# Fronts AND Mbuna possible, or crazy?



## CichlidFarmer (Sep 30, 2007)

Is this even plausible? I was wondering if anyone has ever kept Frontosa and Mbuna together in the same aquarium? If so what were your experiences? What problems did you run into?


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## cichlidgirl1 (Sep 17, 2007)

NO !! The mbuna are hyper aggressive species in general. Some are wildly aggressive and even the peaceful mbuna are way too territorial for frontosa. Fronts are aggressive to each other but wimpy does not even begin to describe them around other species.... Dont do it. Even yellow labs will nip their fins off and stress them out. I tried a mixed african tank and had a couple yellow labs and some acei along with some haps . It didnt work, everybody who told me not to do it were right. Some haps you can get away with it if you have a super big tank but even then it depends on indiviual fish and you cant be sure your fish will cooperate.


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## tony_tong (Oct 8, 2007)

i tried before, but the fronts gets harrased and thier fins gets all messed up at the end ...


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## tirzo13 (May 26, 2004)

if you don't care about breeding you can do it.
if you don't care about your frontosa getting long fins you can do it.
if you don't care about your frontosa hiding all the time due to the aggressive and hyperactive nature of mbuna you can do it.
if you rather see mbuna than frontosa you can do it.


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

It is plausible and people have done it. However, that does not mean it has a good chance of success. I would definitely hesitate to emphatically say no, as if it could not be done. To someone who has tried it, that seems like good advice, but it is just not true that it cannot be done. But the side effects of doing so have been pointed out.

It is actually easy to find people's experience with doing this if you do a search on these forums or on google. Generally what happens is this:

1. Person posts asking if they can house Frontosa with other fish
2. Other people say no
3. Person does it anyway
4. Works out fine a for a little while (depending on sizes of fish involved)
5. After a while Person posts that it was working but now the fish aren't getting along, or the fins on the Frontosa are missing, or the Frontosa are not breeding, or one type of fish is not eating etc.
6. Person gets rid of other fish or Frontosa

You are at step 2, and probability says you will continue to step 3. Personally I am not opposed to people trying something. Unless you do something stupid most combinations will not end up in any fish dying. But chances are you, like everyone else who has tried it, will end up removing them at some point.

For example, with my 3" Frontosa I have 6 Julidochrmois Marlieri. They are not Mbuna, but they can be pretty fiesty. It is also something that a lot of people will and have told me to avoid for all of the stated reasons. For the first 6 months I didn't have any issues. The Julie's picked on each other, but left the Frontosa alone. In the past few weeks I have noticed that one of the Julie's will sometime chase away the Frontosa. I have also noticed that about half of my frontosa have half of their fins missing.

Personally, I don't care, and I don't think the fish care either. My point is that after only 6 months the situation is starting to change. Who knows what will happen 6 months from now as both species get bigger and mature.


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## moua (Aug 10, 2004)

big fan of step three!!! whoop whoop!!


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

The only problem is that usually step 3 through 6 come bundled together.


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## Lesley (Sep 20, 2003)

I have one 4 inch Front that I bought from the lfs. I put him in with my mbuna, who harassed him so badly he spent most of his time wedged behind the powerhead, with raggedy fins and tail. I removed him because I figured they'd eventually kill him, and he never fought back.
He's spent the last 4 months with 2 blood parrots and two clown loaches, they all get along just fine, but the Front is the biggest wimp in the tank. Once I get my new 90 gallon set up, I'll get him a couple of companions of his own species.


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## tirzo13 (May 26, 2004)

yes, frontosa are very passive fish.
Funny thing about parrots.
they can make it with tough fish like midas or flowerhorn, but being hybrids the mouth is messed up that they can also live with peaceful fish because they can't really hurt them.
seen alot of tanks with frontosa and parrots.


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## Lesley (Sep 20, 2003)

Mine only get aggressive when they're spawning, then they rush at the frontosa to bump him. He easily gets out of their way. The rest of the time, it's so laid back in the tank, the clowns are always draping themselves over the backs of the parrots.


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## AfriCarman (Feb 12, 2006)

I think it is worth a shot if its what you want. I have had 3 Fronts living with an assortment of mbuna/hap mix for 3 years. I also have a bunch of shellies in the tank which is probably a no-no too. In my case most of the mbuna harass each other while the haps do the same and evryone leaves the Fronts alone. But they all grew up together.


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## cichlidmama (Sep 7, 2005)

My 3 fronts live with 7 Blood Parrots and one yellow lab. All good, no problem for years now. Been thinking of adding more labs but didn't want to push my luck too far.

I would prefer to have more fronts and less BPs, but my largest front is about 10" and the smallest close to 7", BPs are about the same size. Even the lab is 5". I don't trust them with 1-2" baby fronts ... and don't know where to get matured ones.

Poor lab, all alone.


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

i would suspect, mixing mbuna with frontosa, will eventually send you here:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=23


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## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

okay i have a cyphotilapia in my tank , with 1 yellow lab, 2 kribs, and a red zebra. i got the cypho from a guy who had 6 jack dempsey's, 7 parrot fish, the cypho and 6 stripe cats. i went to his house and was astonished, i told him that i heard they werent supposed to be together and no nipped fins and all were healthy and happy. so far the cyhpo is fine in my tank he actually has the healthiest fins in my tank and noone messes with him .. i am however eyeing my red zebra as he is maturing , if hes shows his anal fins (tee hee) hes outta there.. but as of now my tank is healthy and happy. i guess its all on personalities of the fish and your setup


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## morningsky (Apr 22, 2008)

I keep 2 fronts in my 125 with mixed haps/peacocks and yellow labs and acei.
I have had them for about a 1 1/2 years. I bought the fronts at about 1 inch at different intervals. I originally had four. So now I have one that is about 4inches and one that is about 2inches. 
My fronts look fine no nipped fins. they don't hide all the time and hold their own with my other fish or get outta the way.

*WITH THAT being said cichlid behaviour changes*, my fronts are not mature yet and I have been told they will eat my other fish. I believe they can eat any fish that they can fit in their mouth, right?

I had a hard time (with the eating all of my other fish concept) my fronts are mild and laid back.

So on Sunday I bought some juvenile peacocks and haps for my other 125. I already had some juvie acei and yellow labs when I added the peacocks. A few hours later an acei was missing an eye. I thought it was wierd--never happened before. Two days later my Eureka red 2 inch peacock was swimming around with my juvie 1 1/2 deep water hap in his mouth.
I reached in and he spit him out. The poor thing was missing an eye too and died right away.
I am taking him (the Eureka red back to the LFS- as he was kind of suspect anyway)-horizontal and vertical stripes showing after I got hime home) :-?

My thoughts are if my juvie peacock is going to eat other fish, then my fronts most defin. will
I plan to either buy a species front tank or rehome them now. It is selfish on my part I really like my fronts and haps but I don't want anymore fish eaten in the future.


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