Frontosa

Frontosa

By H. Blair Howell

© H. Blair Howell, Click Here to enlarge 116k.

© H. Blair Howell, Click Here to enlarge 205k.

© H. Blair Howell, Click Here to enlarge 114k. Common Name: Frontosa Latin Name: Cyphotilapia frontosa Origin: Lake Tanganyika Temperature: 72 - 83 Ease of Keeping: Moderate Agressivness: usually fairly docile although they are a piscivore and will eat small fish Size: up to 16 inches for males. Females smaller. Tank Size: 125 gallon

Food: Feed a good quality flake or pellet when smaller. Larger fish should be fed cut fish or shrimp Spawning: Maternal mouth brooder. Frontosa should be kept in a colony with one large dominant male. Comments: Frontosa come from very deep in Lake Tanganyika and have to undergo decompression when they are being brought to the surface of the water. They are a food fish to the locals and are fished with hook and line. Their primary food in the lake is cyprichromis. Fronts are known to become a pet almost like a dog. Often they will come to the front of the tank to greet their owners and are known to take food out of their hands. There are many different varients of frontosa. the one pictured here is a Cyphotilapia frontosa - "Mpimbwe Blue