Trop Aquarium - * Bestseller of July 2006 *


	Quick Facts
	Scientific Name : Cyphotilapia frontosa Size : Size up to 20cm Diet : Usual foods Water Conditions : 24-26 ºC; pH 7.8-9.5; dH 6-22 Care Level : Moderate Reproduction : Mouth Brooder

*Cyphotilapia Frontosa*

Cyphotilapia frontosa is one of the largest of the cichlids collected from the Rift Lakes, Lake Tanganyika. They are characterized by a white (or blue) body, with either 6 or 7 black vertical bars. The males are dark blue, have long ventral fins with yellow ends, whereas the females are silver-grey without long ventral fins. Its adults develops a large humphead, which is a large fatty deposit that rests atop a dorsal muscle that tends to extend forward. The size of the hump increases with age & is usually a sign of sex fecundity. Their fins also become more elaborate with age. When breeding, the female signals the male. He starts searching for a place to spawn (often a pit in the sand) which is cleaned from sand. When the spawning site is in order, the male releases his sperm and the female lays her egg. While the female lays and picks up the eggs in the mouth, the male will patrol the aquarium, guarding the eggs from other fish, especially other frontosas. If that is not the case, intruders are chased away by a fast attack. For breeding purposes, it is advisable to have 1-3 males and about 5-10 females in a tank, the tank must be large enough for them to breed. This schooling fish should be housed in a aquarium decorated with a lot of rocks that form caves. The females usually do not need hiding places, but the male needs a (large) shelter, which it can retreat to. The stones in the aquarium must be properly placed since these are powerful fishes that can dig up large amounts of sand.

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BESTSELLER OF JULY 2006