So my friend sent me a text that led to me to creating this post.
So here is the story.
I was a kid, 17 years old, and I just started getting into African Cichlids, and I picked up my first three Frontosa's along with some other various Tanganyikans, and this all basically started a lifelong addiction to African Cichlid's.
So at the time, I had just got my drivers license, and began working at a store doing deliveries, and became friendly with a guy that worked there.
I began to build up a small library of books on African's (pre-internet), and would read them every night, and would tell my friend at work all about the fascinating Rift Lakes, and the special fish that came from them. My friend was really into my stories and eventually came to see my fish tank, and he became instantly hooked (line and sinker as well).
This all began a lifelong friendship that really evolved around African Cichlid fish keeping. We fueled each other’s hobby, the 5 hour fish trips, to breeders, fish shows and the airport began, and of course the tanks became plentiful in each of our homes.
So, back to my Frontosa's. In my early stages of fish keeping, I had this beginner’s habit of putting all of my fish in a bucket every so often to empty and wipe down the tank for cleanings (how they survived this i'll never understand
As the Front's began to grow, two of them seemed to grow quite larger than the third, and aggressiveness began from one big one to the other. During one of these bucket tank cleaning episodes, in those close confines, the one big one killed the other. I was absolutely devastated.
As you can imagine i now learned my lessons about bucket cleanings. But anyway, now with one big front out of the way, the murderer turned her (I don't know why i say her, I always thought that she was a she) aggression towards the remaining smaller front. I had a dilemma. I solved my dilemma by giving the killer away to a local fish breeder. So now I had my one remaining front, but my disappointment never really ceased and this began a serious of tank turn over’s and perhaps even a few dabbling in South American Cichlids. During these turn over’s in fish keeping, I gave my friend my remaining Frontosa.
Fast forward to today. Remember, I was 17 when I obtained this frontosa. A few months from now I will celebrate my 40th birthday, and my friend just sent me a text last night that the Frontosa that had amazed us in his longevity throughout many years of friendship, "fish trips", marriage children, etc, ect, had finally died.
The Frontosa lived to 23 years old!!! 23!!!
Is that amazing? Has anyone else experienced that sort of lifespan with their Front's?
So here is the story.
I was a kid, 17 years old, and I just started getting into African Cichlids, and I picked up my first three Frontosa's along with some other various Tanganyikans, and this all basically started a lifelong addiction to African Cichlid's.
So at the time, I had just got my drivers license, and began working at a store doing deliveries, and became friendly with a guy that worked there.
I began to build up a small library of books on African's (pre-internet), and would read them every night, and would tell my friend at work all about the fascinating Rift Lakes, and the special fish that came from them. My friend was really into my stories and eventually came to see my fish tank, and he became instantly hooked (line and sinker as well).
This all began a lifelong friendship that really evolved around African Cichlid fish keeping. We fueled each other’s hobby, the 5 hour fish trips, to breeders, fish shows and the airport began, and of course the tanks became plentiful in each of our homes.
So, back to my Frontosa's. In my early stages of fish keeping, I had this beginner’s habit of putting all of my fish in a bucket every so often to empty and wipe down the tank for cleanings (how they survived this i'll never understand
As the Front's began to grow, two of them seemed to grow quite larger than the third, and aggressiveness began from one big one to the other. During one of these bucket tank cleaning episodes, in those close confines, the one big one killed the other. I was absolutely devastated.As you can imagine i now learned my lessons about bucket cleanings. But anyway, now with one big front out of the way, the murderer turned her (I don't know why i say her, I always thought that she was a she) aggression towards the remaining smaller front. I had a dilemma. I solved my dilemma by giving the killer away to a local fish breeder. So now I had my one remaining front, but my disappointment never really ceased and this began a serious of tank turn over’s and perhaps even a few dabbling in South American Cichlids. During these turn over’s in fish keeping, I gave my friend my remaining Frontosa.
Fast forward to today. Remember, I was 17 when I obtained this frontosa. A few months from now I will celebrate my 40th birthday, and my friend just sent me a text last night that the Frontosa that had amazed us in his longevity throughout many years of friendship, "fish trips", marriage children, etc, ect, had finally died.
The Frontosa lived to 23 years old!!! 23!!!
Is that amazing? Has anyone else experienced that sort of lifespan with their Front's?
