The frontosa (lat. Cyphotilapia frontosa) or the queen of Tanganyika is a very beautiful fish, and very popular among cichlid lovers. Large sizes and bright colors immediately attract attention, even in an aquarium where other fish are full of colors. The size of the fish is truly impressive, up to 35 cm, and the coloring is interesting, in the form of black stripes on a blue or white background. This is a beautiful fish, but intended for bulky cichlids.
The fish are quite easy to care for, but they require a fairly spacious aquarium and high-quality equipment. It is best to start a Tanganyika queen with an aquarist who already has some experience.
They are not too aggressive, so they can be kept with other large fish, but it is better in a separate aquarium, in a small group. Usually such a group consists of one male and three females, but it is better to keep them in a group of 8 to 12 individuals, however, this requires a very large aquarium.
One fish can be kept in an aquarium with a volume of about 300 liters, but several need an aquarium of 500 liters or more.
Sandy soil and shelters made of stones and sandstone will create ideal conditions for frontoses. They don't need plants, but you can plant some since fish touch plants less than other cichlids.
The Queen of Tanganyika is generally a friendly fish, and does not bother its neighbors, but only until they encroach on its territory.
So it makes no sense to keep them in a cramped aquarium. Of course, this applies to large fish; if there are fish in the aquarium that the frontosa can swallow, it will not fail to do so.
Description and characteristics of the fish
Frontosa is a carnivorous species of ray-finned fish belonging to the cichlid family of aquarium fish. It was first described and identified by ichthyologist George Albert Boulenger. A little later, the name of the fish changed - the cichlid began to be called cyphotilapia frontosa due to a specific fatty seal on the head.
The name comes from a combination of several words - cypho from Greek translates as “hump”, tilapia in the Aboriginal language means “fish”, frontosa from Latin “with a large forehead”.
Appearance
Natural forms of frontosa grow up to 35-40 cm; aquarium representatives are slightly smaller in size than wild fish.
Frontosa is a large fish that can grow up to 35-40 cm
Description of appearance:
- The body is powerful, elongated, flattened laterally.
- The head is large, with a fatty outgrowth (a sign of the breed).
- The eyes are deep-set, with a golden halo around the pupil. The lips are fleshy, a large mouth with a movable lower jaw, which is well retracted and moved forward.
- The fins are large. The dorsal is voluminous and single, runs from the head to the caudal peduncle, elongated at the end. The pectoral and anal fins are pointed. The tail is single-lobed, trapezoidal in shape.
The color is light - dirty white or blue tones. This effect is achieved by scales with a dark thin edge. On the body there are wide black stripes with clear boundaries characteristic of the species.
Pattern Location:
- the stripe of the head region in some varieties extends along the cheeks to eye level;
- the first stripe on the body is formed in front of the dorsal fin and in the pectoral zone crosses or goes around the gill covers;
- stripes of the second group - fifth (or sixth in individual morphs) begin in the upper part of the back, descend to the belly or cross it;
- the latter covers the base of the caudal peduncle.
Frontoses have a blue-white body with dark transverse stripes and a fatty growth above the head.
When different morphs are crossed, the offspring often have less showy patterns than the parents. Sometimes the stripes may be unclear, asymmetrical, different in number on the right and left sides, or even located in a V-shape.
Habitat
This cichlid lives in only one place on the planet - in Lake Tanganyika at a depth of 10-50 meters. It is the longest freshwater lake in central Africa. Young individuals prefer to stay closer to the surface; adult males are more often found at the maximum possible depth. The habitat is characterized by a rocky coast, sandy areas, and a low proportion of nutrients.
History of discovery
During his third trip (1904-1905) across Lake Tanganyika, Dr. William Cunnington (Dr.WA Cunnington) acquired and exported from the country several specimens of amazingly beautiful and outwardly unusual fish, which the local population caught for utilitarian purposes - food.
These specimens, which ended up in the Natural History Museum in London, were described and systematized by the famous zoologist and ichthyologist George Albert Boulenger. The ichthyologist revised the classification several times, classifying the new fish either as Paratilapia, a small genus of cichlids from Madagascar, or as Pelmatochromis (perciformes).
A little confusion was caused by the famous British ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan, who worked at the Natural History Museum on the classification of fish. He described a new species of cichlids, which he named Cyphotilapia demeusii. Later, the equally famous Belgian ichthyologist D. Thys Van den Audenaerde, who was engaged in the systematization of cichlids of Central Africa, established that this species belongs to a different genus, and the Queen of Tanganyika became the only species included in the genus Cyphotilapia.
Types of frontoses
All frontoses are conventionally divided into 6-7 taxonomic types. The type of frontal cichlid depends on the number of stripes on the body of the fish and the color shape.
Burundi
Light blue morph with a pattern of six dark stripes on the body. The first crosses the gill covers and forehead.
Blue Zaire Kapampa
The variety has scales with a pearly tint. The body and fins are deep blue. Six stripes contrast with the overall color - darker and brighter, the first runs between the eyes.
Frontosa Burundi
Frontosa Blue Zaire Kapampa
Kavalla
The fish has a pattern of six stripes. The color is almost white with a golden tint. The dorsal fin is the same color as the body with yellow splashes.
Kigoma
White or bluish color, fins to match the body, the dorsal has a yellowish crest. The pattern is six gray-black stripes, blue cheeks.
Cyphotilapia Frontosa Cavalla
Cyphotilapia Frontosa Kigoma
Kipili
The main body color is white, the fins are blue. Distinguished by five dark stripes and blue-black cheeks.
Pimba (Blue Mpimbwe)
The morph is azure in color with a purple tint, fins to match the body. A pattern of five black vertical stripes and one horizontal between the eyes.
Frontosa Kipili
Frontosa Pimba
Nord Congo
The main shade of the species is light blue; there are six black stripes on the body. The fins are dark blue.
Moba Zaire
Color varies from deep blue to light purple. The fins are the same tone as the body or slightly darker. Six black stripes not reaching the belly.
Sambia
The species has a tall body and a gray-blue color. The fins repeat the general coloring. Six dark stripes.
Frontosa Mobe Zaire
Frontosa Sambia
Frontosa Nord Congo
Black widow
White morph with a pearlescent tint, fins to match the body, dorsal with slight gray pigmentation at the top. Contrasting black horizontal and transverse stripes do not reach the belly.
Red
The body of the fish is colored light pink. Six stripes - reddish-brown. The appearance fades with age. The fins are light.
It is better to avoid interspecific crossing of frontoses, since the resulting offspring may be infertile.
Frontosa Red
Frontosa Black Widow
Keeping in an aquarium
The tall frontosa is an aquarium fish that needs a spacious tank. Such a voluminous structure is equipped with good equipment capable of maintaining the vital functions of fish at the proper level. The design of the space is approached taking into account that the shelters do not take up much space and allow the flock to move freely.
Aquarium
The large and imposing Queen of Tanganyika is kept in a species aquarium with a height of 50-60 cm. It is recommended to take a large tank immediately “for growth” so that the fish does not take too long to develop.
There should be at least 200 liters of water per individual. To keep a school of up to 5 fish, a structure with a capacity of 400 liters is selected. A group of 8 adult frontoses can be kept in 500 liters.
The aquarium for frontosa must have a volume of at least 200 liters per individual
The aquarium must be equipped with a lid.
Water parameters
Representatives of the cichlid family are sensitive to the state of their environment, so its indicators are carefully monitored.
Physico-chemical parameters of water:
- temperature – 24-26 °C;
- hardness – 10-20 dH;
- acidity – 7-8.5 pH;
- oxygen saturation – 8–9 mg/l.
The water is changed every 3-4 days, updating 15-20% of the volume.
Attention is paid to the temperature - if the mark exceeds 29 ° C, then the pets may not tolerate such critical indicators and will die.
Priming
Frontoses are unpretentious to the substrate. The standard soil for cichlids is fine gravel or river sand. The brightness of the color of the blue “foreheaded” beauties stands out especially impressively on a bright day. The soil is poured in a layer of about 5 cm.
Quartz sand is one of the most beautiful and useful types of soil
Fine gravel is perfect as a substrate for an aquarium.
Plants
Frontoses show no interest in aquaculture.
Therefore, breeders often prefer to keep them without plants, creating a sandy and rocky “lunar” landscape in the aquarium. For lovers of biological diversity, it is recommended to plant unpretentious crops with thick leaves and tough stems:
- Echinodorus;
- nymphs;
- cryptocorynes;
- ferns;
- gymnocoronis;
- Vallisneria.
Fish do not eat green bushes, but they can, by digging up the soil, damage the root system. This can be avoided by planting plants in separate pots.
Vallisneria
Gymnokoronis
Echinodorus
Equipment
For high-quality purification of a large volume of water in the aquarium, install a good compressor and external filter modules. To control physical parameters, a thermostat is required. The characteristics of all devices must correspond to the volume of water processed.
| Type of equipment | Productivity, liter/hour | Minimum power, in W |
| Compressor | 300–600 | 5 |
| Mechanical filter | 800–1600 | 20 |
| Combined biochemical filter | 1000 | 20 |
| Thermostat | 400 | 300 |
The presence of noise from the equipment does not cause discomfort to the fish.
Lighting
At the depths where fish live in nature, the lighting is dim. And in the aquarium, the Queen of Tanganyika also does not need a bright light source. Low-power LEDs in the cool white-blue color range are preferred as equipment. Lamp operating time is about 10 hours.
Feeding
Cyphotilapia are omnivores, but prefer to eat food of animal origin.
It is recommended to feed the lobate cichlid with minced meat with a multi-component composition:
- Several types of lean fish fillet.
- Shrimps.
- Squid.
This composition additionally contains ballast plant components (for example, spirulina flakes), vitamins and nutritional supplements.
For normal development of fish, it is necessary to add vitamins to their food.
Other types of food that can be included in the diet:
- dry combined (pre-soaked);
- small live fish (if the possibility of infection from such food is excluded);
- mussels;
- adult Artemia and Koretra;
- beef heart.
You need to feed the frontosa 2 times a day in small portions. It is important to avoid overeating to prevent the development of obesity.
Aquarium design for frontoses
Designing a cichlid fish necessarily requires dividing the space into certain areas. Correct zoning will reduce the likelihood of territorial conflicts between inhabitants and increase the swimming activity of fish.
The free zone in the aquarium should be 70% of the internal area of the tank. The rest - 30% - is decorated with decorative installations that will serve as shelters for the fish.
An example of a simple composition for an aquarium with frontoses
The following elements will help decorate such a space:
- large stones (limestone, granite, basalt);
- horizontal caves;
- vertical grottoes;
- coconut shell;
- clay or polymer figurines, ship models.
Wood products cannot be used in cichlids with “lobed” representatives. In addition, it is important to consider that frontosa is a powerful fish. By undermining the ground, it can drop a heavy structure on itself, so all decorations in the aquarium must be installed securely.
The desert, rocky landscape realistically recreates a fragment of the African rift system.
Feeding
The Queen of Tanganyika is a carnivore by nature, which is reflected in its diet. Under natural conditions, it includes small fish, invertebrates, mollusks and algae that enter the stomach along with live food. And at home you should choose high-quality types of food for your fish:
- live or frozen brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, worms;
- meat of shrimp, squid and mussels or minced meat from them;
- spirulina flakes, green peas as a vegetable component;
- beef meat or heart;
- lean fish fillet;
- cereal, chips and other dry food;
- Daphnia, Cyclops and Koretra are suitable for young animals.
For proper digestion, it is better to alternate these foods with each other and minimize dry or granular components.
You should feed Frontosa 2-3 times a day and make sure that she eats all the food. Portions should be small to avoid overeating. Bloodworms, poultry and mammal meat are prohibited for feeding. They are not digested in the pet's stomach and cause severe bloating.
Compatibility
Despite their inertia, frontoses exhibit aggressive behavior, defending their territorial areas in the cichlid. It is better to keep such fish in a school in a single-species aquarium.
If a breeder wants to diversify the home ecosystem with large-lobed cyphotilapia, then they need to choose calm, large phenotypes as neighbors. Since frontoses belong to the predatory class, they will regard small fish as natural food and will sooner or later eat them.
Frontosa demonstrates good compatibility with Polypterus senegalese and Malawian cichlid.
Fish compatibility table
Other types of aquarium fish that are suitable for keeping together with frontoses:
- Ancistrus;
- red smelts;
- lamprologus;
- Princesses of Burundi;
- tsirtokara muri;
- chromis.
Frontosa can withstand the proximity of a large and active predator, but will experience strong psychological pressure and constant stress.
Cohabitation
As you know, pseudotropheus cannot boast of a friendly character, so living together with other species rarely ends well
If you want to breed various creatures in your aquarium, it is important to adhere to several rules and recommendations
Cohabitation of zebras with other species rarely ends well, so it is better to keep them separately
First, you need to remember that in one group there should be a male and several females, preferably 2-3 individuals. In this case, the innate level of aggressive behavior will be significantly reduced.
If you want to populate a container with different fish, it is better to give preference to African species with a less pugnacious character. It would be very good if these were inhabitants of Lake Malawi with different sizes and colors. Otherwise, zebras will begin to show territoriality and will conflict with their neighbors.
If you want to expand your aquarium colony, then to do this you need to take several measures and provide the creatures with the proper conditions. Puberty of the species ends at the age of 8-12 months, after which individuals begin to show special interest in the opposite sex, courting females.
During the spawning period, they need a calm, relaxed atmosphere
There are times when an aquarist waits impatiently for new offspring of zebra fish to be born, but, unfortunately, this does not happen. To solve the problem, the most aggressive individual should be separated from the females, because during the spawning period they need a calm, relaxed atmosphere. A good stimulation for rapid reproduction will be increased nutrition. It is enough to try feeding your pets a little more often than usual.
Without a doubt, Pseudotropheus zebra is a real find for fans of aquarium fish. Her beauty and grace simply have no equal. At the same time, the creature does not require special care and easily takes root in every aquarium. If you understand the basic features of caring for pseudotropheus, then in a short period of time it will be possible to grow and breed an entire colony of fabulous representatives of the tropical ichthyofauna.
Previous Varieties of Minor fish: proper maintenance in the aquarium, compatibility with other fish and breeding Next Varieties of Speckled catfish: general information and compatibility with other species, maintenance and care, reproduction of corydoras
Diseases and prevention
Frontoses do not tolerate errors in care and react sharply to organic pollution.
In general, the species is susceptible to all diseases characteristic of fish:
- Ichthyophthiriasis is the formation of white nodules on the integument.
- Ascites - mucous excrement, accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity, raised scales.
- Dactylogyrosis is a lesion of the gills.
- Plistophorosis - grayish-white nodules in the muscles and head.
- Lepidorthosis - ruffling of scales.
- Columnaris - plaque on the lips.
More often these are bacterial infections or invasive lesions.
The specific disease to which the species is most prone is Malawi bloat. This is an intestinal pathology, which, if the breeder does not act, quickly leads to the death of the fish.
The disease is treated at the initial stage, when frontosis:
- loses appetite;
- breathes quickly;
- starts to hide.
At this stage, the sick individual is isolated and treatment with metronidazole is started.
Metronidazole is used to treat sick fish.
More worrying symptoms:
- abdominal bloating;
- excrement with white speckles;
- inflammation of the anus;
- bottom habitat.
At this stage, the pathology can no longer be treated, and the fish dies within 1-3 days.
Difficulties in treating aquarium fish are due to the fact that it is not always possible to accurately diagnose the disease. By providing the frontosa with good care and maintenance in the aquarium, you don’t have to worry about the fish getting sick. It is important to try to anticipate negative factors rather than eliminate them later:
- Regularly analyze water indicators using test systems.
- Change the water in a timely manner, siphon the bottom, clean the filter elements.
- Do not place animals (including as food) in a common aquarium that have not passed quarantine.
- Give the fish high-quality, proven food, and arrange a fasting day once a week.
- Balance the diet with the correct ratio of protein (70%) and plant (30%) foods.
The good appetite of the frontosa and the inexperience of the breeder very often lead to systemic diseases caused by obesity. Therefore, you cannot overfeed the fish.
If overeating, the frontal cichlid is left without food for two days and a solution of methylene blue (concentration 1 mg/l) is added to the water. In advanced cases (for example, fatty liver), diet no longer helps.
The bright color of the fish indicates their health
Color saturation is a good indicator of the state of the frontosis. Pale skin indicates that the fish is experiencing serious discomfort.
Nutrition
Red cichlids eat all types of dry, live and plant foods. For bright colors, you need to feed food with a high content of carotene.
Plant food must be scalded with boiling water before feeding. As for dry food, Tetra Cichlid Color in granules is better suited, enriched with animal protein and fats that promote proper growth of fish.
The diet includes:
- mussels;
- Artemia;
- shrimps;
- fry;
- earthworms;
- pieces of lean beef;
- lettuce leaves;
- fresh cucumber;
- zucchini;
- specialized food with spirulina;
- industrial food for fish of the cichlid genus.
Adult cichlids are fed once a day. Food is given in large pieces. A single meal is calculated based on the volume eaten in 20 seconds. There is no need to overfeed, as overeating may cause health problems for your pets.
Prohibited food
African cichlids are very sensitive to poor quality food. Out of greed, they can eat them, but the consequences will be bad, even fatal.
Pisces should not be offered:
- tubifex;
- products from the human table (bread crumbs, sausages, cheeses, etc.);
- fat meat;
- pork, lamb.
Feeding the fry
The fry are fed 4-5 times a day with “live dust”, Artemia and Cyclops nauplii, boiled and powdered egg yolk, and also use specialized dry food for fry.
Adolescent Chromis-handsome look inconspicuous, bright colors will appear later
Price
The Queen of Tanganyika is most often sold in pet stores and on online trading platforms. The cost of aquarium fish varies and depends on the size of the individual, the type of hybrid and the pricing policy of the seller.
| Length of frontosis, cm | Average cost, rub. |
| 3–4 | 600 |
| 6–8 | 800 |
| 10–12 | 1400 |
| 14–16 | 1600–4500 |
| 18–20 | 5000–7000 |
Rare forms and large specimens are most often purchased to order.
Aquarium water parameters
To successfully maintain a frontosa, more than just a tank is required. Use a suitable liquid to fill the container. The acceptable temperature range is 24–26 degrees. The degree of hardness and acidity is close to natural. Only in this case the blue aquarium fish develops normally.
When the temperature rises to 29 degrees, the red cichlid dies.
Since the liquid to be poured into a container is soft, the container is supplemented with marble chips. With its help, the degree of rigidity increases.
Adviсe
Success in keeping and breeding cyphotilapia sometimes depends on small subtleties that are not always known to the beginning aquarist.
Basic recommendations for the content of the species:
- The optimal ratio of individuals is one male and 3-4 females.
- Given the territoriality of the fish, it is not recommended to keep two males even in a very large aquarium. In a natural environment, a weaker specimen will leave someone else’s territory, but in an aquarium, the fish does not have this opportunity and will most likely die.
- Frontosas love hard water. To achieve the desired results, you can add marble chips to the soil or place natural corals in the aquarium.
- Although plants do not take much part in the life of fish, they are an additional source of oxygen and act as a biological filter. Therefore, it is not always worth giving up a live herbalist in a cichlid.
- Fish are active at night, so it is better to feed high-calorie foods in the evening.
- It is recommended to give cyphotilapia food that will sink in water. This prevents the ingestion of atmospheric air and has a beneficial effect on the digestion and activity of the individual.
- During incubation, the female should not be fed large food so that it does not damage the eggs in her mouth.
- If necessary or if there is a risk of losing future offspring, eggs for artificial incubation can be taken from the female on the 14th day.
Corals placed in an aquarium will make the water hard
We must try to eliminate any factors that cause stress in fish. Such conditions greatly reduce the immunity of frontoses, and they begin to get sick.
Breeding
Sexual maturity in the lobed Cyphotilapia begins at 3 years of age. Moreover, the first spawning occurs in males who have grown from 25 cm in length and females who have reached 15 cm. The entire process can take place in a general aquarium, but only if there are suitable caves and shelters for this. Its beginning can be detected when the color of the fish changes to a solid gray, when the vertical stripes disappear.
For one male individual there are usually 3-4 females. Moreover, it is the first one who selects a place for spawning and invites the female to his territory. Then she lays an ovipositor, takes it into her mouth and collects milk from the male. This is how fertilization of eggs occurs, each reaching 4-7 mm in diameter. Incubation takes place over 40-50 days, resulting in 20-50 fry hatching.
Newborn fish have a color similar to adults, only less bright. To prevent them from being eaten, they should be placed in another tank. Breeding young animals involves selecting food of suitable size. It can be live or frozen, but must be enriched with all the necessary microelements. Preference is given to the crustaceans Cyclops and Artemia nauplii. In a favorable environment, fish grow up to 4 cm in length by 3 months.
Interesting Facts
Tanganyika, like Baikal, is a large and ancient aquatic ecosystem that is part of the African Great Lakes group. Of great interest is the lake itself, where fish live naturally.
Lake Tanganyika - habitat of frontosa
It is believed that its name translates to “water reservoir full of fish.” It is difficult to describe Tanganyika more precisely, since its waters are home to more than 200 species of rare fish. The vast majority of them are endemic and are not found anywhere else in nature. This biological diversity is associated with another amazing fact - the lake has never dried up throughout its existence.
The Queen of Tanganyika fish itself attracts a lot of attention and surprises with its behavior:
- over time, frontoses get used to the owner and begin to take food from hands and allow themselves to be stroked;
- the gaze of an adult can make a person reconsider his attitude towards fish; at first he seems very gloomy, then studying and as if comprehending everything that is happening around him;
- due to the movable lower jaw, the lobed cyphotilapia can absorb food at some distance, pulling it into the huge mouth remotely;
- the saturation of the black stripes on the body depends on the mood of the fish;
- During spawning, males of some varieties acquire a steel color and become monochromatic.
With age, in frontoses, the fatty growth increases, and the color becomes darker.
How is a male different from a female?
Sexual differences in frontoses can be tracked from the moment the fish reaches a length of 5-6 cm. As a rule, males become larger than females, their body is much taller. The outlines of females are more rounded. The fatty growth located on the forehead is not yet noticeable at this time, but later it will be more noticeable in males than in females.
Reviews
Frontosas are slow, majestic fish that have won the hearts of aquarists with their rich, original body coloring and variety of species. Keeping bigheaded cichlids in an aquarium is easy, and if the required conditions are met, the fish will delight the owner for a long time.
Have you kept the Queen of Tanganyika in an aquarium? Tell us about its interesting features in the comments.
