Jump to content

Frontosa dynamics.


fish_fingers

Recommended Posts

Hey all, was wondering what sort of conditions would change the dynamics in an established/breeding Frontosa colony? Was feeding my fish this morning and noticed that the main breeding female was missing, hunted about and eventually found her and her fry lying dead on the floor. Poor little buggers.

With the main female gone, will there be a change in "power" between the males or will the Alpha just select from the other females, one of which seems to breed only with the lower ranking male? They originally came from HFF and turned out to be 2:3, would I be wise to add to the mix or just let them settle/adjust for now?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey all, was wondering what sort of conditions would change the dynamics in an established/breeding Frontosa colony? Was feeding my fish this morning and noticed that the main breeding female was missing, hunted about and eventually found her and her fry lying dead on the floor. Poor little buggers.

With the main female gone, will there be a change in "power" between the males or will the Alpha just select from the other females, one of which seems to breed only with the lower ranking male? They originally came from HFF and turned out to be 2:3, would I be wise to add to the mix or just let them settle/adjust for now?

I think you may end up with issues if you have lost a female because you have such a small colony (am I right in assuming you now have 2m 2f?). However there is only way way to find out and that is to see what happens, if your alpha is pretty laid back and manages to keep things under control without going overboard and the tank is big enough with plenty of hiding places then it should be sweet. Otherwise it might be a ticking time bomb.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you may end up with issues if you have lost a female because you have such a small colony (am I right in assuming you now have 2m 2f?). However there is only way way to find out and that is to see what happens, if your alpha is pretty laid back and manages to keep things under control without going overboard and the tank is big enough with plenty of hiding places then it should be sweet. Otherwise it might be a ticking time bomb.

Yes 2:2 left, was a Hollywoods 5x Frontosa special I got a few years ago. I guess it's not recommended to add another adult female fish and see if she "gels" with the group? So far they all seem happy and the Alpha is still taking charge and eatting before the others. The tank is big enough and has plenty of places to hide, was considering to rescuplt it but will hold off for now, needless to say I have put a cover back over the top of the tank. Cheers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sadly discovered this morning that I am now down to 2 males and 1 female, the other female ejected herself from the tank :facepalm:

Sorry to hear about that :( Frontosa aren't usually known to be jumpers.. I would suggest that the fish are getting spooked or bullied so much they are jumping out.. How big is the tank? And do you have any lids on it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to hear about that :( Frontosa aren't usually known to be jumpers.. I would suggest that the fish are getting spooked or bullied so much they are jumping out.. How big is the tank? And do you have any lids on it?

Thanks man. They are in a 5ft tank (with lids) and have been in if for 2-3 years and bred many times in there. Their neighbours are only brichardi, who have been in there for a few months but at the opposite end of the tank. Nothing has changed other than the landscape a few weeks ago and the removal of several bristlenose catfish. :dunno:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WOW awesome size group mine where not much older than 2 when they first breed. How big is the tank and what tank mates do they have?

Was a 6 ft tank 1800X70X65. now they are in the new 5 ft tank 1500x75x70 and very happy...

They have many tank mates.... I try to reduce the size at moment..

You can see my tank journal at below post..

http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=58003

:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks man. They are in a 5ft tank (with lids) and have been in if for 2-3 years and bred many times in there. Their neighbours are only brichardi, who have been in there for a few months but at the opposite end of the tank. Nothing has changed other than the landscape a few weeks ago and the removal of several bristlenose catfish. :dunno:

It seems strange that they are jumping.. I am wondering if your male has matured and starting to get hard on the females (dynamics and aggression etc change as the fish grow) fronts are usually colony type fish and you have a smaller number so I am wondering if the females are getting a really hard time and trying to get away? Either that or you just had 2 random jumpers! Either way it sucks..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Was a 6 ft tank 1800X70X65. now they are in the new 5 ft tank 1500x75x70 and very happy...

They have many tank mates.... I try to reduce the size at moment..

You can see my tank journal at below post..

http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=58003

:D

Nice, remember seeing the post before....good work man :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...