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Old 25-08-2010, 09:36 AM   #1
Betta Mania
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Default Frontosa Forum for Frontosa Fans.....

Hope you bros dun mind...thought I would start a thread focusing on Frontosas for current fans and would be fans. This section would be forcused on out favorite subject..the mighty frontosa. We could have bros post their experiences, enquiries, frustrations,advice or suggestions as long as it focuses on the frontosa.

To begin this thread, I thought it best to start with something taken from Wikipedia......

Cyphotilapia frontosa is a fish from the cichlid family native to Lake Tanganyika in East Africa. C. frontosa is endemic to Lake Tanganyika and is widespread in the northern half of the lake, whereas the closely related Cyphotilapia gibberosa inhabits the southern half of the lake. Unlike many cichlid species C. frontosa is a pelagic fish and rarely ventures close to the shoreline. The species generally resides at greater depths (30-50 metres sub-surface) than most other cichlids and rises to shallow waters in the early morning to feed on shoaling fish such as Cyprichromis species. C. frontosa can grow to a significant size with even captive specimens potentially growing to 35cm in length. The fish can live for over 25 years.

C. frontosa has distinct markings with 6-7 black vertical bars adorning a white or blue body and head and trailing fins with a distinct blue hue. The species also develops a nuchal hump that is more pronounced in older specimens. C. frontosa is a sexually monomorphic species, although the hump is occasionally more pronounced in males. As is the case with many of the cichlid species found in Lake Tanganyika, parallel evolution between distinct breeding colonies has resulted in several different colour variants developing.

In the aquarium
C. frontosa is popular aquarium fish and several naturally occurring colour morphs are frequently available for sale to hobbyists. Due to its size C. frontosa needs a relatively large aquarium, however, it behaves relatively sedately and is tolerant of both con- and heterospecifics. To house a single frontosa you need at least a 29 gallon tank[1]. However frontosa do not like being alone. A single frontosa needs a cave to live in; this is to ensure the frontosa feels secure. If a cave is not present to satisfy the frontosa's need for security it will begin to attack the other fish in the tank. This is especially true with male frontosa. Female frontosa are more likely to be satisfied with ground territory. They are best kept with other cichlids or semi-aggressive fish. Frontosa are best kept in at least 150 gallon tanks (550 L). A 150 gallon tank can house 6-8 frontosa. Water chemistry and temperature should mirror those found naturally in Lake Tanganyika. The PH should be between 7.8 to 9.0 and the temperature of the water should be between 79-82 F (26-27 C). The addition of rocks, or other ornaments such as pipes, allow the fish to hide and reduce stress. C. frontosa is an opportunistic feeder in the wild and its diet in aquaria should consist of good quality prepared foods, frozen foods like krill and earthworms occasionally. When spooked, frontosa have been known to break thermometers, filters, and even crack tanks. Frontosa do not grow to the size of the tank, they will grow to about 10-14 inches(25-35 cm).[2]

[edit] References
1.^ http://www.gcca.net/fom/Cyphotilapia_frontosa.htm
2.^ Frontosa Information
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cyphotilapia frontosa

Bigirimana (2005). Cyphotilapia frontosa. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
"Cyphotilapia frontosa". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRp...h_value=169908. Retrieved 18 April 2006.
Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2005). "Cyphotilapia frontosa" in FishBase. November 2005 version.
Maréchal, C. and M. Poll, 1991. Boulengerochromis.. p. 27-28. In: J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse, G.G. Teugels and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISNB, Brussels; MRAC, Tervuren; and ORSTOM, Paris. Vol. 4.

Additional Reading can also be found a t http://www.frontosa.com.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/article...ariant_map.php

Over to you bros... broepiphone, frontosafrontosa, young man, les, frontosa, spaskee, johannes, led zepp, ornata, venustus and the many many others out there .......lai, lai arh....

Last edited by Betta Mania; 08-02-2011 at 03:07 PM.
 
Old 25-08-2010, 11:00 AM   #2
Betta Mania
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Default Frontosa trivia....

The Frontosa Cichlid or Humphead Cichlid has a very pronounced coloration and large size, some up to 14 inches (35 cm). The fish shown above is an adult with the cranial hump (large knob on its head) not seen in juveniles. These are big fish they require a large tank, but as they are not overly aggressive they can be kept in a community environment. An awesome fish for a large show aquarium.

They are a gently tolerant community fish and don't look for trouble, but will defend a territory once they have established one. Even though they are quite peaceful beware of keeping smaller fish in your aquarium. The Frontosa will stealthily snatch up a small fishy snack if it is available! Ironically they themselves are a snack in their native lands, where they are considered a delicacy. They are best kept in groups of 8 to 12 in a very large aquarium with plenty of room to swim. A 200 gallon aquarium is recommended with a sandy bottom and rock structures creating fissures to hide in. Though plants are not essential, they do not burrow and will not harm them.

The Frontosa Cichlid is a deep water fish rather than a cave dweller. They come from a depth between 65 and 100 feet in Lake Tanganyika which makes them a difficult fish to collect. Because of this they have been quite rare and expensive. Today many are bred in captivity, but they still command a fairly high price.
 
Old 25-08-2010, 11:00 AM   #3
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Great info for beginners like me. Really love the frontosa in your avatar. Where did you get it? Can share the breed, size and price?

I'm excited to read:"Frontosa do not grow to the size of the tank, they will grow to about 10-14 inches(25-35 cm)."

Can't wait to see my 7" Frontosa grow to 10" or more
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Old 25-08-2010, 11:14 AM   #4
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Thumbs up

The Frontosa's body has six black stripes on a white background. The extremities will stay white or light blue in color. Both the male and the female will develop the cranial hump on the forehead but the male hump may be larger and more pronounced. This fish may live 25 years.
Variations of this fish found in the more southern parts of Lake Tanganyika were described by Takahashi and Nakaya in 2003 as Cyphotilapia gibberosa. This group is accepted as a new species in the scientific community. They are very similar to the Frontosa Cichlid Cyphotilapia frontosa, but all are noted for having six dark stripes rather than seven. However there is one variant of the original Frontosa Cichlid from the northern area that also has six stripes

Copied from website from another article somemore trivia on fronts:

"Before you go out with the idea of buying this species for your home aquarium it is important to be sure that the right living conditions can be provided. Lake Tanganyika has a very high pH of 9.5 and has double the dissolved salts found in Lake Malawi (Axelrod 1993). It is almost impossible to simulate these conditions in the home aquarium but an alkaline pH should be maintained by the addition of a coral gravel and Tuffa rock. Some keepers even add marine salt to the aquarium at 4.5g/litre. "
 
Old 25-08-2010, 11:24 AM   #5
Betta Mania
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nic73 View Post
Great info for beginners like me. Really love the frontosa in your avatar. Where did you get it? Can share the breed, size and price?

I'm excited to read:"Frontosa do not grow to the size of the tank, they will grow to about 10-14 inches(25-35 cm)."

Can't wait to see my 7" Frontosa grow to 10" or more
Just sharing my 2 cents worth... I believe price depends on species and size. It also depends also on supply and demand. I understand it can be as low as $8 for a 1.5" to $180 for a 2-3" F1 Moba from Germany or Czech imported. I believe Mobas are top of the line and prices are never cheap. As for mine I have 2 mobas and imbewe. The rest some bros think it is burundis ....I got mine mostly on the AF. Sometimes if we have quick hand, there are some really sweet deals Currently there are approximately25 fronts of different species in my tank - a 5 x 2.5 x2.5

Last edited by Betta Mania; 25-08-2010 at 11:32 AM. Reason: Typos and after thoughts ;)
 
Old 25-08-2010, 11:41 AM   #6
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Thanks for starting this thread....The name of the variant is named after the collection point of where they were collected/caught. Frankly, there are many variants available, simply due to the fact of where the species were caught by the catchers...more often than not, these catchers will never reveal the exact location of where they get some nice variants, so some dummy location were given and thus, the name of the variant...over the years, I figured, look at the fish strips and decide if its a Moba or a Mblue....other than the Kigoma, which has 7 strips, the rest are quite hard to differentiate....Anyway, below is a good list of the variants vs collection point

"The following list was compiled to help hobbyists better understand the different Cyphotilapia species, variants and collection points. The list was assembled to show that Cyphos from certain collection points could/should be grouped together as a variant or type do to similarities. This does not mean that fish from different collection points within a geographical variant are identical. Cyphos from different collection points should be kept in separate aquariums to avoid interbreeding. We hope this will be beneficial until we are able to complete and implement a detailed Species / Variant / Collection Point Map. If you have information you would like to contribute please send a message to an Advisor or Admin.
Note: Cyphotilapia Frontosa & Cyphotilapia Gibberosa are currently the only recognized scientific classifications.


Cyphotilapia Frontosa
Variant: Burundi (In the future, this variant will possibly be classified into a new species)
Collection Points:
Bulu Point
Burundi
Karilani
Kavala
Zaire North

Variant: Kigoma / 7 Stripe (In the future, this will likely be the only fish classified as Frontosa)
Collection Points:
Bangwe
Boulomboro
Kigoma

Cyphotilapia Gibberosa
Variant: Tanzania or Southern Tanzania
Collection Points:
Fulwe Rocks (Fulwe)
Ikola
Kantalamba
Kasanga
Kipili
Mabilibili
Mpimbwe
Molwe
Samazi / Bismark
Sibwesa
Tanzanite

Variant: Zambian
Collection Points:
Isanga
Chaitika
Nangu
Sumbu

Variant: Zaire (Congo, DR) or Southern Zaire (Congo, DR)
Collection Points:
Kalumba (Collected at Lupota?)
Kapampa
Kitumba
Moba (Collected at M'Toto)
Moliro
Tembwe

Reclassification
In 2003 Tetsumi Takahashi and Kazuhiro Nakayaa classified a second species of Cyphotilapia...Gibberosa, which is restricted to the southern half of the lake. It is likely that future species will be classied, beginning with a new northern species. Gibberosa differs from Frontosa in the following ways...
Tetsumi Takahashi's and Kazuhiro Nakayaa's Abstract (Details differences between Gibberosa and Frontosa) "

http://www.cyphos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8484
 
Old 25-08-2010, 11:48 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Betta Mania View Post
Just sharing my 2 cents worth... I believe price depends on species and size. It also depends also on supply and demand. I understand it can be as low as $8 for a 1.5" to $180 for a 2-3" F1 Moba from Germany or Czech imported. I believe Mobas are top of the line and prices are never cheap. As for mine I have 2 mobas and imbewe. The rest some bros think it is burundis ....I got mine mostly on the AF. Sometimes if we have quick hand, there are some really sweet deals Currently there are approximately25 fronts of different species in my tank - a 5 x 2.5 x2.5

Price is dependent on their variant, size and whether if they are F0 or F1...for example, a Moba F0 will cost more than a Moba F1 of similar size....likewise, a F0 Mblue will cost more than a F1 Mblue, etc etc...

As to why the Moba Zaire is the most expensive, its because of its colouration, which is a very deep purple blue, especially for the F0....Also, these variants are very elusive and not easy to locate them, plus the fact that, in Congo, there are civil wars and thus, the catchers are at risk...

Just my 2cents worth
 
Old 25-08-2010, 12:20 PM   #8
Betta Mania
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Thumbs up Eureka moment!

Just discovered after including the trivia regarding the saltiness level of Lake Tanganyka , went to up the amount of salt for myfronts - wow, they were huddled and quite lethargic in a corner, suddenly as if something happend, they "unfroze" and a re happily swimming about and they are all over the tank. i BELIEVE THE SALINITY is an important factor to keeping fronts happy> Just sharing my eureka moment bros - as they say older wiser!!!
 
Old 25-08-2010, 12:25 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Betta Mania View Post
Just discovered after including the trivia regarding the saltiness level of Lake Tanganyka , went to up the amount of salt for myfronts - wow, they were huddled and quite lethargic in a corner, suddenly as if something happend, they "unfroze" and a re happily swimming about and they are all over the tank. i BELIEVE THE SALINITY is an important factor to keeping fronts happy> Just sharing my eureka moment bros - as they say older wiser!!!
Are you using Marine salt? If no, suggest you use them It helps to bring up the KH, which helps in the coloration
 
Old 25-08-2010, 01:47 PM   #10
Betta Mania
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Epiphone View Post
Are you using Marine salt? If no, suggest you use them It helps to bring up the KH, which helps in the coloration
No, but it is ROCK SEA SALT not sure if there is a difference bro..but my fronts are behaving a little more lively..hee, hee
 
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