Black Widow Frontosa (Cyphotilapia frontosa ’black widow’)

One of the most iconic and recognizable Rift Lake Cichlids, the Frontosa is a striking, large growing species originating from the waters of Lake Tanganyika. The Black Widow Frontosa is a selectively bred form with unique patterning differing from the wild-type vertical barring. This variant displays a wide variety of black bands, spots, squiggles, and stripes, with no two individuals displaying exactly the same pattern. Frontosa are a predatory fish by nature. Their diet in the wild is largely composed of smaller fish and crustaceans. In the aquarium, the Black Widow Frontosa will display its best coloration and behavior when kept in similar conditions to where they would be found in the wild – kept in groups, fed a varied protein-rich diet, and in very alkaline water.