Cichlids

[Guest]

Hi all I was wondering if any of our learned Fishraiders dabble in breeding Cichlids, especially Frontosa.

I have just changed my beloved saltwater tank back to fresh as I dont have the time to spend in the up keep.

Cheers Stewy

[mrmoshe]

Just took a look at them to see what they look like.

I wonder if they are related to snapper....Sure have the for it.

Pete.

Frontosa Cichlids live in the deep water down among the piles rocks in Lake Tanganyika in East Africa where the female Frontosa Cichlids mouth brood their eggs and young fry.

Edited September 20, 2007 by MallacootaPete

[Guest]

The 7 bars are the rare ones and expensive, Chris.

I have only two convicts atm just to test the new water out.

I would be interested in a few fishies for the community tank

Cheers Stewy

[wildfish]

a fellow who used to live in my street had some cichlids which looked like this one he used to empty 2/3 tank water to get them to breed! would this be the right fish!

theres a fish shop behind ingleburn pub well there used to be! hes right into his cichlids and has helped a friend of mine breed many types go have a chat!

[Guest]

all frontosas are expensive

the 4 bars generally go for around the $40.00 mark as juvi's.

good luck finding a 7 bar, never ever seen one

The 6 bar Frontosas are quite common Chris and they have them at the fish shop I got the convicts from.

Thats the one I got the convicts from Luke as its close and handy

Cheers Stewy

[Chris 55]

Greetings all

As a life member of the *NSWCS and having kept and bred Cichlids for

over 30 yrs I may be able to answer some of your questions

Oh BTW Sorro is also a life member with similar years chalked up

In this time we have have housed African fish from rift lakes and rivers

American fish from Texas to Argentina plus the one species available here from

Madagascar

6 bar Burundi are the common species that have been bred for approx 35 yrs

in Australia, while the 7 bar Kigoma are a newer arrival and have been the

more expensive ones until the changes in the import list that have opened up

and now make Frontosa a legal import so 7 bars have come down in price

Most important things in the welfare of your fish are ample room, water quality,

maintainence and food

Always do some homework as the water parameters are varied depending on

their origin

Prices vary depending on if you buy from a breeder or a shop with 6 bar from

a breeder being approx $10 at 3-4 cm size while you would be looking at $20

to $25 in a shop

I highly recommend joining an aquarium club like *The New South Wales Cichlid

Society if you are interested

NSWCS website

A quick web search will deliver many online forums but I will recommend a Sydney

based forum with strong ties to NSWCS

Ace Cichlid Enthusiasts

I hope this will be of help to any out there that like to keep cichlids and watch

the behaviour of these fish

Chris

[caine]

Hi all I was wondering if any of our learned Fishraiders dabble in breeding Cichlids, especially Frontosa.

I have just changed my beloved saltwater tank back to fresh as I dont have the time to spend in the up keep.

Cheers Stewy

i have breed all sorts of fish over the years mainly cichlids. mouth breeders are the best to watch and easy to breed.

the problem with frontosa's is they dont breed till they are very big. and you need a really big tank like a 2x2x6. even with a big tank unless you buy adult fish you will be waiting a while. but worth it when it all comes together

convicts are the easiest fish in the world to breed. to the point that i used them as feeder fish. but also bred albino convicts within a year, which was pritty cool.

check out the auction at morebank its the only place to buy cichlids! plenty of auquariam owners stock up there.

breeding fish is addictive be carefull your house doesnt get taken over buy 2 foot tanks full of fry. this is the reason i gave it all away. i cant just have one tank.

after convicts try electric blues next, while you grow up your frontosa's.

Edited September 22, 2007 by CaineS

[vipernut]

theres a fish shop behind ingleburn pub well there used to be! hes right into his cichlids and has helped a friend of mine breed many types go have a chat!

I live in the area,that bloke has gone now.They moved to around the front of the pub for a while,there is a pet shop behind the pub now(but with different people)I will ask my brother-in-law what his secret is.He has 3 tanks set up with cichlids,many frontosa that breed beyond belief,He always has numerous young(most of his stock came from Ingleburn oringinally).He has that many at times he gives them away.

I am thinking of getting some more self as i have tropical fish at the moment(angels,tetras etc)and just feel like a change.I will try to pry some secrets off the brother-in-law and let you know.

Stephen

Edited September 23, 2007 by stephen.h

[Chris 55]

Simply with Frontosa they are a piscavore

so you need a high protein food routine

with good water quality at the right parameters

(alkaline around 8 pH and moderately hard

carbonate ppm) pre condition water for water

changes at least 20% of tank once a week

Good mechanical and biological filtration

If the fish are happy the will breed

Yes Caine the NSWCS is holding it's next

major auction first Sat of October details from

the website (see my previous post) I will

be one of the auctioneers on the night

Stephen h

The shop was Fish4U and they have closed from

the info I have, John the owner was an ex President

of NSWCS

Chris

[Guest]

I got two really nice sized Frontosas today and they are eating already The poor old convict is getting a buffeting from the two big boys .

Cheers Stewy

[sorro]

Hi Stewy

As Chris has already happily pointed out

between us we have had a few years around cichlids lol

If you are after a few more frontosa let us know and i am sure

something can be arranged,I dont currently keep any fronts but may

be able to help you with other fish for the tank .

The auction on the first Saturday in October will be the place to get

good fish at a reasonable price and Chris and myself will be auctioneers

on the day.

Everyone that would like to attend is welcome on the day ,and you can come

at any time and stay as long as you want.

Regards

Kevin

[hook'm]

heya Stew ive bred fronnies /tropheus/uaru/sturisoma panamense/peppermint bristlenose

ull need a colony of them. At a minimum 6-8 fish comprising a dominant male and a subdominant

and then of course 4-6 girls.

i found the dominant male seems to breed more consistently if hes got potential competition

for his harem of babes.

preferably a tank with coral sand as substrate and make caves out of dead live rock

or large pieces of coral rubble.They like to excavate under large pieces of rubble and make caves

You ll find each fish needs its own private place to go to be comfotrtable.

this ensures a high ph and hard water

I used to milk the females of eggs and gently bubble them in a net in a holding tank

attached to the main tank

the breeding tank was a 6x2x2

a varied diet and regular 25-40 percent water changes

use a good water conditioner like sera toxivec or get a reverse osmosis unit

u can do it without substrate as its easier to keep clean but make sure you

still have caves for them

cheers jase

[Guest melsholden]

Here is an interesting shot taken of my boyfriends fishtank.

Believe it or not the Albino Convict survived!!!!

Cheers Megan

[Chris 55]

standard law of fish = if it fits in the mouth it will be considered food

Chris

[abiasin]

Here is an interesting shot taken of my boyfriends fishtank.

Believe it or not the Albino Convict survived!!!!

Cheers Megan

geez they are top fish those oscars. i have a similar sitation in my tank at the moment with 2 paried oscars trying to eat the smaller cichlids which they cannot catch lol.

they are definately a hungry species thats for sure.