Frontosa

Cyphotilapia frontosa

A gentle giant with bold black bars and a big forehead hump. It comes from deep water, so everything it does is slow and calm.

A semi-aggressive freshwater fish that grows to 33 cm, lives in the middle of the tank and needs 24–27 °C, pH 7.8–9.0 and an aquarium of at least 500 L.

Care at a glance

Water

Freshwater

Temperature

24–27 °C (75–81 °F)

pH

7.8–9.0

Adult size

33 cm (13 in)

Aquarium

500 L or bigger (132 US gal)

Temperament

Semi-aggressive

Group size

Fine on its own

Swims

Middle

Diet

Carnivore

Wild home

Deep rocky slopes of Lake Tanganyika

Good to know

• Slow eater. Out-competed by fast fish at feeding time.
• Eats invertebrates. Hunts shrimp, snails and crabs.

Tank mates

Good company: Sunshine Peacock Cichlid, Yellow Lab Cichlid.

Will eat: Amano Shrimp, Betta, Black Skirt Tetra, Bloodfin Tetra, Cardinal Tetra, Celestial Pearl Danio, Cherry Barb, Chili Rasbora, Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid, Congo Tetra, Corydoras, Crystal Red Shrimp and 26 more.

Eaten by: Asian Arowana.

Attacked by: Flowerhorn, Jack Dempsey.

Harassed by: Black Skirt Tetra, Pea Puffer, Serpae Tetra, Tiger Barb.

Eats the newborn fry of: Angelfish, Axolotl, Boesemani Rainbowfish, Bristlenose Pleco, Comet Goldfish, Discus, Electric Blue Acara, Fancy Goldfish, Firemouth Cichlid, Flowerhorn, Jack Dempsey, Kribensis and 8 more.

Its fry are eaten by: Axolotl, Black Ghost Knifefish, Flowerhorn, Jack Dempsey, Motoro Stingray, Ornate Bichir, Oscar, Siamese Tigerfish.

Grown ones eat their own newborn fry, so raise the young in another aquarium.

Colours and breeding

• Burundi epic
• Blue Zaire epic

In Aquarius a grown male and female breed in a healthy tank. Their young are born about 1.8 cm long and take after one of the parents.

The care values are the ones Aquarius uses, based on how these animals live. Tank mates follow the game's rules: water type, temperature and pH, who can swallow whom, fin nipping, temperament and territory.