Who Gives A Fish Forums

hi, i'm planning on getting a 75 gallon tank and i'm thinking of getting a frontosa. i've got a few questions about them before i bring one home.

first off, do frontosas need hard water like other african cichlids?
i'm also wondering if one could live with a buffalo head cichlid or two in a 75 gallon tank.
what's the best substrate and decor for them?

i'd really appreciate some help with this.

also, would a rubber lipped pleco be able to live with a frontosa?

I see some potential problems with your idea. A 75 US gallon tank isn't really suitable for a Frontosa long-term - they can grow up to 30cm in length, and a group of 4 or 5 would need a tank at least 5x2x2 feet in size.

Frontosa are opportunistic predators and wouldn't do well with strong currents. On the other hand, Buffalohead or Blockhead Cichlids are from strong current sections of the Congo River, except for Steatocranus irvinei which is quite hard to find. Similarly, Rubbernose Plecs are from strong current rivers in Central or South America.

You could set up a great rheophile tank in a 75g for species like Steatocranus, Chaetostoma, Distichodus altus/affinis, Synodontis brichardi, or Euchilichthys - I've kept some of these in my 6x1.3x1.5 setup. However, I wouldn't recommend combining them with Frontosa. If you're lucky enough to find Steatocranus irvinei, you might be able to mix them with Frontosa, but you'd need a much bigger tank - S. irvinei can grow up to 20cm in length.