Species name: Cyphotilapia frontosa (Kigoma)
Common names: Frontosa, Hump Head, Hump Head Cichlid, 7-Stripe Frontosa
Family: Cichlidae
Subfamily: Pseudocrenilabrinae
Order: Perciformes
Class: Actinopterygii
Maximum length: 15 in. Males are larger, with a more pronounced hump on the forehead.
Minimum tank size: BIG! 100 US gallon should be considered the bare minimum for a trio. At least 200 US gallon if you plan to have a breeding colony.
Hardiness: Easy
Aggressiveness: Mildly Aggressive
Distribution: Endemic to Lake Tanganyika in Africa
Diet: Carnivore, feeds on shellfish (snails and mussels) and fish

Additional information:
Cyphotilapia frontosa also known as Frontosa, is one of the largest of the cichlids collected from Lake Tanganyika. Lake Tanganyika is the lake in Rift Valley with the highest alkalinity. Its pH level can be measured above 9.0 in some places!

The Frontosa is bright white with board black vertical bands. The width of these bands varies from fish to fish. The fins are white to violet-blue and are elongated. There are actually many colour morphs of Frontosa. The most common are the Berundi morph, which has six vertical bars and a Tanzanian morph, which has seven or even eight bars when they are young. Other morph include the “Mpimbwe Blue”, “Samazi Blue”, “Cape Chaitika”, “Zambian” and the “Zaire Blue”. It is usually difficult to tell some of these varieties apart.
The most distinguishable trait of the Fontosa is the large vestigial hump located on the frontal lobe. Both the male and the female will develop the cranial hump on the forehead but the male hump will be larger and more pronounced.

Ideally, the Frontosa should be kept in small groups in a very large tank with plenty of room to swim. The aquarium should also provide plenty of rock structures and hiding spots. Any fish that enjoys a high protein diet, is not too hyper, and is not small enough to become a meal for the frontosa will make a good tankmate. If you like to grow plants, you will be happy to know that they do not burrow and will not harm them. Just make sure to choose plants that can live in really hard water with high pH. The best condition for the Frontosa would be an alkaline water with a pH from 8.2-8.5 and water hardness from 10-15 dH. Temperature should be between 79°F and 82°F.

For breeding, combine at least three females with a male in a large tank with plenty of rocks and hiding places. After fertilization, the eggs are kept in the mother’s mouth where they are incubated for a good month (sometime up to five weeks).

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