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Just wanted to let you all know that I just recently purchased seven 1.5" Neon Back Cape Kabogo frontosas which I'm growing out in my 90 gallon until I transfer them to a 180 in the future with plans to breed them. Has anyone here had any experience with this variety of fronts? I'm assuming no as they are relatively new to the trade as well as somewhat rare. I'm new to Fronts so I'm also wondering what is the best way to grow them up as fast as possible while also keeping them healthy? I'm thinking a diet of cichlid flakes, brine shrimp, krill, beef heart? Any thoughts?

Post pics

They were having trouble bringing them on in the shop with flake, so I gave them hikari carnivore pellets, hikari cichlid gold, tetra prima, and brineshrimp and bloodworm and they took off, the growth rate doubled.

I agree with git's advice and wouldnt normally post in a thread with what i think already.

I wanna see pics though!!! /:'

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Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

I'd feed krill sparingly, probably once a week tops. They primarily eat fish (Cyprichromis) in the wild so I'd avoid crustaceans. I wouldn't bother feeding freeze dried or frozen brine shrimp to them, stick with live. I'd introduce a pellet food such as New Life Spectrum or you might have trouble getting them to adjust to pellets once they are larger.

OK, thanks a lot for the quick responses. I'm currently feeding them Omega One cichlid flakes and Hikari Cichlid Gold pellets, they are very eager feeders and readily eat both types of foods. However, first and foremost with them being carnivores I want to make sure they they get the correct amount of meat in their diet. I will go ahead and hatch some BBS but what about beefheart? Nobody has mentioned anything about beefheart yet. I used to feed it to my south american cichlids with great results, is it advisable to feed it to fronts? Also, has anyone here had any experiences with the Neon Back Cape Kabogo fronts? Right now at a young age they resemble Burundi but as they get older their dorsal becomes neon yellow. I've been looking for high quality pics online but I can't find any pics that show a good specimen in good lighting, nor can I find much info about the fish at all. Any help would be fabulous.

The trouble with beefheart is that many of the cows it comes from are brought on to size artificially with the inappropriate use of antibiotic and steroids, and this can be picked up by the fish, meaning a specimen that may put on a great deal off muscle and weight, but also die quite early. It may also make the fish more e to kidney failure, and infertility.

Fish cannot always process animal fat very well, even the minimal fat in heart muscle if there is no history of mammal consumption for the species could cause problems, including hepatic lipidosis. Basically use it very sparingly and not for long periods of time. Some keepers may wish to omit it entirely.

Its often touted as a food for growth, but I wonder how many keepers realise its not the meat that contains those properties, rather the chemicals and hormones from a medicated cow that does it, in a rather unhealthy way. Tiny feeder fish or frozen fish pieces are a far superior source of protien, and really what a frontosa would choose to eat.

Does this look like the wee beastie concerned?

http://www.tomstanganyikans.com/photofish.asp?id=49

Thanks so much for the info. Wow, I had my doubts about beefheart due to what you previously stated about it being of mammalian origin and not something a front would naturally eat. I however had no idea that it contained so many hazardous chemicals/steroids. Just when I think I'm a knowledgeable aquarist someone like you has to come along and prove me wrong haha. Looks like I will be feeding feederfish such as silversides and the like. And yes, that is in fact a picture of my frontosa variety. I can't wait until mine are grown and resemble that fish. You guys and gals have the first dibs on fry when they spawn!

Try feeding them chopped prawns once a week they'll love you for it.