This page will give a completely detailed profile of the selected fish, from A to Z. The profiled fish will be chosen randomly by Badman, and will come from the complete genre of tropical fish. New profiles are added on a regular basis. If you would like to submit a profile for the site please contact me. Don't forget to let us know you experiences with this fish by filling out the

A beautiful and rather peaceful Cichlid. If you get a good male and responsive females they are easy to breed and will give you years of pleasure. They must be kept in a Tanganyikan set up.

Quick stats:

Listed tank sizes are the minimum Size: Males up to 12" (30 cm), females to 10" (25 cm) Tank: 48 inches Strata: Bottom-middle PH: 7.5-9.0 Hardness: Hard and alkaline. dH range: 10.0-20.0º Temperature: 72-83ºF (23-29°C) Classification: Order: Perciformes Suborder: Percoidei Family: Cichlidae Genera: Cyphotilapia Species: Frontosa

Common name:

Frontosa

Image gallery:

Additional species photographs

Discuss:

Badmans' Forum

Distribution

Africa, Lake Tanganyika

Typical cichlid in appearance, they develop a large hump in the forehead area. The hump is larger in the males. Fins are elongated and pointed at the ends.

A beautiful fish, the base color is a bright white. The body is crossed with five or six broad black bands. The fins are a translucent blue to aqua and contrast with the rest of the body. There are variations on the number of bands and fin color depending on the morph and even the individual

Like all true Tanganyikan set ups the tank should be decorated with a crushed coral or similar substrate and contain lot of rocks that form caves and crevices. The rocks must be firmly anchored as these fish will dig a lot and can disrupt the aquascape and possibly hurt themselves or the aquarium. Plants can be used and will not be eaten but should be placed carefully as their digging will continually uproot them. Peaceful for a cichlid they should be kept in groups of one male to three or four females. Feeding is not a problem as they will accept all types of flake and frozen food, in nature they are twilight ambush hunters that lie in wait for smaller fish so the addition of high protein food, such as fish, meat, shrimp, and beef heart is always beneficial. .Good filtration is a must and frequent partial water changes are a necessity as well.

Rocky waters with sandy bottoms starting at depths of approximately 30 feet.

Breeding:

A mouthbrooder the Frontosa is a little more selective than most and the ratio of three to one is needed to form a proper pair. The next step is the selection of the spawning site. A smooth rock lying on the bottom or even a bit of rockwork showing through the sand will be chosen and the pair will begin to clear away as much sand as possible from the area and excavate a spawning pit or shelf upon which to place their spawn. The female will place a few eggs in the pit and the male will follow and fertilize them. This will continue until the female picks up the eggs in her mouth and starts the incubation period. The mother will incubate the eggs for about a month and then the young will emerge. They are fairly large in size (about .5")and can be fed newly hatched frozen or live brine shrimp. The mother will guard the fry for a period

Buy now from
liveaquaria.com

Frontosa Click photo to buy

Your comments:

Add your comments:

From: Jourdan Lopez Date:03/05/2008 Frontosa are also known to have seven stripes as well. Although they are fish eaters in the wild and do eat brine shrimp and Krill, I would recommend sticking with sinking pellets till full juvenile maturity. These fish have very sensitive stomachs and will die if fed the wrong diet. From: Mark Date:03/03/2003 I got a frontosa about a month and a half ago. It is a beautiful and peaceful fish. Mine is still quite young and is only about 4 inches long. I originally had it with other Africans, but the Frontosa is very timid and easily intimidated. It was being out-competed for food. I put it in my larger tank that has an Oscar, two blue botias, and Parrots. Yes, I know the creation of Parrots are evil so don't write me nasty notes, but I didn't know this when I bought them and I think it would be cruel not to care for them now that I know the truth. They were the first fish I ever bought! Anyway, the Frontosa is thriving is this tank. I feed it bloodworms and flakes and it seems to like the flakes better, but I'm sure this will change with age. He is still timid though. From: D.S. Date:02/08/2003 I have 2 Frontosa that are about 11 inches long. They have spawned a couple of times. I usually get about 30-50 fry every time. Sell them to a petstorre that takes them when there about 1 week old. You really have to be careful when transporting them because they could easily die. The parents are kept in a 125 gallon tank and fry are kept in a 55 gallon tank. We transfer the fry when the parents decide not to care for them anymore.

Main index Aquarium Supplies Navigation Badmans Tropical Fish! Fishkeeping ABCs Favorite Fish Fish Families Detailed Information In Depth Definitions Natures Way The Equipment Whats That Mean? Want More Just For Fun Guestbook Site Search, What's New