75 gallon what direction to go , opinions welcome

[blue whales 100 tons]

hello Ihave a 55 with all cobalt blues and powder blue cichlids . I love all blue tanks /FISH!. my local pet store doesnt carry a huge variety of fish so i have to take what i can get . now i have a 75 gallon tank that i want to setup with beautiful fish . and this time does not have to be all blue . My lfs just recently got some frontosa's in i love those but am worried my tank is to dang small. If my tank is large enough for one frontosa is it possible to add soem tankmates that dotn get large say 5-6" and how many should i add . I do not want to over crowed the tank so if you think frontosa is not the way to go can you suggest a set up that would be realy nice . I need some diffrent options i dont want to just get what my lfs has {cobalt blues } thanks for the help

[aharris]

A front will eat whatever will fit in its mouth. A mature one could eat fish of 5" I think.

[Karl]

i agree with aharris. they do get giant mouths and can eat some pretty big fish. but i dont know if they will even go after the smaller fish.:confused: arnt frontosas very calm and docile.

[aharris]

I've read a lot of peoples' stories about their docile fronts suddenly feeling the call of the wild and one day eating or attempting to eat tankmates they may have lived with peacefully for years.

Your best bet in this instance would be to get the front small and let him grow up with the other fish as part of his "hood." You may never have problems, but then again, you may find a nice male peacock hanging out of his mouth someday.

If you like blue, maybe you should check out some Crytocara Moori aka blue dolphins. They get large and are easily docile enough to keep smaller tankmates with. There's also Placidochromis phenochilus (the favorite of a lot of people here).

I think in general, the large Malawis seem to need less overall tank space than the equivalent size Tangs.

[SGypsyMermaid]

fronts are docile in that they don't raise hell and pick fights just for meanness(sp?) usually. but even the most mild mannered fish will swallow another fish if it will fit in its mouth. it's a fish thing.:wink:

[Mbuniac]

Well said Gypsy! If I ever go Tanganyikan, Fronts will be at the top of my list. And there are a variety of the species too!
Sam

[giraffe hap]

I have to go with aharris on this one. I think blue dolphins would be a much better choice than the Fronts when considering a 75 gallon tank. I too was thinking about adding a Front to my 75 but decided on getting 3 Blue Dolphins instead because one front by itself just seems out of place and a 75 is way too small for 3 to 5 Fronts.
Also, as aharris mentioned, the Placidochromis phenochilus is definitely a great addition to a group of Moori's, especially if you like blue. They are quite timid, don't bother anybody, and the male gets a beautiful shade a blue with silver/white specks--the female also turns blue but with no specks.
The N'gara Flametail would add contrast with its blue/red coloration and, if you weren't planning on any peacock females, you could also add a lemon jake or sunshine peacock--to add a little yellow.
The list goes on and on and on and on.......

Good Luck....

[Afrikakorps]

i love planning new tanks :)

if beautiful fish are what is desired here, there are few as incredibly colorful and dazzling than aulonocara sp. (peacocks) .. many haps too... such as electric blue's or of course all the various mbuna.

tang's provide the exotica value for me more than color though t.moorii is one of many examples of both.

Personal preference but you have tons of choices with a 75 gal tank.

Please take pictures and keep us posted, I'm green with envy :wink:

[Swimmer]

You can get away with using your 75 gal. tank as a grow out tank
for some small front's. They grow slow, but they will have to get moved to a bigger tank in the future. And never get just one,
they like other fronts for company. I think they should be in an species only tank. I have four M. front's now in a 75 gal. grow out tank. Everyone has given you some great ideas. :) I do like the
Aceii's, dark blue/purple with yellow fins. The Soulosi is nice, the females are orange and the males are blue with dark blue stripes.
You have all kinds of neat choices! Have fun choosing your fish!
Just reseach each fish you would like to have, saves you a lot problems ahead.