[stslimited84]

Hey,

You might have seen a thread/poll or two about what to stock the new 150 that I'm getting. Well, I might be getting 2 150 gals!! :drooling:

In this case, I def want to make one of the tanks a Front tank. I come to you, the respected frontosa community, to ask for some advice on species selection.

I'm looking for a front that has a lot of blue, and isnt skittish (you know so you can feed them from your hand). Also, hopefully a variant in which the females have good coloration.

What variants would fit the bill?

Off the bat I was thinking of mbimbwe blues.

Looking forward to hearing your responses. :thumb:

 

[Razzo]

Mpimbwes are great fish and they have a nice blue.

The Zaires have the best blue (IMHO). Zaires are, generally, more skittish. However, with that said, they will get less skittish and you should be able to hand feed them in time too. Even WC Zaire will eventually hand feed.

Now for the real opinions: I like Zaire Kapmapa the best. Love their contrast! They are the original Zaire :wink:

 

[stslimited84]

Mpimbwes are great fish and they have a nice blue.

The Zaires have the best blue (IMHO). Zaires are, generally, more skittish. However, with that said, they will get less skittish and you should be able to hand feed them in time too. Even WC Zaire will eventually hand feed.

Now for the real opinions: I like Zaire Kapmapa the best. Love their contrast! They are the original Zaire :wink:

Wow, I just checked out their pics in the profiles section, and they certainly are gorgeous. Is that how they always will look, or were those pics of exceptional specimens?

Raz, have any pics of them? Do you keep them?

Anybody else have any input?

 

[Razzo]

Raz, have any pics of them? Do you keep them? ...

I had a colony of Mpimbwe (got rid of them about four years ago).

I have some Zaire Kapampa juveniles now (couple pics below).

I will be getting their parents (WC Kapampa Breeding Colony 2m/6f) in a couple weeks when my fish room is done.

They look aweesome as adults too. I'll send you a link to some more pics.

Here's a few of mine as fry & juvies (btw: pics are with the flash and the black background helps show off their color too)...

Fry pic

More recent pics...

 

[stslimited84]

Awesome pics! I think I'm leaning towards that variant now :lol:

Cant wait to see more pics :thumb:

 

[cichlidgirl1]

I just recently got some mpimbwe babies . I all ready had some burundi juvies and had thought that they were nice. well if the burundi are nice the mpimbwe are FANTASTIC !! They are still small 1 inch babies and all ready their color is amazing. It really seems to change from light blue to almost a electric neon blue when they get excited. These fish practically glow with color. I am so glad i got them. After i had them about 2 or 3 weeks i started hand feeding them treats, they all ready eat out of my hand, they get so worked up and almost have a feeding frenzy. Swimming into my hand and staying there when i moved my fingers or hand. They are so much more tame and accepting of me than the burundi I have. I would recommend Mpimbwe to anyone if mine are what is typical. Here are some pics of them,, notice they dont even have black background or black sand to bring out their colors and yet they look so good all ready.

 

[stslimited84]

This is gonna be a tough choice!

Razzo, how much were your Zaire Kapampa juvies?

cichlidgirl1, how much were your mpimbwe juvies?

What do both of you feed them? I've got a ready supply of NLS 1mm, and I know that is fine for them, but I just want to see if you do something different. 8)

 

[cichlidgirl1]

I bought them from a breeder on another site (PM me and I can give you there info) I paid 10 each for F1 (offspring of wild parents) plus shipping (40 for shipping 2 day express mail USPS from CA to my door in Upstate NY) He had a live fish guarentee and even though i didnt ask he put 2 or 3 extra in there for me incase any didnt make it (they all made it so i got extras). He also showed me pics of the wild caught parents and called several times the day of arrival to make sure they were ok and I liked them. They were on the small side (1/2+ - 3/4 inch fry compared to the 1 -1.5 inch juvies at the LFS but after a month and half in a large 75 gallon growout tank they are now 1 inch in size and comparable to the LFS fish.

For larger 2-5 inch fronts:
I cant get NLS unless i order it, so i feed mine HBH african cichlid Attack sinking pellets(45 % crude protien) and for treats Freeze dried krill and Hikari multi vitamin enriched Freeze dried tubiflex worms - 60 percent crude protien (note that is the only brand of tubiflex i feed since it specifically says they do additional processing to ensure its free of parasites and harmful bacteria I also feed it sparinly because of the higher fat content that has been linked to malawi bloat)I make sure i soak both in warm water first before feeding to rehydrate. I also occationally feed both wardley and hikari gold cichlid pellets when i run out of their normal food. I also give once a week or every other week a small amount of seaweed for balanced diet. I dont actively feed algea pellets but when i give them to my pleco they sure do snap them up, they love em LOL. I feed the sinking pellets as the regular staple and the others as treats and for a change for them couple times a week.

When they are small juvies/fry sized i feed a mix of sinking Aqueon mini granules/pellets and cichlid flakes, i taught my fry to hand feed with a half square of tubiflex worms as snacks , held in my fingers for them to nibble. They would eat krill if i bought them the smallest ones but i dont think it is nessasary. As they get bigger i start adding more varied diet.

Here is a pic :

Here the mpimbwe fry are eating out of my hand all ready, the video is a bit dark cause it was taken at night:
http://s238.photobucket.com/albums/...007/?action=view&current=mpimbwejuvies014.flv

 

[Razzo]

CG - very nice Mpimbwes! They are showing great color for you. When I had my Mpimbwe, I really liked them. They are a great fish, no doubt.

Sts, you will not go wrong with either (Tanz or Zaire). It all comes down to preference. I still need to send you that link. In my opinion, Zaire have a much more vibrant blue and better contrast on the stripes (especially with the Kapampa).

F1 Zaire Kapampa fry will cost you about $35 each plus shipping.

I feed mine NLS and I give them treats consisting of freeze dried mysis & krill. I have hand fed my F1 Zaire Kapampa fry/juvies and their parents (which are wild caught) will hand feed too.

I would recommend you look at a lot of pictures and decide which varient appeals the most to you (and determine what price level you are comfortable with). Good Luck, you have a fun task a head of you.

Russ

 

[stslimited84]

Are any of these variants more prone to float? I was just reading the threads about Mpimbwes being more prone to bloat.

What variants are the priciest, and conversely, which would cost on the lower end of the spectrum?

 

[Razzo]

Are any of these variants more prone to float? I was just reading the threads about Mpimbwes being more prone to bloat.

What variants are the priciest, and conversely, which would cost on the lower end of the spectrum?

Tanzanian (primarily Mpimbwe) are seem to be more suspectible to float.

Prices:
Zaire: Highest
Tanzanian/Zambian: Middle
Northern: Least Expensive

This site has a really cool species map for cyphos.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/frontosa_variant_map.php

Catch Ya Later,
Russ

 

[allen2]

Always a tough choice thats why I have to have them all!

Currently I have the WC fish in my signature and this weekend I will be picking up my WC Kapampa Colony!

 

[stslimited84]

Got both of my 150's!! I'm currently constructing the stands, and then on to building the wet/dry, sump, and overflows.

It'll give me time to decide on what to stock

 

[GJx]

I got a dozen Kitumba Zaire Fronts in February & although they are a lil skittish, they recover fast & I have been able to handfeed them.