View Full Version : Frontosa????
Hey can you guys tell me how difficult are they to breed? How old are they when they CAN breed? And how do you tell the males apart from the females? Thanx!!!
RichardA
05-03-2008, 6:04 PM
1st question I have......
How big of a tank do you have?
1st question I have......
How big of a tank do you have?
Well they are in a 20 right now, they are still small, eventually they will end up in a 125g.
RichardA
05-03-2008, 6:20 PM
Well....a 125 should work out fairly well. Do rock formations at both ends with an open zone in the middle.....I would get them in the 125 as soon as possible so they can split off and make some pecking order now. The males will develop the huge frontal lobe, and the dorsal, anal, and tail fins will be far more pointed and longer then that of the females more rounded short fins.
They will start pairing off at a young age so the quicker you can get the 125 set up for them the better. Make sure your base rocks are completely on the bottom of the tank for they will move some sand/gravel around when they nest.
Not sure how many you have, but a good round number would be 6 total and pull any that get beat up.
They do not have to be full grown to breed....however the spawns will be far more stable once they are.
Rbishop
05-03-2008, 6:35 PM
How about a real colony and an 8 foot 200 gal plus?
RichardA
05-03-2008, 6:39 PM
LOL, funny you say that as I was typing out get a 300 and do it right I changed my mind......I figure if you already have the 125 use it!
The nuchal hump isn't always reliable to tell the males from the females. Some females develop a hump too. The elongated fins will work once they are adults, but to sex them when younger you should vent them. Depending on the varient they aren't hard to breed but they are extremely slow growers and it will be at least 2 years until they breed...if they are very young.
lovejonesx
05-12-2008, 2:03 PM
They are not that hard to breed, I agree, but having had them & bred themn since the early 90's, I must admit that they are a very "hands on" fish when breeding simply b/c the fry have so much value in the hobby & you want to save & keep everyone that you possibly can & b/c they are mouthbreeders. It's a lucky hobbyist that observes them actually mating/breeding.
Deb is right that you can't always tell the males simply by the nuchal hump.
I have learned (gotten lucky w/o venting ) to kinna tell the males as they grow from frys by how they act & the size & the conventional wisdom says to get rid of the dominant male fry until you get down to all females & then "ACQUIRE" a good male to assure that you have a good strain with no inbreeding.
I agree that the 125 gallon will be just fine & if you have a larger tank (length wise/surface area) the BETTER!!
Just my experience & opinion on them.
:headbang2: