Frontosa questions

[spock rider]

hi all

is the general consensus out there that fronts should be in groups?

[pofkuiken]

Hi there.

Groups should not be problem just check them as they get older and get territorial they don`t kill of one another, but if your tank is big enough you shouldn`t have problem, but always keep an eye on them...........enjoy them they are lovely fish....

[spock rider]

I have had my 14 for about a year now, they are getting a bit big, so either i move them into their own tanks, three in each or I dunno what for now?

[pofkuiken]

How big is your tank???

[oosie]

How will the Frontosa be with Severums? I would love to have 2 of them in my 400l tank....

[oosie]

Any idea where I can get 2 Frontosas?

[SalmonAfrica]

Frontosa and severums need quite different water conditions; Frontosa needing hard, alkaline water and severums needing quite the opposite.

As far as I know and have seen, providing there is enough room, Frontosa do best in groups. Generally though you should have more females than males.

[pofkuiken]

Hi there. You should not have any problems keeping frontosa`s and green or golden deacons together,even if they require different kind of water quality always remember to climatise your fish well when you introduce them into your system and they will adapt. Always make sure your systems ph does not go below about 7.2.

If you need any frontosa`s let me know and give me a size of witch you want to keep and I can send you some.....

Cheers.

[SalmonAfrica]

Hi pofkuiken

I was talking on more of an ethical point when I recommended that these fish shouldn't be kept together, rather than you ''cannot''. While each of these fish indeed can live outside of their natural pH ranges, long term care under the incorrect conditions can prove harmful to either of these fish, even if acclimated correctly. Frontosa come from an environment where the pH of the water ranges quite widely, but is usually quite alkaline, normally above 8.0. The Frontosa has adapted to live in such water over many, many, many generations, and will not suddenly adapt to a lower pH. Likewise for the Severum.

Granted, they won't likely immediately show any ill effects, and still may live for years in such conditions. However the damage can occur over long term, and besides that, the conditions that you'd be keeping the fish in won't be ideal.

I'm not trying to force my ideals onto you, but here on TASA I believe that responsible fishkeeping should take place, where we take care of fish to the best of our ability and in doing so provide the most ideal environment for our pets.

[pofkuiken]

Hi there.

Sure no prob... I`m not sure what your ph is like that side but ours here run at 8.2 soooo, are you saying that i`m doing harm to my deacons and other cich i`m keeping?????

[SalmonAfrica]

Well all I'm saying is that Severums prefer a lower pH, normally acidic to neutral (ie: 6.0 to 7.0), and if you're keeping other cichlids that come some similar water chemistries then your water might not be ideal for them either.

[sarf]

i know that ideally these fish should not be mixed...but it has been done..although to be honest..if you keep severems in higher ph..they might survive..but not THRIVE like they would in softer ph..i have bred and kept wild caught frontosa and currently have Zaire blue frontosa whichh i "WILL" breed...400litre tank is not big enough long term..if you really wana see your frontosas do well...keep your group in a 2m tank, with no other fish that will bully them, high ph water, not too much flow as that will hamper spawning...males mature in aout 3-4years..then they should breed..im sorry to have to refer a fellow member to another site for fronts..but if you want specialised info on frontosa, check out cyphos.com.

[oosie]

Good morning...
I would like to have 4 if possible, How much and how do we get them in polokwane? What size do u recomend for a start..(400l Tank)

cheers oosie