getting front possibly

[cluster]

My LFS has a Front for $130 he is about 8"- 10"
im not sure on specific type i will knwo more tomorrow but he is very dark compared to the fronts i have seen which are black/white id say this one is black with grey stripes

im planning on placing him into my 55G for 3 months max when im upgrading to a 100G+ but one of the bad things is i currently have this in stock

4x 2.5"-3" Yellow Labs
3x 4" kribensis
1x 1.5" Cobalt Zebra (will most likley be removed ifi get front due to size)
1x 1.5" red X (will most likley be removed ifi get front due to size)

i hear that labs&kribs are compatible but they are both hyper species while the front is sort of slow

one of the main reasons i would liek to get him is... i have seen him at my LFS for the past 2 months roughly in a 20G max, looks smaller actually and i know a 55G isnt the best size but he shoudld be much happier in it till i get a bigger tanka nd get 2 more fronts possibly, i want to take him home each time but today i finally decided to look into it since i do have a bigger tank now and mor einto african cichlids

 

[freshmike]

They are compatible, but what size is the front?

 

[cluster]

i updated above post

 

[freshmike]

I would not say that fronts are slow ......they are lazy. Also, they are nocturnal predators and CAN be as fast as any cichlid in your tank. However, the sizes of the fish that you have "should" be ok with the front...as long as they don't try to pester him/her too much. Frontosa don't fight so much as they kill, don't really like to mess around with playing if you know what I am saying. Though, if it were my tank, I would pull the kribs as well.

 

[cluster]

im thinking about giving the kribs a try, the yellow labs are the ones in my worry the only ones they run from is my ram when he was in the tank, my gf says he is smaller then 8"-10" i dont know he is pretty large

 

[freddyk]

Frontosa are awsome fish but you need to plan for them. In anything less then a 6 foot tank you can pretty much just keep one. The male can be quite aggressive, so you'll need at least 3 females to disperse the aggression, and more is better.

The labs should ignore the fronts, and grow too big to become food. The kribs I imagine would become fish food.

Here's a decent artical

 

[jumpman]

hey, haven't been on here for months, a quick glance and I see a topic about fronts!! My favourite subject!!

I have kept a couple of kribs in with some younger fronts in a 4ft for a few weeks until they found new homes...no problems at all, but that was very temporary and with juveniles.

At the size you state (roughly 8-10") as others have said the kribs might be tempting food if the front got hungry.

I would say only to get him if you plan on getting a very large tank in the future (siz foot length) as only then will you be able to get others for the colony you will need....

get the large Front tank, you know you want to!!

jump

 

[cluster]

well i got its, he is about 6" looks happier then at the lfs so far and hasnt touched a single fish not even the guppies when he gets used t o the tank i assume he will clear them out

 

[cluster]

 

[freshmike]

Okay. Yes, the 6 foot tank will be more comfortable for him, but it is NOT necessary...also, yes you may want to get more of them (females) but also, not necessary. They are very clean fish, so they do not need the size of tank that most fish their size need....I mean, they even wipe their bums after they poop. I have had fronts in the 180 gallon (12) and I have had them in a 50 (4).....both tanks were fine homes for them and they didn't show any signs of stress in either of them, except when Frankenstein wanted to mate.....then EVERYONE was in his way. The fish in the picture has less white on him, probably mainly due to the fact that he/she is in a 20 gallon and the water conditions are not very good. Frontosa are quick to tell you the quality of he water. I got 2 from my neighbor a while back....almost completely black. As soon as they hit my tank they went to bright white and dark dark black, it was amazing. You can most likely expect the same from the fish in question. Good luck and I would go for it.

 

[freshmike]

One more question....

Do you usually see frontosa where you are located? I say this, because $130 dollars is pretty steep for a fish that size...big fish are generally harder to sell and the fact that they are keeping him in a smaller tank tells me that this is infact true.
I would try to deal with them. 6" wild caught zaires go for around $200 here and that is a pretty rare species. Keep us updated.

Also, how long have they had this fish?

 

[cluster]

i just got him this morning he is fitting in well everytime i seen him in the LFS he would barely swim just stay in the corner...well he swims back and forth now its only 55G but he will have much fun in the 100+ when i get it soon, and fronts are real rare around here i can get juvis for $22/piece,

 

[cha0s]

he's a handsome fella.... i have 2 yellow labs with my 6 fronts and they do fine, but i definately agree that u should try for a bigger tank when you can.. good luck and welcome to the addiction of frontosa....

 

[cluster]