# New to Frontosa Keeping



## Cichfish (Jul 15, 2003)

Hello everyone I am coming over from Lake Malawi Peacocks to the mighty Frontosa's of Lake Tanganika. Had to make the switch b/c my peacocks were very aggressive and it was time for a change. I just got a group of Frontosa's from a buddy of mine for a good price. I have 8 in a 75 gallon tank from as little as 2 inches all the way to a 7 inch male beauty. They have been in the tank for 2 days. I have noticed some of them scratching on there sides in the sand substrate. The tank temp is at 80 degrees F. I don't know how to fix this issue I am new to keeping Frontosa and any help would be very helpful.


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## Razzo (Oct 17, 2007)

Cichfish said:


> Hello everyone I am coming over from Lake Malawi Peacocks to the mighty Frontosa's of Lake Tanganika. Had to make the switch b/c my peacocks were very aggressive and it was time for a change. I just got a group of Frontosa's from a buddy of mine for a good price. I have 8 in a 75 gallon tank from as little as 2 inches all the way to a 7 inch male beauty. They have been in the tank for 2 days. I have noticed some of them scratching on there sides in the sand substrate. The tank temp is at 80 degrees F. I don't know how to fix this issue I am new to keeping Frontosa and any help would be very helpful.


Some "minimal" scratching can mean nothing but abnormal scratching is a problem. How often are they scratching and is it just one fish or more? How is your pH compared to the previous owners?

If it is abnormal scratching you have some sort of infestation that most likely came from the previous owner. Admittedly, I can't be dogmatic about that from the limited info available at present. A video might help. Probable meds could be Kanamycin sulfate or jungle tank buddies.

A 75 gallon tank is too small for your collection - you most likely will have aggression issues & stress. Your collection should be in minimum 6-foot tank. Don't mean to sound harsh, I've been keeping frontosa for 15+ years and have learned a few things about them.

Try posting on the frontosa section of this website for more help.

Best wishes,
Russ


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## Cichfish (Jul 15, 2003)

The scratching is minimal and only 1 or 2 of them are doing it. The pH of the tank is 8.0 and the temp is 80 degrees F. Yea I will be moving them to a 125 or 150 when the get older. What is the best food for them?


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## Cichfish (Jul 15, 2003)

How do I get these guys to breed?


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

As Razzo said, get them in a larger tank - they are already "larger". For perspective, I have 8 Fronts in a 180 and it feels too crowded at times. My fish range from 4" to 13+".

With fronts, breeding can be a waiting game for it to start, but by the sounds of it, your fish may be "of age". However, they may not be comfortable in such a small tank. Allowing them to spread out in a 6' tank will only help. Aggression spread out, water conditions better, more room per fish, all serve to make them happy.

As for the scratching, mine do that routinely. It could be a sign of something like a parasite, or it could be nothing. Keep an eye on it, and be diligent about your water parameters. With such a large bio load in a small tank, you will need to keep up on water changes.


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## Bevo5 (Mar 19, 2004)

That's referred to as 'flashing,' and can be caused by any huge number of issues. Sometimes fish just like to do it for no reason, so there's no issue to be concerned about. But if many or doing it, or they're doing it a lot - then you probably have some type of water quality issue that needs to be straightened out.

What are the water parameters in your tank? Did you compare them to those in your buddy's tank? If the PH etc. is different and they weren't acclimated properly then that could cause them to be a bit uncomfortable.

So, check your water and adjust as necessary. Just do everything slowly....


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## Cichfish (Jul 15, 2003)

Yea when they get older I'm planning to put them in a 150g tank for more space. I lowered the temp to 77 and the scratching has stopped a little. I did a water test and the pH is at 8.0 and all the other parameters ate in check. What is the best food for Frontosa? They are starting to eat more better and being less shy when greeted at the tank. Any other things I should know about them? Are they prone to any bloat or sickness?


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## Charles (Feb 25, 2003)

as long as your water is in check, frontosa is very hardy.

Though with 8 fish and 1 fish being 7", your bio-load in a 75g might be a bit high.

Any good pellet food are good for frontosa, omega, NLS, hikari, etc...


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## Razzo (Oct 17, 2007)

Cichfish said:


> Yea when they get older I'm planning to put them in a 150g tank for more space....


You have dismissed our advice twice without question :-? I just wanted to repeat that suggestion in case there was any confusion - It's time now :wink: There is a high probability that you will be making a mistake, at the current size of your fronts, by leaving them in the 75 gallon tank.

If you want to disregard the advice, that is your call. I'll back off after this reply.

Russ


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## Cichfish (Jul 15, 2003)

So I picked up some more NLS fish food and did a water test all the parameters are good...the pH is at a 8.0+ and there isn't any amonia, nitrate, or nitrates. I will be putting them in a 150 or so soon so they can be even more happy. The scratching has stopped more and more as days go by. They are eating better the NLS foods and once in a while krill treat. I lowered the tank temp to 77 but it goes up when the lights are on and then it goes down when I turn the lights off at night and turn the AC on. Not sure if this is another issue??? @ Razzo sorry man I'm new to keeping Frontosa's.....


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## newforestrob (Feb 1, 2010)

*Cichfish*
there isn't any amonia, nitrate, or nitrates

Are you sure?you should have nitrates,unless you have a bunch of water weeds


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## Cichfish (Jul 15, 2003)

Yes there is nitrates but in the safe zone. Same with the other parameters.


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## pretty1 (Oct 2, 2011)

i want grown a frontosa i like them


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