Sexing frontosa cichilds

[DAN BUDDE]

Does anyone know how to sex frontosa cichlids.I have six that i have raised for 4 yrs. they range anywhere from 3 1/2 to 10 inches long. during this time they have not attempted to mate,which leads me to believe that they might all be males Can anyone shed some light on this topic.

dan

 

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

Doubtful they are all males. Frontosa are notoriously slow to breed, and need pretty good tank conditions, tank setup and tankmates.

You'll most likely have to vent them to accurately determine sex (but you'll have to know how to do it). The males also eventually develop the large bump on thier head.

-Diana

 

[carpediem]

Just a quick note...

Not all males develop humps, *sub* males sometimes do not have humps and will look like females. Also, some females will develop a hump to a degree.

Venting is the only sure fire way to sex these fish and that can leave uncertainty sometimes because things don't always look the way you would expect them to :huh:

 

[DAN BUDDE]

Well the two largest frontosa have huge bumps on their heads.the rest have bumps to some degree.maybe i have my tank set up wrong.do they need plenty of rock?.I also have a large red oscar in the tank with them,would he be enough of a distraction that they wouldnt want to breed? This might sound stupid but how do you vent them?



Dan

 

[carpediem]

Well the two largest frontosa have huge bumps on their heads.the rest have bumps to some degree.maybe i have my tank set up wrong.do they need plenty of rock?.I also have a large red oscar in the tank with them,would he be enough of a distraction that they wouldnt want to breed? This might sound stupid but how do you vent them? Dan

This article has some pretty good information. Google sexing frontosa.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/frontosa_sexing.php

 

[Harry Tolen]

What size tank and what water conditions?

 

[DAN BUDDE]

Harry,

i have them is a 125 gal tank.i also have a large(12in) red oscar in with them.i have some plants but no rock or flower pots?what would be best for breeding?i have had one male constantly following a smaller individual,hopefully a female.he dosent harass her but rubs alongside her occasionally.these fish have all been tankmates since they were 1 inch long,including the oscar.should i get rid of the oscar and add some flower pots or some other type of material to induce breeding?

Dan

 

[aknif]

I am by no means a frontosa expert, but here is what I have learned from the other frontosa guys in my cichlid club:
-125g should be more than enough for 6 fronts. I've been told that I can have 9-11 of them in my 135g as mature adults.
-All of the frontosa people in my cichlid club have either large STABLE rock formations or overturned LARGE clay pots in their tanks for the fronts to spawn in. (the vast majority use the clay pots)
-They are easily stressed and do NOT like other tankmates (aside from maybe a pleco or synodontis) nor do they like a lot of activity around their tank. I have 2 young kids and have been warned that my fronts may not breed because of them running around all the time. (but it's ok, i'm not trying to breed mine either!)
-A large water change and some generous feeding of high quality foods can induce a spawn if they're ready...
-Fronts take 3-5 years to be mature enough to spawn, and one guy has a colony he's had for 8 years that have never spawned.

 

[DAN BUDDE]

Ok,
thanks for the info.I am going to get rid of the oscar and add the clay pots.especially since one male seems awfully interested in a smaller specimen,hopefully a female

 

[Harry Tolen]

I have had a colony of Frontosas for about 16 years now. I just lost my oldest male, but his original female partner is still around.

I kept them in a 125g for years, but the babies never survived. I would see a couple hiding in the every now and then, but removing two tons of granite every time I saw a baby would have been a real pain, and the parents were never comfortable enough to breed without the decor.

However, once I moved my five adults into a 240g tank (same rocks), the babies were able to survive on my own without my intervention. I eventually wound up with more Frontosas than I knew what to do with, so I gave most of them away. Now I have five adults in one tank and three split up in other tanks (one particularly ornery guy has his own 75g), and no one seems interested in breeding anymore.

I have always used Seachem Tanganyika buffers and salts to good effect.

Good luck.