juvinel frontosa

[millas]

hi ther every one .i need sum help, i got 2 6-7cm fronts they came from a group if 4 .put them in a 200l (i know nt big egough for fully grown but waiting on biger tank).they both hid and wouldnt come out with light , they started liplocking ,so am thinkn they were both sub domint males left them a couple of days watching to make sure they didnt get hurt but darker slightly biger took over the hole tank and the other 1 had know where to hide so we removed him .now biger 1 hiding and very dark but both still eating fine and we orderd more but they are only 3-4 cms to early to sex.are we doing things right as we would like to build up a colony. any advice is apprecated.thanks

[cichlid22c]

they are a deep water fish they dont like alot of light

[Ocellatus]

Hey welcome to AC!

Its recommended to keep them in a group of at least 5, ideally 8-12. so there will be less stress and less aggression. you need at least like 400L tank for that. and you should provide the lake tanganiyka conditions like hard water and PH 7.5-9.

[millas]

hi blu-ray ,yip iv got a 600 ltr tank coming for them and 4 more fronts coming for them to, ther ph is sitting just over 7.5 at the moment. when they go in the new tank if we put the less dom male in first with the 4 smaller ones then dom male will they be less aggresive ?

[Ocellatus]

Try to get them all in a same size and I think 1 male in a group is the best way.
I don't know much about them, but I have heard that for gathering a good herd, you should remove the dom male, after weeks remove the next dom one, continue it to make sure others are all females then add 1 male!
as I said I'm not experienced in it. maybe others can help you better.

Good luck.

[sailor]

Frontosa are hard to sex until they get between 4 -5 inches then you have to vent them. Males and females will both lip lock its a dominance issue. The best set up for them is a 125 gal 6ft or bigger. The minimum recommended is a 5ft long tank. They need the long tank for escape. Try taking out both fish for about an hour, put them in a rubbermaid tote with a bubbler with some of the tank water. Arrange a cave or rocky section at each end of the tank. Replace the fronts back into the tank. That should reduce the aggression level. Once you start adding new fish into the tank, rearange it a little bit before hand as it will make for easier introducing of other fish. You can safely put 10-12 juvies in a 6ft tank and raise them to the stage of being able to vent them (approx 4+inches) usually about a year and a half. Venting is the only way to 100% correctly distinguish male from female. Then you can cull out any excess males. The ideal ratio for them is 1 male - 3 or more females. So in your 6ft tank you could have 2 male and 6 or 7 females. I hope this helps.

Good luck with your venture
Sailor

[jbeining75]

welcome to ac!!! post up an intro....Sailor's got arfican rifts down so follow him......

[RainMan]

Hey sailor... why is venting the way to determine male from female? When you say, vent, you mean releasing excess air in their swimbladder,right? Just making sure I know what venting is.

[sailor]

Venting is a way to determine a fishes sex by the appearance of their reproductive organs. With frontosa it is usually easier once they hit the 4 - 5 inch mark.

Here is a link
http://www.cyphos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17630&highlight=venting

This front site is fantastic for any information required on frontosa

Sailor

[RainMan]

Oh... that is a confusing term... especially because they are a deep water species. I didn't know that... learn something new everyday. Great site too... I'll keep a bookmark for sure. Thanks again!