Cyphotilapia frontosa (Boulenger, 1906)
Suggested pronunciation: sigh-foe-till-are-PEA-uh front-OH-suh

PROFILE ______________________________ Common name Frontie ______________________________ Adult size in the aquarium.... males to 30 centimetres females to 25 centimetres in the wild.... males to 35 centimetres females to 28 centimetres ______________________________ Sexing Males usually have a larger hump than females. Frontosa can only be sexed reliably by venting, and even this method cannot always be trusted. Venting frontosa accurately requires experience. Males also tend to be larger. ______________________________ Diet Piscivore/Omnivore in the aquarium.... In the tank, it is a slow eater and will eat shrimps, earthworms, frozen brine shrimp and pellets. They will also eat small fish. Flake should be avoided after they reach about 10 centimetres as it will either go ignored or get too messy and is not adequate to bring them into breeding condition. in the wild.... they eat fish and large invertebrates. ______________________________ Swimming level They mainly inhabit the middle and bottom levels of the aquarium. ______________________________ Recommended for Beginners through to experienced fishkeepers; a large peaceful Tanganyikan or mixed Rift Lake tank; species tank; breeders.

 

Rating Availability Hardiness Overall appeal

Species description

• Description....
• Cyphotilapia frontosa is a high-back cichlid that develops a large hump on the forehead.
• The eye is quite large.
• The hump is a large fatty deposit that rests on top of a dorsal muscle that tends to extend forward.
• The hump develops and increases in size with age and is usually a sign of sexual fecundity.
• Frontosa are characterised by a white (or blue) body, with either 6 or 7 vertical black bars.
• The fins are elongated and come to a point at their ends.
• The usual body colouration is bright white with six broad black vertical bands. The width of these bands depends on the individual. The fins are white to violet-blue. Their fins become more elaborate with age.
• The black bands extend a little into the dorsal fin.
• They have a large head ending in a large terminal, slightly down-turned mouth that has fleshy lips.
• The pharyngeal teeth are slender and sharp.
• Taxonomy....
• Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata: Sub-phylum: Vertebrates - Group: Fish
    • Class: Osteichthyes (Bony Fish): Sub-class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fish)
      • Order: Perciformes (Perch-like Fish)
        • Family: Cichlidae: Subfamily: Pseudocrenilabrinae
      • Genus: Cyphotilapia
        • Species: frontosa
• Geographical variants....
  • Frontosa are very abundant in the wild, with a colour morph or geographical variant from every country bordering Lake Tanganyika.
  • Some of the geographical colour forms are Zaire Blue, Sambia and Burundi.
  • There is also a 7 bar variety (right) found along the coasts of Kigoma, Tanzania. The stripes are closer together and thinner than all other C. frontosa. The 7-bars have five bands under the dorsal fin, as opposed to the four of the "normal" 6-bar varieties.
  • The Zaire Blue (below right) colour form has more intense blue colouration in the fins and on the body and head than the Mpimbwe or Burundi varieties. The fish pictured below are from Moba.
  • The species from Moba are the most colourful. The blue is even deeper, heading towards violet in some of the fish.
  • Most C. frontosa have more contrast between the stripes.
  • Typically they have a bar through the eye but mature Zaire Blue C. frontosa have a black "hood" that covers the entire face from the eyes to the tip of the mouth.
  • Frontosa from Mpimbwe (Tanzania) are characterised by large pearl coloured scales on the hump of large males.
• Similar species....
  • Neolamprologus tretocephalus (right) may sometimes by confused with juvenile Frontosa.
  • Trets, though, have five bands and are a more slender fish. The bands extend into the dorsal fin of Trets.
    • Images: Cyphotilapia frontosa juvenile (below left); Neolamprologus tretocephalus (below right)

Habitat information

• Cyphotilapia frontosa is present in different populations (colour variations) in all parts of Lake Tanganyika.
• They are a common species in the deeper rocky habitats where they are found in large groups.
• They are deep water inhabitants, occurring below 15 metres.
• Juveniles can be found at shallower depths, but adults are usually seen below 20 metres.

Aquarium care
The following information relating to tank size, decoration and tank mates is indicative and intended to be used as a rough guide only. Other possible tank mates are listed under Compatibility and there aremany plants and decorationsthat can be used - just ask us.

• Tank....
  • For a colony of 10 adults, a 540 litre tank (around 150x60x60 centimetres) or bigger is recommended.
  • Keep in mind it is not the overall size of tank that really matters, but the capacity of water it can contain - the more water the better.
  • Example - Frontosa colony:
    • Tank capacity: 273 litres
    • Tank type: HR-1200
      
      • 120 centimetres (48 inches)
      • 3 x 30W fluorescent tubes
    • Fish ideas:
      • 5 x Cyphotilapia frontosa
      • 2 x Synodontis eupterus
    • Building the tank:
      • Background - eg. external printed 3D rock background
      • Substrate - Sand/marble chip mix; approximately 20kg sand and 20kg marble chip mixed together.
      • Decoration - Sandstone, Scoria and Lava rock. Large overturned half terracotta pots can be used to provide caves.
        Stack rocks on top of each other, making sure it is stable. This creates caves and crevices for the fish. Try to include plenty of large pieces for effect and stability. Leave open swimming areas.
        
      • Plants - not necessary. Vallisneria and Java Fern are recommended if plants are used.
    
    
• Maintenance and Disease....
  • Cyphotilapia frontosa likes a sandy to rocky habitat and caves and/or large flower pots should be included. It is important to give these shy cichlids a sense of security.
  • Don't overdo it with lots of rocks or sharp rocks. These fish move slowly until they get spooked - then they are lightning fast and very clumsy.
  • The alpha-male will be the largest and oddly enough, shyest of the group. He will need a cave, but the females do alright in the open.
  • Minimal lighting and frequent water changes are highly recommended. Although juveniles will be active in bright light, as they get older they become shyer and more reclusive. Bright light tends to washout the black bars.
    This Lake Tanganyika cichlid needs frequent partial water changes. It is recommended that these be done weekly.
  • The Frontosa is sensitive to water pollutants and chemicals.
  • Water parameters:
    • pH: alkaline (7.5 - 8.8)
    • Hardness: moderate to hard (8 - 22dH)
    • Temperature: 25 - 27oC.
      
• Compatibility....
  • In the wild, Frontosa live in large groups called colonies. In the aquarium, they should also be kept in larger groups, although they can be kept successfully in groups as small as four individuals (1 male:3 females). They do best when kept in groups.
  • They are a peaceful cichlid towards other aquarium inhabitants.
  • They shouldn't be kept with small fish, and particularly open schooling fish such as Cyprichromis, which are the natural prey of Frontosa in the wild.
  • The different geographical variants shouldn't be kept together to avoid interbreeding.
    
    

  Ideas for suitable tankmates.... The fish listed below are indicative of the species that can be kept with this fish. Other fish may also be suitable - please ask us which other fish are compatible.tt ______________________________ Lake Tanganyika Neolamprologus leleupi Cythopharynx furcifer Aulonocranus dewindti Lepidiolamprologus elongatus Tropheus moorii Gnathochromis permaxillaris Haplochromis burtoni Clown Catfish (Synodontis decorus) ______________________________ Lake Malawi Electric Yellow (Labidochromis caeruleus) Blue Dolphin (Cyrtocara moorii) Cobalt Zebra (Metriaclima callainos) Otopharynx sp Silver Torpedo Aulonocara jacobfreibergi Otter Point Placidochromis phenochilus Tanzania Nimbochromis livingstoni ______________________________ Lake Victoria Astatotilapia latifasciata

  
  
• Breeding....
  • It takes quite a while for Frontosa to reach sexual maturity. For instance, Zaire Blues commonly reach sexual maturity at three years of age. Most other variations of Frontosa will rarely become sexually active before two years of age.
  • To breed these fish, they will need to be kept in a calm environment, with as few distractions as possible.
  • Only the males need caves, but it is good to have a few extra hiding places for brooding females to take refuge in.
  • The males are skilled substrate movers. They have large mouths and they often pick up a dozen or so pieces of gravel at once and relocate it to a place of their liking.
  • The breeding ritual for Frontosa is as follows:
    • The male moves into his cave or territory and tries to make it presentable to passing females, to coax them into his cave.
    • Often he will build a wall of substrate at the entrance of his cave, presumably to give the female a sense of security and privacy.
    • Spawning is very inconspicuous - no shaking, no flashing of fins, or sparring with conspecifics. The only obvious sign is the intensification of the male's blue colour, especially on the snout.
    • Once he has gained the attention of a female, he allows her into his house, in which he has cleared a spot for laying eggs.
    • The male and the female hover side by side inside the cave. The male will turn very dark at this time, nearly losing his stripes.
    • When the female lays the eggs, the male fertilises them before she takes them into her mouth, in true mouthbrooder fashion.
  • Often the female will entice the male to excrete more sperm which she will also scoop into her mouth to make sure of fertilisation.
  • The eggs are very large and the female may lay up to 50 eggs.
  • The eggs will hatch in about two weeks and be free swimming in a month or so much like other mouthbrooders. Female Frontosa are, however, often quiet reluctant to release their fry.
  • It is not uncommon for a female to continue to hold them for almost 2 months if she is not stripped.
  • C. frontosa fry are extremely large and can eat anything.
  • Start them out with newly hatched brine shrimp or if you prefer a quality flake food. Within two weeks, the fry can eat adult brine shrimp.
  • Fry should be separated and raised apart from the adults.
  • Any small fish (under 7 centimetres) is regarded as food by adult Frontosa.
    

References....
Web sites
Fishbase
Books
Back to Nature Guide to Tanganyika Cichlids (Back to Nature, 1996)
Cichlids of Lake Tanganyika (TFH Publications, 1989)
Enjoying Cichlids (Cichlids Press, 1993)
Tanganyika Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press, 1998)

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