I have decided on frontosa

[myjohnson]

Going with Fronts is a good choice. As stated above, your choice in varient will come down to how much you want to spend. If you decide to go with the Zaires then it really don't matter which you get....they all look pretty much identical. I personally, think that each varient has it's own unique trait. Mpimbwe will have a different shade of blue than the Zaires..... Burundi get that massive hump (which seems more prominant on Burundi)..(plus that stripe right through the eye makes them look very unique to me)......Zaires have the "blue/purple" color. Below I have listed the members that I think have great quality fry.

BTW....as far as keeping Fronts.....it's a piece of cake. Weekly water changes...good food....good filtration ...and your good to go.

Mikeb144 ---- (Burundi)
RonR ---------(Moba)
Khrister --------(Mpimbwe...Moba....Mikula....Karema)
Cesar ------- (Zambian)

A wise man has spoken!

[danielp]

Interesting dialog here.

This is a group I'm also considering.

My question is.

What's the availibility of sub adult fish? Say in the two + year and 3.5" range.

I'm not really interested in tying up a tank for 3+ years raising from fry size.

[myjohnson]

For that price you might as well just put out a little extra and get WCs.

I have seen Ron sell sub-adults from time to time.

[supadave]

Interesting dialog here.

This is a group I'm also considering.

My question is.

What's the availibility of sub adult fish? Say in the two + year and 3.5" range.

I'm not really interested in tying up a tank for 3+ years raising from fry size.

For that price you might as well just put out a little extra and get WCs.

I have seen Ron sell sub-adults from time to time.

Agree with Thai 100% !!!

If Zaire fry @ 1" are $30+....then 5" to 6" juveniles usually are $100 are more. Like MJ stated...you might as shell out a little bit more a get WC.

[RonR.]

Congrats on going the front route! They are hardy fish and slow-growers. The zaires definitely have some great purplish to bluish coloring.

If you decide to go the fry route @ 1" expect 3"-4" growth in the first 12 months. Adults can range from 5" all the way up to 12" so you will need a 5'-6' tank........125g-180g.

1" F1 mobas range from as low as $25 up to $50 each. Some folks will give you a volume discount for 10-15 or more fish. I recommend buying at least 10 and growing them out as stated earlier.

Juvie mobas are harder to get. A 2.5"-3" F1 moba can fetch between $60-$85 per fish depending on the quality. Most people that have juvies want to grow them out. A few years back I had about 20 juvies that I was growing out for my own personal collection. I really had no intention of selling them, but 2 people made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

Females mature faster between 3-4 years and males take longer.......around 4 years. You can buy wc mobas that are already sexed and most are sold in trios and quads with either 1 or 2 males. Expect to pay $180+ for good quality fish.

What you want to look for in mobas is the blue coloring (the richer the better) and dark solid bars (no mooning). Also, the zaires are not easy to breed. Females will often spit or swallow their eggs.

Any variety of front is really beautiful. You really can't go wrong.

If you need more information about fronts most people here can help. I've been keeping fronts since 1988 and zaires for 8 years............the last 5 years have been wc mobas.

Here are a few eye-candy pics:


F1 moba fry from a recent spawn


F1 moba fry from my wc black moba momma. Her fry have a richer blue coloring.


a recent wc moba female I got a few months ago to add to my colony


a pic of the gang


wc moba male


my wc moba momma that's jet-black. I call her my wc black moba momma.


my wc alpha moba male. He's my big daddy moba! LOL


F1 juvie mobas


nice side shot of a wc moba


3 wc moba males. They were about 10" long then. Now they are hitting over 11" each.

[fishman1]

very nice mobas!!!! they look awesome i love the bluish dark color. I was searching on the web and went onto aquabid and found a colony of 1 male and 6 female kigomas for only $350 and $55shipping do you guys think thats a good deal? if it turns out that I dont lke it maybe then ill go with Ronr's Mobas they look nice!!

[supadave]

very nice mobas!!!! they look awesome i love the bluish dark color. I was searching on the web and went onto aquabid and found a colony of 1 male and 6 female kigomas for only $350 and $55shipping do you guys think thats a good deal? if it turns out that I dont lke it maybe then ill go with Ronr's Mobas they look nice!!

Seven Kigomas Fronts is a good deal if they are adults. How big did the Seller say they are in the Aquabid ad? If those fish are under six inches ..then they are not adult and are not WC....chances are they have not been sexed.... so the Male to Female ratio may not be accurate.

[FrontosaurusRex]

I personally dont think thats a good deal at all. First of all, its Kigomas...you probably wont have much luck selling the fry cuz I dont know anybody that keeps Kigomas. Second, if I'm spending $400 on Fronts, I'm getting the good *****. For me, Kigomas are just 7 striped Burundi. They arent real pretty and their colors are WEAK compared to Mobas, Kapambas or Mpimbwe. Save your money, buy a bunch of Moba fry from someone and do it right. Just my two cents.

[armthehomeless]

There is something to be said for being able to look at the fish in person before purchasing. RonR has some nice fish.

[mikeb144]

I agree, Ron has some top notch Mobas!!