# 5 bar fronies?



## abyss (Oct 15, 2008)

Has anyone heard of them? I have heard that they are the originalstrain by an oversea's importer and of coarse very dear $$$$$$


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## cichlidgirl1 (Sep 17, 2007)

There are only six and seven stripe frontosa. No such thing as a five stripe. You will be counting the black bars not the light.


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## abyss (Oct 15, 2008)

we have 8 bars in aust as well


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## cichlidgirl1 (Sep 17, 2007)

Im not a expert but i would wonder if the 8 bars you mention might be some sort of hybrid or undesireable mutation. As far as I am aware there are two and only two species of fish commonly known as frontosa. There are more than one variant of each of these two species, variants often will differ with the light stripe hues (one type may be more blue in the light stripes than another for example, have a mask instead of a eye stripe etc.. ) Im only aware of Cyphotilapia FRONTOSA (burundi types and the 7 stripe kigoma types) and cyphotilapia GIBBEROSA (zaire, tanzanian, zambian types) . There are several variants of these types that are mostly related to collection points and the fish have very little differences to the naked eye. None of these species has 8 black stripes or 5 black stripes. The eye stripe or eye mask is always counted as a stripe so the number of stripes on most frontosa (all but the 7 stripe kigoma types) is 6 black stripes. If you have a frontosa that has 8 or 5 black stripes i would love to see it in a picture please.

CG


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## css virginia (Jan 29, 2007)

I have never heard of a 5-stripe Frontosa. I have only seen 6 and 7 stripe Fronts. 8)


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

IME, 6 and 7 are the accepted band counts for cypho variants accepted to date, and grading cypho should include defining lines and bold banding. i have seen 6 bar fry, culled to 'lfs grade' :wink: , for appearing to have 5 bars. and i have seen 6 bar being culled for appearing to have 6 1/2 or 7. i have never seen a frontosa appearing to have 8 bars, but if six band culls can appear to have 7, then i suppose a kigoma cull could appear to have 8. i've never seen one though, and would love to get a picture to confirm it.


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## abyss (Oct 15, 2008)

I myself only have 6 & 7's but I know there out there im looking for some decent pic's for you but i think your right anyone who has them apart from the shops won't send me pic's and the shops won't let you take pic's of course I'm working on it but the breeders are being hush hush about how they got them, 'm starting to wonder if they aren't full bars.


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## FishAreFriends (Dec 23, 2004)

I would probably stay away from anything that has 5 or 8 bars. What people may be doing to keep them only have 5 or 8 bars is line breeding but i wouldnt see the point in that... :-?


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## abyss (Oct 15, 2008)

Think you maybe right It seems that they maybe looking for another way to great more $$$ for whats already perfect by messing with it! :roll:


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## Chip (Jan 27, 2003)

Guys- in the early days of Tangs- the late 70"s the Zambian type frontosa were tagged 5 bar because the facial bar is more of a mask or triangle in shape and does not go through the body.
Five bar include Nsumbu, flourescent, both are a standard import option from ZAmbia and not expensive related to frontosa pricing. A large adult should sell for about 65.00-75.00 US

chip


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## cichlidgirl1 (Sep 17, 2007)

Well that sounds like what they might be then. Maybe they are just importing zambians and calling them by the old name , trying to over charge and re invent them under a new name. Thanks for that info. That might clear up the 5 bar, but i would still steer clear of a 8 bar LOL.


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## abyss (Oct 15, 2008)

That sounds like them my dad back in the 70s said that he had some imported as there were none in Aust and they were called five bars but he agrees that the facial bar was not complete and was triangle shaped but he always wondered if they were true Frontosa.


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## cichlidgirl1 (Sep 17, 2007)

The eye mask was not normal looking on your dads fish ? Or did you mean he thought they were different cause there was no eye "stripe" ? If the masks were normal masks then yes they would have been true frontosa, one of the gibberosa variants IMO.


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## abyss (Oct 15, 2008)

Just seen some photo's of them they had the eye stripe completly through and the bands are stright and full and the base colour is a deep blue they look like fronies to me, I'd post some pic's but my scanner is stuffed  He was saying that he paid $1000.00 aust to get them in and when he got them breeding they were sold before they hatched, but he hasn't seen anything like them since the 80s.


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## jbob (Jan 1, 2009)

maybe your thinking something like a Neolamprologus tretocephalus, they look similar to frontosas and have 5 bars.


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## tirzo13 (May 26, 2004)

in the old days, some people did not count the face mask as a stripe/bar.
so current 6 "stripes" were known as 5 bars, and 7 stripe kigoma was called 6 stripes.

also there is a strain of mpimbwe going around that has a faded to missing face mask that is called 5 stripe.


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