Frontosa

[Fishy411]

could A frontosa live in a 75 gallon tank. Also what . if any, would make good tankmates in a tank that size. I am trying to decide what to put in my 75 when i get it.

 

[Fishy411]

anyone?

 

[guppymonkey]

You could keep a frontosa in a 75 maybe even a pair of them if you change the water regularly. I would probably suggest only keeping a pair of frontosa by themselves, they tend to beat up most other fish that are kept with them.

 

[Fishy411]

just another question. Why do they get that huge hump thing on theri foreheads. Is ti old age?

 

[freddyk]

Firstly, a pair would not be agood idea - they are not monogomous fish like new worlds. They are harem breeders, and males are quite aggressive toward females. You can only keep a single specimen in a 75 gallon tank.

The hump comes with age, not old age - just mature age, and it grows as they age more.

The front will do well with most fish that are not too aggressive, and can not fit into it's mouth, but a 75 is pretty limiting when housing big fish like these.

 

[Fishy411]

Well what wouldnt fit in its mouth? i was thinking Banded Leporinus but i dont know how they would do.

 

[freddyk]

Leporinus is pretty big and aggressive. I have no experience with them myself, but I understand they shouldn't be mixed with slow moving fish - which the Front would qualify as.

 

[Fishy411]

alright. For a bottom feeder i think im gonna have a Lima shovelnose. I have a sev which i have been told will outgrow my 55 so would that make an OK t ankmate?

 

[cha0s]

You could keep a couple of frontosa in a 75 for a few months, but would definatley need a bigger tank later on...

 

[Fishy411]

this is gonna be my last tank for awhile so i dont want anything that i will have to upgrade to keep. A frontosa can be kept in a 75 its whole life with minimal tankmates right?

 

[freddyk]

Yes, a single Frontosa will do just fine.

Since the tankmates have to be big as well, you're a bit limited to how much you can put in the tank. A big catfish or loach, a big algae eater - this will pretty much fill up the tank.

In your position I would be inclined try a small shoal of silver dollars with him. While they are not from the same biotope, they'd coexist indifferently with each other. Now I'm sure you'll hear all about how the water is different, blah blah blah, but frankly, these fish will both do well in neutral-ish water while giving you something to fill the tank with.

 

[Fishy411]

Yes, a single Frontosa will do just fine.

Since the tankmates have to be big as well, you're a bit limited to how much you can put in the tank. A big catfish or loach, a big algae eater - this will pretty much fill up the tank.

In your position I would be inclined try a small shoal of silver dollars with him. While they are not from the same biotope, they'd coexist indifferently with each other. Now I'm sure you'll hear all about how the water is different, blah blah blah, but frankly, these fish will both do well in neutral-ish water while giving you something to fill the tank with.

if i did get a small shoal of silver dollars would i still have room for a large catfish provided i have good filtration

This would be the stocking list

1- Frontosa
- small shoal of SD's ( how many? 3?)
1-Lima shovelnose

also how can i tell the difference between a male and female frontosa? the ones i have seen are juveniles. Is there an easy way to tell because i want a female so it has more room at full size then a male would

 

[freddyk]

I don't see the problem with it. If you are diligent with tank maintenance, try 5 SD's (they're always cooler in larger groups). It will be a fairly heavily stocked tank once they grow, but it's nothing decent filtration and diligent maintenance can't handle.

You won't be able to determine the gender at a small size. I wouldn't worry about it, their growth slows down as they get larger, and it can take a long time for them to begin reaching their potential sizes. When this happens down the road it's usually not hard to find a home for an healthy adult frontosa.