View Full Version : Frontosa Parental Care
nagukush
07-09-2009, 2:27 PM
Hi Friends !
Hope all is well and great !
I've seen and read so much about the great parental care that some (or should I say most) of the Cichlids show, but I have never ever heard or read any such thing about the Frontosas. Personally, I dont have any experience as I havent bred these guys yet and I just thought I'd request more experienced people to kindly guide me if Frontosas show any kind of Parental Care towards their babies or is it completely absent ?
Kindly guide me and share your experience.
Thanks a lot !
Lots of Regards and Care to all !
Kush
jpappy789
07-09-2009, 2:37 PM
Being colonizing fish, I would expect parental care to be pretty good up until sub-adulthood where males may have an issue with each other depending on space available.
nagukush
07-09-2009, 3:04 PM
Wow, thanks for the kind reply ! Yes, I was thinking the same too but its really strange that I've never heard or read about Frontosa's parental care anywhere ! Maybe because most of the times, the babies are stripped from the mother's mouth and raised separately to ensure the highest survival rate ?
jpappy789
07-09-2009, 3:48 PM
That is the feeling I have gotten as well. Most people tend to raise the fry separately in order to rear them for sale.
nagukush
07-09-2009, 3:53 PM
Exactly, I guess because they're pretty expensive fish and almost always in demand, hence nobody would take a risk of leaving them in a colony...Anyways, thanks a lot for caring and for the kind replies. I just wanted to check and know if anybody has ever allowed the babies to stay with the parents / colony and witnesed any parental care...
Thanks again - Lots of Regards and Care !
jpappy789
07-09-2009, 4:00 PM
No problem:)
I stripe mine gibberosa pretty quickly as they tend to swallow the eggs. When they were first imported, they held to term but that instinct seems to deminish, in some cases, the longer they are held in a glass box.
I know a guy who has been able to rear fry with the parents but that is not very common.
As already mentioned, frontosa/gibberosa fry are always in demand and for a good price too so I try to minimze any losses by rearing them in a fry tank.
Hope that helps
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc158/ts13b41/06-30-09Day34005.jpg
jpappy789
07-10-2009, 3:22 PM
I suppose in a closed system, the fish tend to think food over family :rofl: