Frontosa care

Cyphotilapia frontosa · Lake Tanganyika, East Africa

Frontosa (Cyphotilapia frontosa) — Shown: a young male. Photo: 5snake5, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Frontosas are slow, stately Lake Tanganyika cichlids with blue-white bands and a bulging head; they grow to about 13 inches and can live 25 years.

Tank size: 125 US gal or larger
Temperature: 76 to 82 °F (24 to 28 °C)
Group size: Alone or in a pair
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Adult size: 13 in
pH: 7.8 to 9
Hardness (GH): 10 to 20 dGH
Lifespan: 15 to 25 years
Diet: Carnivore
Care level: Moderate

Check it in the stocking checker →

In a 125 gallon

72½ × 18½ × 23⅛ in outside

Drawn to scale: one frontosa at adult size (13 in) in the smallest listed tank that suits them. Choose your tank on the home page to see them in it.

How to keep frontosas

Frontosas are slow, stately Lake Tanganyika cichlids with blue-white bands and a bulging head; they grow to about 13 inches and can live 25 years. They need a 125 gallon or larger tank of hard, alkaline water (pH 7.8 to 9) at 76 to 82 °F with large caves, and they hunt small fish at dawn.

Diet: Carnivore: sinking pellets, frozen shrimp and fish. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.

Where they swim: Middle of the tank.

Frontosa tank mates

Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.

Peacock cichlid

6 in · 55+ gal · 75–82 °F

Cuckoo catfish

6 in · 55+ gal · 75–81 °F

Convict julie

5.1 in · 30+ gal · 75–80 °F

Petricola catfish

4.5 in · 30+ gal · 73–79 °F

Drawing

Rabbit snail

3 in · 20+ gal · 76–84 °F

Kissing gourami

12 in · 75+ gal · 72–82 °F

Yellow lab cichlid

6 in · 55+ gal · 72–82 °F

Acei cichlid

6 in · 55+ gal · 74–82 °F

Keep apart

Neon tetra: Adult frontosas eat fish under about 3 in; neon tetras grow to 1.6 in.
Cardinal tetra: Adult frontosas eat fish under about 3 in; cardinal tetras grow to 1.2 in.
Black neon tetra: Adult frontosas eat fish under about 3 in; black neon tetras grow to 1.5 in.
Green neon tetra: Adult frontosas eat fish under about 3 in; green neon tetras grow to 1 in.
Ember tetra: Adult frontosas eat fish under about 3 in; ember tetras grow to 1.2 in.
Glowlight tetra: Adult frontosas eat fish under about 3 in; glowlight tetras grow to 1.5 in.

What a frontosa tank needs

A tank of 125 US gallons or more (such as the 125 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.

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Aqueon QuietFlow Canister Filter 400

Rated by the maker for 100–150 US gal, which covers a 125 gallon frontosa tank without being built for a far bigger one.

Details and fit →

EHEIM professionel 4+ 600 (2275)

Rated by the maker for 63–158 US gal, which covers a 125 gallon frontosa tank without being built for a far bigger one.

Details and fit →

EHEIM thermocontrol 250

Frontosas need 76 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature. Aqueon’s chart gives two 200 W heaters for a 125 gallon tank, and a second heater is worth having here: if one fails, the other keeps the water from going cold. Two Aqueon Pro 200 heaters, each rated by Aqueon for up to 75 gallons, make that pair. Heating a big tank.

Details and fit →

API Freshwater Master Test Kit

Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding frontosas.

Details and fit →Check price on Amazon

Seachem Prime 100 mL

Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.

Details and fit →Check price on Amazon

Fluval Edge Thermometer

Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 76 to 82 °F.

Details and fit →Check price on Amazon

We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →

Common frontosa problems

Any fish small enough to swallow disappears, often at night or early in the morning.
They grow slowly and are sold small; plan for the adult size and lifespan.

Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.

More to compare

Fish for a 125 gallon tank Fish for hard water Types of cichlids

Angelfish

6 in · 29+ gal

Discus

8 in · 55+ gal

German blue ram

3 in · 20+ gal

Cockatoo dwarf cichlid

3 in · 20+ gal

Sources

Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Cyphotilapia frontosa. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.

Photo credits

Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.

Frontosa 5snake5, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Peacock cichlid Xav84800, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cuckoo catfish Mario Rubio García, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Convict julie Regani, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Petricola catfish Nerezza, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kissing gourami 5snake5, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Yellow lab cichlid Julian Matz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Acei cichlid Toby Hudson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Neon tetra Holger Krisp, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cardinal tetra CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Black neon tetra Debivort, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Green neon tetra Sascha Biedermann, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Ember tetra Klaus Rudloff, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Glowlight tetra gonzalovalenzuela; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Angelfish Citron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discus Patrick Farrelly, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
German blue ram Eric Mengel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Cockatoo dwarf cichlid William Kreijkes, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons