Ash]

Well really it just boils down to what variant you really want, whats avaliable for you to access and what your price range is, with price you will probably want to include a nice junk in shipping b/c you will have to have it aircargo -(usually comes same day if shipped in the morning) or overnight ups/usps/fedex - dont reccomend dhl-they tend to lose fish). Burundi will be your cheapest. Zaires will be you more expensive ones. 7 stripes are called Kigomas and they do have blue but they also get a yellow in their fins - these are my favorites and what I currently own. They go for 1 @ $10+ for a 1-2 inch fish. Zaires which are your really blue variants usually go 1 @ $25+ for a 1-2ish inch fish. Sometimes you can find good deals on colonys that are already at or near full size. I have a 150 gal and plan to have a colony of 6-9 now I am not sure if that is to many or to few yet as mine are still in the 1-2 1/2 inch range. when they become full grown if its over stocked then I will just sell off what I need to to have a good amount and they have good space. When I bought mine I had 11 total and planned to grow them out and sell of as they got bigger. I personally ran into a problem and lost all but 2, so I plan to get more and try again - I lost a lot on that but the breeder I get mine from is a great guy so he plans to help me out - we will see in a few weeks though. Its better to get more because you will probably lose a few when you grow them from a small size to a larger size. I would perfer to buy them at 4-5 inches and grow them from there but it tends to become expensive unless you can come across a good deal or you have money. Other then burundi colonys most of the other variants at a larger size go in the $200-500+ range for a colony depending on variant.