paul_r Posted July 12, 2010 Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 On my recent trip to palmerston north and back i stopped into every fish store i could find. I have fallen in love with the frontosas, there price tag is around $60 each through the shops for approx 4 inch fish... im guessing there are some breeders that could do a better price. This is fine i would convert my 4 foot african to a front colony tomorrow if i could. This is my problem...i only have a 4 footer... fronts grow big. Is there a smaller specie of frontosa in this country? i love the colouring etc but at this stage im not in a situation (flatting) to be able to get an even bigger tank. I dont want to buy a colony of fronts and have to onsell/give away once they outgrew my tank. Can anyone recomend any ideas for me? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 12, 2010 Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 I would say you need a 6ft minimum to grow a colony out and keep them happily.. In saying that if you brought smaller fish (not those 4" ones) you would get a few years out of a 4ft tank but would have to upgrade or move them on. I heard of someone recently getting baby fronts for $17ea and have seen them to for as little as $10ea so just hold out and put the word out if you are keen to get some I am sure you will find some at a good price. They are not that rare any more so really shouldn't be commanding high prices, however in some ways the high prices are good because it hopefully means people do research before buying them and they don't end up suffering in tiny tanks or eating everyone's guppies You could try a single male in a 4ft tank but they are good predators and will end up eating all of your smaller fish (dems/yellows/female peacocks etc) when they get bigger.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 12, 2010 Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 Is there a smaller specie of frontosa in this country? There is only one specieS here, and of all the varieties of that species IIRC we only get one. What are the dimensions of your 4'? A 4x2x2' should hold a trio of fronts for a long time, but a 4x1x1' won't. I can't see why they're different to any other cichlid that grows to 12", other than they do it a lot slower than their central/south american cousins, a 4' of the right proportions should be fine for a small group, IMO. (note that is opinion, not experience, if someone wants to correct me then go for it!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 12, 2010 Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 No reason why you wouldn't get luck with a 4x2x2 and a trio or 1m 3-4f but I would say it might be too small, and also wish you luck getting sexable fish.. I have only ever kept one male front (who ate all my other fish lol) so not experienced with colonies. I think it would be best to give them lots of room and get a colony to keep them happy but that is just me and I have seen big massive adults cruising around in a 8 x 3 x 3ft tank making it look small.. There is plenty of info here. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/f ... corner.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted July 12, 2010 Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 they are slow growing so by the time they get too big for the tank your circumstances may have changed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 12, 2010 Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 they are slow growing so by the time they get too big for the tank your circumstances may have changed Yeah I will agree there most fish keepers don't stay with types of fish for long periods of time or get really attached to them over time so are more than happy to buy a bigger tank when they need it.. You just never really know And I guess fronts are nowhere near as bad as pacu, aros and giant gouarmi.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firenzenz Posted July 12, 2010 Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 Be nice to get another chance with those 5 bar trets again eh? http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=1639 We collectively missed the boat with those it seems, unless somewhere out there is being a bit secretive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 12, 2010 Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 Yeah it is a same to see the 5 bars have disappeared, it was a shame that no one managed to stick with them, I know there were a few with them but they all seem to have lost them. I know HFF albany had a few in there when I first got into africans (and was only looking at malawis at the time), they would be a nice one to have come out of the rock work. Although from what I have heard they are quite agro little guys.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firenzenz Posted July 12, 2010 Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 Typical Neo Need to grow out 5-6 to get a pair which would be cool in something like a 4ft african community. And from what i've read Alpha pair will happily tolerate nxt generation as per Bricghardi/ leleupi etc. I made mistake of getting two of the 6 bars once as Adults from different sources. One tore other to pieces then proceeded to be the shyest thing in the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_r Posted July 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 tank is only 4x1x1 (slightly bigger than 1 foot high and wide) I didnt think of getting only one and hope its a male..... could easily convert my tank over and pass on my e yellows, red zebs dems etc and use my spare 2 footer for breeding food...convicts or guppies. Do have some electric blues im rather fond of, they are growing quite large so should be fine for the time being Maby a smaller pair of jewel cichlids would get along ok with a front. I saw fronts for $60 each for small ones, all around 3-4 inch, Hamilton, Rotorua, Palmy stores. Thought this was the going rate and would have been happy to pay that ammount but if they are cheaper.... BONUS!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishman Posted July 13, 2010 Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 That was cheap, I paid $50 plus shipping for an inch fry 3 years ago. Ace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted July 14, 2010 Report Share Posted July 14, 2010 That was cheap, I paid $50 plus shipping for an inch fry 3 years ago. Ace there are more around now & some of the breeders are willing to pass on at cheaper prices to get them out for the good of the hobby so they are becoming more available. 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbees Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 hey! if you do manage to find some frontosa at a reasonable price we would be happy to help convert your tank as we have been looking for e yellows and dems, we have a 6 footer we are trying to fill up! good luck with finding the fronts, they are stunning fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_r Posted July 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 have pmd you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.