# 75G and fronts?



## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

i have a spare 75G and was wondering how many and what kind of fronts could be kept in this ....i no nothing about fronts so any input would help alot thanx in advance for anyone with words of wisdom


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## KATALE (Jul 25, 2008)

i guess it all depends on what size yr talking about.. if u want adults i wouldnt put more than 6 in there being that fronts require larger aquariums.. u can have atleast 12 @ 2-4" but once they hit the 7" range u may want to cut it down to 3 or 4.. fronts are awesome but u have to give them a comfortable establishment.. good luck and enjoy em when u get em :thumb:


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## KATALE (Jul 25, 2008)

oh and if u can afford it,, the blue zaires are the best..

moba
kapampa
kitumba

if u want to start out cheaper u can go with the

burundi
kigoma 7 stripe
or any 6 stripe variety till u get the hang of them..

mpimbwe are prob the most tame as far as aggression and become pets as they get older..
u can hand feed them and their like puppies.

hope this helps,,,

greg


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

awesome info u guys...i like the idea of pets ....keep all the good info comin and any idea what id be able to keep with them as tank mates?


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

also male to female ratios that would be good id like to know...and if you can have different fronts with eachother which ones will work best?


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## daniel4832 (May 8, 2004)

Keeping adult Fronts in anything smaller then a 6' tank is asking for trouble in the long run!!!
Sorry,
Daniel


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

if you go back to read past posts, you will notice i appear to contradict myself on this topic. fact is, i have changed my opinion with experience shared from others here.
a 4 foot tank is too small for any group of mature frontosa. if this is the tank, and frontosa is the fish, then space would allow for only one. and that arrangement, is lacking for many other reasons, once you appreciate what cypho prefer as a species. there are much better choices, in the predator line up, for a single fish set up.
sure, with additional filtration, you could likely get more than one frontosa to survive within this size enclosure, but it sounds like ("words of wisdom") you want to get it right the first time. so, i would suggest to budget for a tank that has a bigger floor area, before buying fronts. anyone who suggests different, is forgetting they are a predator fish. i would contest them, to identify any other 16" predator, that would do well in groups, within a 75 gallon tank. IMHO.


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## joesfish (Mar 29, 2004)

I agree with daniel and lloyd that this is to small for any adult frontosa. Making a 75 Gal a grow out tank for some fry would be ok, but you better start planing on buying a larger tank real soon. I have used a 75 gal for about 8-12 fry until they reach about 2.5 - 3 inch. That is the max for myself.

Also kepping 3-4 adult frontosa in a 75 gal is crazy, these fish love a large colony. If at all possible I would look at buying a tank with at least a 6ft footprint.

I have heard stories of people keeping adult frontosa in a 55 Gal and breeding them. From my experience this sounds crazy and a little mean.

If it was me with an extra 75 gal tank and if I didn't already have frontosa, I would buy 12 fry around 1" of tanzanian like the Mpimbwe or Tanzanite or the zaire like Kapampa or Moba. 
I would buy some synodontis and let them all grow. Once the fish reach about 2.5 - 3 inch, I would sale my largest 2-3 fish. I would then buy a 6ft tank for the remaining fish. Maybe, put some other tangs in there with them.


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## Razzo (Oct 17, 2007)

IMHO, a 75 gallon tank should only be used as a grow out tank for cypho fry/juvies. You could keep them in there for about one year max. After that you will need a minimum 6-foot footprint. The longer the better actually - I have a 7-foot tank.

If you were going to use the 75 as a grow out, I would start with about ten to fourteen fry. A nice ratio of mature cyphos in a 125 gallon tank would be 2m/6f. To end up at that ratio; at some point, you will need to remove the some males and there are a couple different ways to accomplish this.

If your new to fronts, I would suggest F1. As far as which varient, that depends on personal taste and budget. You can search the profiles sections of this site to get an idea of the different cypho species & varients. I keep C. gibberosa Kapmapa and you can do a search with me as the author and you will find many pictures of Kapampa in my posts. Kapampa is one of the Zaire varients along with Moba, Kitumba, & Mikula (all the Zaire Blues look very similar).

As mentioned before, Zaires are the most expensive, followed by the Tanzanian/Zambians and then the northern varients. My first colony was a group of F1 Mpimbwe (a Tanz).

Take your time, find what you like, enjoy the quest, and gain knowledge.

Best wishes!

Russ


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

ty for the info everyone i dont have the funds for a bigger tank at the moment so i think for the fishes best interest ill just have to steer away from the frontosa...ty all again


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## GJx (Mar 13, 2003)

My own personal story is that I first started my front fry (6 ) n a 29 gallon tank that all but swallowed them whole, they were sooo small, but they outgrew it in short order & I moved on to a 75 gallon just like you are pondering.

Then like Razz says they stayed in that for a bout a year & a month & it was time to move on to a 125 g that I bought as their next stop,& tat ws not their last stop, believe it or not.

But what I learned from that that I can tell anyone else is much what has been said. I would use the 75 gallon for a grow out tank & with the idea that in a year or so, they will most likely out grow it & I'll need to have something else ready for them.

If that were not my plan, or I had no firm goals to get a larger tank, I'd wouldn't advise a front colony.

gjx/LJx


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## tom_patriot (Feb 24, 2007)

Take a look at Tropheus for the 75 gallon tank. A nice colony of 15-16 would do nicely in that size tank. You can gain knowledge on Trophs in the Troph and Petro discussion here and other sites as well.


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## mario (Feb 25, 2003)

I had a 55 gallon tank with 4 frontosa for a year and half before upgrading to a 75. I kept them in the 55 until they were 4.5" each. My Fish got to be up to 7" before I sold it.

If you don't have the money or space for a 150 gallon, don't worry. As long as they have places to hide from agressive males, good water, good food, they'll be happy.


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## thevein (May 10, 2006)

i agree with mario to some extent, everyone in the hobby is not blessed with huge incomes but still need to be responsible with regard to the species they house or attempt to house. 3 fronts in a 55 @ 4" is not torture but yes, alternate larger housing must be in the very near future. the space should be relatively open to allow free swimming, have very good water quality along with a good diet. those are more important than driving someone to buy a monster tank that they can't afford.

in the end, research, research, research, research and always have a backup plan


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## GJx (Mar 13, 2003)

In response to your post vein, the truth is that there is no complete concensus on the topic of how large a tank has to be to house Fronts/Gibbs. I see websites & experienced hobbyists that say that a 75 or 90 is apro-po for fronts _( as in the minority s they are) _ & most of the truest hobbyist that I know of, just quote the 6 FOOT rule on the matter.

I surely can't tell someone that I never housed front fry & growing fronts in a smaller tank! Heck smaller than the one that Mario is planning on, but through that experience & through reading everythingthat I could get on fronts, & really caring for their wellbeing, IF they were gonna be MY FRONTS, I had to upgrade their tank over the years _( they lived 16 or 17 years) _as they grew & I can't in good conscience tell anyone to house them (permanently) in less than 6 ft tank. AND I understand ( like you) why that is said so much & basically agree. 

I don't think that it even has to have as much to do with "HUGE INCOMES," as some might think. There are ways around some of the costs associated with getting a large tank. My fronts are in a 150 g, & if "you" don't think that I would love to have a 240 or above, "you're" wrong, but money & space are an issue with me right now, so we all kinna deal with what we are capable of getting at some point & most of us WANT larger. lol

gjx/LJx


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## thevein (May 10, 2006)

:lol:


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