Frontosa (Cyphotilapia frontosa)

Common Name:

Frontosa.

Other Names:

Humphead Cichlid.

Scientific Name:

Cyphotilapia frontosa.

Family:

Cichlidae.

Class:

African.

Distribution:

Rocky outcroppings of Lake Tanganyika.

Size:

16 inches.

Diet:

In the wild, they eat smaller fishes and some invertebrates, so live foods like Daphnia ssp. water fleas and Artemia ssp. will be especially appreciated, as will feeder fish (quarantined prior to feeding!) and the various "worms" and worms available to the hobbyist. The adults will also take a large range of prepared foods. Mark Philip Smith cites freeze-dried shrimp as an especially nutritious and well-received treat for Fronts.

Water Temperature:

80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 Celsius).

Water Chemistry:

They like alkaline water (pH 8.7 to 9.4 in the wild) that is very hard (12 to 14 kH). They can be acclimated to water of slightly lower alkalinity in captivity. Like most Tanganyikans, these fishes do not tolerate fluctuations in water parameters well. Because of this, copious water changes are to be eschewed in favour of frequent (possibly even daily) ones.

pH:

8.7-9.4.

Life Span:

potentially well over a decade!

Minimum recommended tank size:

200 plus gallons (they like to be kept in groups!).

Description:

These are large, thick and well-rounded white fish in the classic Tropheus mould that are painted with broad purplish strokes. Their fins are a translucent baby blue and their large red-irised eyes seem to protrude from beneath a mask created by one of the aforementioned broad strokes. Maturing Fronts are graced by nuchal humps (some of which may rival those of a Central American cichlid in its fullest and most magnificent display).

Species Behaviour:

These are among the most docile of the large cichlids and treat tank mates (including conspecifics) with respect and (mostly) without aggression. Wild caught Fronts may exhibit a little more territoriality than those with higher F-numbers. They can (and will) devour smaller fish in the blink of an eye but have trouble chasing feeders. Many Front keepers report that guppies are usually only rapidly devoured when first poured into the tank and still disoriented from the process.

Sexing:

Females don't grow as large as males and won't grow the large nuchal hump of the latter (but may grow a nuchal hump of some size).

Breeding:

Males will mate with several females at a time. The females are mouthbrooders and will hold the young for approximately 30 days. The young could be at risk if the female isn't in a separate tank from other fishes. The babies are able to feed on finely ground flakes and live baby brine shrimp once spit (an aquarist term referring to the mother no longer brooding the babies).

Life Span:

potentially well over a decade!

Miscellaneous:

These have been found under a few names: C. frontosus, Paratilapia frontosa and Pelmatochromis frontosus.

There are several wild-caught morphs named by their location within Lake Tanganyika and/or their country of origin. Among these are the following: Blue Zaire, Burundi, Kasanga, Mpimbwe, Sambia (aka Zambia) and Zaire.

The Mpimbwe Blue morph is a deep blue and seems to be especially sought-after and valuable.

Photo Credit:

Photos 1-6 supplied courtesy and ^©Bob Hart (Rab).
Photo 2 supplied courtesy and ^©Rick Clark.