# Boss Replacement



## olvap377 (Aug 27, 2011)

The current boss of my tank is a red top blue zebra and i want to get maybe a frontosa to replace him as boss. Thoughts?

Update here are some pics of current boss


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## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

Frontosa grow big (very slowly) but their demeaner is quite calm. Within a colony of Frontosa of course you will have an alpha male who rules over the others, but even they don't act too aggressively towards others, and can be bullied by other species. My 13" alpha male and his dozen strong colony was bullied by the only other cichlid resident, an 8" male Venustus. 

I do not believe a frontosa would be the boss you are looking for. Secondly you really can't choose a fish to be your tank's alpha. You could choose a dominant and aggressive species to add, which will create terror and upheaval of the current pecking order, but the results won't be anything more than a crapshoot.

As you said, the current boss in your tank is... meaning it wasn't always, and won't always. That's quite a nice fish you have there though.


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## olvap377 (Aug 27, 2011)

ive got quite a bit of fish and the red top only recently became boss. Before im pretty sure there really wasnt one. I have a bigger dolphin in there and he doesnt wanna be boss and just sort of hangs out. The red top leaves him alone. My red top chases and bosses around everyone except my blue dolphin and sp44. They are the only two fish he respects. Ive always wanted a frontosa though. Even if he isn't boss could he live calmly with the red top?


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

Ya never know. I would think the Front would have to big enough to not get bullied, or at least hold it's own.


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## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

Agreed, I've found fronts in mixed tanks get their nice fins chewed, even if they are double the length of other fish.


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## PACMAN (Mar 4, 2010)

Will Hayward said:


> Frontosa grow big (very slowly) but their demeaner is quite calm. Within a colony of Frontosa of course you will have an alpha male who rules over the others, but even they don't act too aggressively towards others, and can be bullied by other species. My 13" alpha male and his dozen strong colony was bullied by the only other cichlid resident, an 8" male Venustus.
> 
> I do not believe a frontosa would be the boss you are looking for. Secondly you really can't choose a fish to be your tank's alpha. You could choose a dominant and aggressive species to add, which will create terror and upheaval of the current pecking order, but the results won't be anything more than a crapshoot.
> 
> As you said, the current boss in your tank is... meaning it wasn't always, and won't always. That's quite a nice fish you have there though.


+1 my frontosa was a sissy, even though he was one of the larger fish in the tank!


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## olvap377 (Aug 27, 2011)

if the frontosa i get is like a good 2-4 inches bigger than the rest, he should be fine yea?


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## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

Not necessarily.

I've found them to do best in species tanks, or with very similar species, like blue dolphins.A bigger front can still be a pansy. You can try it, as it might work, but it's not for sure, and what I've seen personally leads to the contrary.


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## olvap377 (Aug 27, 2011)

i got a kml flowerhorn to be my boss any opinions?


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## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

Not a FH enthusiast, but I'd guess that it'll eventually tear your cichlids a new vent and look beautiful while doing it.


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