How would you know if there make or female when your starting a frontosa tank? I have 1 frontosa now and would like to get more but sellers say they don’t know the sex
I'm A Frontosa & garden enthusiast myself. I have enjoyed several of your videos & learned who successfully propagate roses from cuttings doing so. I suspect the reason you have all these fry after 2 years has nothing to do with the lack of water changes. You likely had enough healthy bacteria to handle the bio load without any serious negative effects. I see the video is over a couple years now but I would in fact do water changes now that bio load has increased with the addition of 60 fry. The reason why your fish started producing fry when they did is simply because it takes 3-5 years for them to reach sexual maturity. They mated when they reached that point regardless of the water parameters. A 25 percent water change can actually help encourage mating in African cichlids including Frontosa. That maybe a useful tip in the future. Good Luck!!
I finally did a water change or 2 but in the past 4 years or more, that's all I've done other than topping it off as it evaporates. The sand is from the Red Sea and is no longer on the market.
Hey great video keep it going. I have frontosa little bigger than 2inches and I have a less than a inch baby baby frontosa in a breeder net inside the tank, and I let them swim together and big frontosa layed on its side when they met I was scared as SHIT thinking it would end bad but he kept nipping and chasing the little guy around I don’t know what to do. Do you have any advice?
There’s no male, never has been one. I bought this female as a juvenile that was about 1.5 inches long. She was in this tank for several years by herself and one day I saw she had fry swimming around her.
Don't change the water! The fish are doing so well because of the eco system that you have in there. The microbial population is why they are healthy. And you guessed right. It's the combination of deep sand, filtration from above and water movement. Oh and you'll appreciate this, you have all that because you gave your tank time. It takes time for your tank to do what it is doing now. Awesome fish.
I dont do full water changes either. However, I use aquarium water to water all my houseplants and seedlings, so I have to top the tank off pretty well every week or 2. Love your tank. It sounds like you've got the perfect balance of BB in there.
#1) most under utilized pure natural processed BB- to successfully start External-growth With just a couple of seeds; sit back & watch it grow.. It’s like cow _Dxxx_patching up a field-but -fish waste is 100%x’s better!! Installed a huge fish pond, just to establish-grass growth-after -East coast/king/N.E/winters, closes into spring. with this BB-watch how seeds literally take to bulb & sprucing within three days..outdoor-pond water is unitized in so many ways it now is connected into my fish room, for water top-off’s.. I honestly look at my Koi-as water cows
No male. True story. I've got other videos about this. I had this one female in the tank since she was a juvenile about 2 inches. She was in the tank by herself for 2 years. One day my wife noticed a bunch of fry swimming around. That was about a year ago. Since then, she has had about 4 or 5 total batches of babies and there are almost 70 fish in the tank. Every couple months she spits out more babies. I think she's holding again now. Once again, no male ever. Now I'm wondering if her male babies will eventually breed her.
I really enjoy diy and can't get around spending the money yet. I've searched for used ones online but the price is pretty steep. I have heard they work well though and I'm going to have to do something different for the 180 gallon tank so I'll keep it in mind. Appreciate the comment.
Hi Mike, I loved your video and I’m going to set up a deep sand bed aquarium like yours. Thanks for the inspiration buddy! What rocks are these in your Frontosa aquarium? And, I’m not able to find any reasons for your first Frontosa to spawn without a male. That’s crazy awesome! You mentioned she was there for 2 yrs, all alone and then all of a sudden fries. Right? Liked it and subscribed your channel. Post more about this Frontosa colony.
Yes, that's correct, 2 years by herself and then suddenly she had about 30 fry. Now she has had 3 batches of fry and is holding more in her mouth again. Glad you love the video and I'll make more updates as we go!
We did the same thing with our fish and just kept the filter changed and it worked out just fine. You're doing a fine job so keep it up. Let the fish do the work. Haha 😁😁😁
I took 4 fig cuttings from my tree in January. And now they are all rooted! 100% success! And I didn't use any rooting hormone. These figs are amazing! I'm definitely going to order a bunch of new fig varieties next winter!
Mike Kincaid oh yeah definitely 😂 I’ve already started air layers. And am trying to figure out what varieties I want. And I’m hoping to do a few air layers on a big pear tree my grandparents have sometime soon!
Somewhat just joking, but have you considered putting an ornamental sweet potato plant in the filter? Might be a decent idea for your top of tank sump.
Alot of fish tend to breed in "dirty" water in nature. When you think about nature it goes like this. The time of year is spring it rains and the rain washes about of foreign material into the water making the water cooler in Temperature and also dirty and as we know spring is the time of year for fish to breed because of the conditions
I haven't kept fish in a millennia, have you checked the levels in that tank for nitrates, nitrites, ammonia etc? What is the ph? I was an Apistogramma guy but always loved those beautiful Frontosa.
They sure are beautiful fish when the tank is sparkling clean. Haven't checked the parameters but maybe it's time to get a test kit and see what's actually going on in there.
I just saw your video and i agree with you i have never done a water change i just top up and my frontosa are breeding like crazy . I dont beleive in water changes i used to do water changes years ago and my fish would die since i stopped i hardly have any deaths
Wow. That is amazing. I do water changes twice a week because I have pretty heavily stocked tanks but that is awesome. If there breeding and eating good I wouldn't change anything and wheres the male?
Thanks, Mike! That's the weird thing about this whole situation. There never was a male. We bought the frontosa as a juvenile (about 1.5 inches long) and she was in the tank by herself for 2 years and then suddenly my wife walked by the tank one day and saw babies. She has now had 4 different batches of babies over the past year or so and now there are over 60 fish in the tank. Pretty bizarre.
It's a tetra filter and when I really think about it and pin it down, I bought it about 14 or 15 years ago. I've searched and can't even find pictures of it online.
you've kind of built a saltwater system in your tank, utilising rock and sand as the main source of filtration. Since the sand bed is so deep and the flow is so minimal, your sand could be de-nitrifying your tank
I'm sure the deep sand bed has something to do with it. This sand was originally sold for saltwater aquariums and at one time this aquarium was salt water. The sand is very porous. Too bad it's not available anymore.
@@MikeKincaid79 this does not make sense one female for two years and she spawn? How many males in that tank with the babys and the famale that spawned or are you bringing her into the tank each time she spawns.
No water changes for over 2 years. Very unusual...but I have think nitrification is taking place and the fish are just aclimated to the conditons. If you were to introduce new fish or 2 most likely it would wither and die before acclimating if ever.
It's been close to 3 years now. I think it's due to the deep sand bed and the sand is very porous as well so plenty of room for bacteria to grow. New fish are introduced all the time as the mother continues to have new batches of fry every few months. Still no problem.
There is no male, never been one. That's the amazing thing about this. I only ever bought 1 frontosa and it was in the tank by itself for about 2 years. One day, I had baby frontosa. Can't explain it. There are some articles online about these fish doing this in the wild when times get tough. You know, "Life finds a way" sort of thing.
@@MikeKincaid79 there is no freaking way , thats awesome a big part of me still belives that your lying but i hope you're not im gonna have to check that out some more ! , i have a 190g with 10x frontosas atm really hoping to breed them someday :)
Cool! I'm not sure about changing the water in that tank. The tanks I've had weren't that big. I had a maybe 3 gallon tank that I caught some catfish fry. Little itty bitty things, looked like a bunch of little specks with tails floating around. But I kept them in that tank for probably 4 years. I would care the water Avery couple of months at first. But we're they got big enough that there were only 2 of them in there and whenever they would turn around the water would try to splash out I had to let one of them go then I was changing water every day. For about a week till I let the other go 😂 I also raised a Flier. It's a endangered fish species. It lived almost as long as the catfish did in the tank, which was double what it's lifespan was. And it got double the size it was supposed to. But I did the same thing you do with the sponges.
Do you plan on using the old water from the tank to water your plants? I have heard it is a great fertilizer ?? I am not a fish person and know nothing about keeping fish in tanks so I am no help to you, however, if they are thriving you must be doing something right. Take care and stay safe, Sandie from Ontario Canada.
I'll tell ya, it sure did shock the heck out of me the first time I saw all those tiny little fry in the tank, haha. I still can't figure it out. They're all still strong and healthy. I've lost a couple of them but after several cycles of babies, there are around 50 good sized frontosa in the tank now.
how many males in that tank, i don't see them ? and not changing any water is not the answer. i change every two days in my blue zair tank with tap water and they are multiplying. This is just a matter of time, food and environment but filthy water, i doubt that since i don't have dirty water.
That is the question of the century. I have no answer for it, other than immaculate conception. Maybe she's catholic, I'm not sure. I bought 1 frontosa, as a juvenile, several years before this happened. The frontosa I bought is the large one you see in the video. She was all by herself in this tank for about 2 years, only an inch or 2 long when I bought her. I've never owned another frontosa. One day I was looking at the tank and was completely shocked when I saw little fry swimming around in the tank. I couldn't believe my eyes. No idea where they came from other than little "Mary" mother of the frontosa god.
You outta grow luffas to use for your filters. I haven't used them personally for filters, but I grew a lifetime supply of sponges from one plant last year!
Life finds a way 😊 do a water test and let us know the results and we could understand what’s going on in there. It’s probably a combination of things. 1st is probably by not doing water changes the TDS’s are way up creating very hard water that they like(the h2o evaporates leaving all lime salts etc making the water harder) Would love to hear results of any tests. Post them here in this reply and I’ll go through thoughts and possibilities with you if you like 👍
Thanks Michael, I looked for a test kit at the local big box store the other day but none there so I'll have to order online. I'm curious too. We definitely have hard water here, lots of calcium, it builds up on everything in my house, lol. I'll bet the water in this tank is close to "rock hard" after 2 years of accumulating. I've read that these fish like a lot of calcium in the water.
Mike Kincaid When you do your tests no matter what the results I’ll still suggest water changes 😊🤷🏻♂️ hope you won’t mind that but despite all of that the results will tell an interesting story as your aquarium at the moment is very definitely functional, that’s all great. Long term it is definitely unsustainable but with water changes and and some salt to harden the water to what it is now you can definitely have continued success with the system. Could be an interesting little series of videos as to what happens an aquarium that is mature settled without water changes and maybe how best to slowly take back control of the system. I’ll talk you through it and help you figure it out, I’ll leave it up to you to make it entertaining in your lovely way :)) I’m a lifetime fish keeper (with plenty of gaps in my knowledge though) I kept and bred tropheus and kept some other tanganikians. I sometimes left big gaps in changes too so did a bit of what you are doing now too. Chat soon Michael
My 5 year old frontosas had 56 babies....I do minimal water changes and the reason they had babies I think its because of the water temp set to 80 degrees.
The deeper the substrate the more anaerobic area there is, and that is where the beneficial bacteria thrives. When you gravel vac you disturb that layer and kill of bacteria and it has to start over. But if it is thick there will be bacteria in the lower layers that can reach the lost bacteria faster. So if you don't do water changes then the aquarium is able to complete it's biological cycle and keep itself alive and healthy with only topping off water.
I'm so glad that the new impeller worked for you! I also replaced almost all of my media to sponge in almost all of my filters (I do have a few aquariums). 👍😉👋
I knew you were going to say you hadn't done a water change! I've been breeding fish for over 20 years and I learned from people who were doing it 25 years before me and they never done water changes! Water changes was started by the product companies to get you to buy declorination products etc
That’s really cool to hear. Didn’t know it was a thing that breeders actually did and I just kind of stumbled on it. Sure does work and makes life much easier.
What's happening is you have replaced some water. But water hit perfect breed temperatures. And you didn't mess with it. Water temp is what triggers fish to vfc eat and breed.
There was no male originally and she just spontaneously started having babies after being in a tank by herself for 2 years. We bought her as a juvenile and only had this one frontosa mother. Now there are some of her babies that are showing male coloring but they are much younger than her obviously.
Burundi Frontosa are slow growing and not sexually mature until about 2 years old. So your baby explosion is more of a factor of maturity than anything else. With the increased bioload, you will need to thin the herd some or else risk water parameters getting off. Parents were fine at 2-3 fish and no water changes for 2 years. But now you will need to step up your nitrate removal, aka water changes or a sump with plants. Good luck!!
Thanks, David. The original baby explosion was a crazy experience as the mother was in this tank for 2 years by herself, bought as a 1.5 inch juvenile. She spontaneously had babies on her own. I've read that some animals can become hermaphrodites to reproduce and she figured it out. Amazing! I still haven't done a water change and there are over 80 fish in here now. She is pregnant again! I know I need to do something soon and the plan is to move them all over to a 180 gallon tank that I picked up last winter. I'll film it all when it happens.
@@MikeKincaid79 true about some fish changing sex, however, having both male and female parts in Frontosa is a new one one me. A real mystery and super intriguing.
No male, lol. That's the whole mystery to all of this. 1 female in the tank by herself for 2 years, never had any other frontosa in this tank. She was originally purchased as a juvenile that was about 2 inches long. One day I looked in the tank and voila! Babies!!!
I'm sure I will eventually but I'm enjoying them right now. They are getting bigger and beautiful. The plan is to move them into my 180 gallon tank eventually.
U will have a lot of good bacteria in your filtration, So thats a good thing a ofc thats allot of water in the tank so, If u dont overfeed u can still have good water for your fish, But if i was u i would start making some water changes even if its a bit
I have a colony about 20 frontosa in a 150 Don't understand why you rely on that filtration system I have eight African tanks smallest is a 75 to 150 all running either sumps or canisters
I just don't have anything better yet but last winter I picked up a 180 gallon tank and as soon as I find a place to set it up I'm going to use a sump.
If you just want more biological media for the top of your filter get some ceramic rings. Cheap and will block the flow plus they have a little weight to keep everything in place. Then the ceramic media can be used for a second/quarantine tank because it would already be cycled.
@@MikeKincaid79 They are beatiful, wish you all the best :) .. I'm from Europe, Bosnia and Herzegovina., setting up a new tank for my kids, they love these cichlids, and everything else is out of the question :)
@@MikeKincaid79 that's so cool. Great to hear that. Anyeay managed to find 7 frontosa not far from here maybe 100 miles..12 bucks each. So maybe I'll check them out. I also found a lot of different cichlids in Belgrade(Serbia) about 160 miles from here, and this guy has the most colorful cichlids ..so definitely I'm checking those as well. 🤘
I'm pretty amazed at what they're doing in there. The mom just keeps turning up pregnant, lol. She seems to always be carrying fry in her mouth but now the other fish are getting bigger and starting to eat them as soon as they're born. I really need to get them in a bigger tank.
he,he,he,he,he,---i'm right with you bud. i don't change my aquarium water either. and my fish are thriving also. i must say that i do sneak in a bit of chem. in once a month but i have so many bio-balls in the filter and in the gravel, i have a mixture of activated carbon and zeolite. get going on that floor so we can see the new tank setup. -- great work on the impeller. later, carmine.
I have so many fish and fry I have been caught completely off guard. The mom had maybe 4 batches if that’s what you call it or pregnancy at minimum 4 at each time. I thought the entire time the big one was the dad picking on the mom well found out that was the female and she killed him from being territorial. She is so territorial I can’t have any other fish in my tank. 😞Now I’m trying to figure out what to do with all these fish. It’s a lot!!! I didn’t want just one set of fish and looks like that’s all I will have. Oh enough with my venting 😆🤣🤣🤣🙄Congratulations hearing that’s what you wanted but goodness what do you do with so many fish? Than she is so aggressive!!!
from years of exp. its the sand bed the deeper the bed the better for the fish their is a shop in san fran that has been running for more than 20 years and has never done a water change in those tanks he uses very deep sand beds i have a shrimp tank i never do water changes on its a 20 long with 4 and a half inches of plant substrate on top of an under-gravel filter and a jungle of valls and its been running for over a year with no water changes and i see new shrimp ever week or so
Hey Buddy, When I was young, and at one time years ago I was young, I raised tropical fish. There are some breeds that won't spawn unless the water is slightly dirty. So when we wanted babies we would turn off the filter system and bingo, we got baby fish. I noticed you have provided no hiding places for the newborn to hide. Think about that when you set up your new tank. And as far as changing the water all you should do is every week take a few gallons(2) out and replace them with fresh water. You don't ever have to clean a tank if you don't want to. Don't use tap water if it contains chorine. all you have to do is let the new water set a day or so to remove the chlorine or get some drops that do it for you. If I remember right your fish are freshwater fish, right? Love your show and look forward to your "retirement" also. God Bless.
Mike did you have to sleep on how you were going to mate the smaller size gadget into the larger size pump so it would run properly? I have always loved seeing beautiful fish swimming around their glass home. But I don’t think I would want to clean the tank out. To me it would be just another chore around the house. You are semi retired so I guess you have time on your hands to make a mess while your wife is at work. All joking aside I know you still work hard and you have many projects going on around your home and garden.👍
Figured out that little pump part on the spot. It is constant work around here but when you love doing it, I guess it doesn't feel like work. Thanks for watching.
I was watching a video from I thi K he's called fishgrandad he has fish tanks running on 15" substrate that he never cleaned for the last 20 years and he runs a whole store that way
It's all tha porous Rock you have in the tank. It is acting like a biological filter. It would work even if you put a marine wave maker in the tank, which you fit inside the tank . To push the water around. What will filter it even better....
Never had one. That’s what is so amazing about this. I only ever had 1 female for years. Suddenly, babies showed up. I read all about it and found that some frontosa can spontaneously become hermaphrodite to keep the species going. Must be true cause there’s no other explanation, lol
Yeah, it's pretty bizarre, and most people don't even believe me but that's OK because my wife and I witnessed it with our own eyes. It actually happened several times over the course of a year. She produced several "batches" of babies while the fry from previous batches were still as small as a pencil eraser. She kept making babies until the fry got big enough to eat the new ones, haha. At this time, there are about 50 of them in there and they are several inches long each. The mom is getting pretty big, maybe I can do an update sometime.
Thanks, they've grown a lot since my last post and the mom had another batch of babies, although each run of fry is smaller and smaller. I think the young fish are eating some of the fry as they come out of her mouth. Beautiful channel, by the way. Subscribed.
How would you know if there make or female when your starting a frontosa tank? I have 1 frontosa now and would like to get more but sellers say they don’t know the sex
I started with 1 fish and they turned into over 80 so I'm not sure how this works anymore, LOL. I do know the males are darker in color.
@@MikeKincaid79 lol man! I guess this the beauty of the hobby THANKS keep up the good work
I'm A Frontosa & garden enthusiast myself. I have enjoyed several of your videos & learned who successfully propagate roses from cuttings doing so. I suspect the reason you have all these fry after 2 years has nothing to do with the lack of water changes. You likely had enough healthy bacteria to handle the bio load without any serious negative effects. I see the video is over a couple years now but I would in fact do water changes now that bio load has increased with the addition of 60 fry. The reason why your fish started producing fry when they did is simply because it takes 3-5 years for them to reach sexual maturity. They mated when they reached that point regardless of the water parameters. A 25 percent water change can actually help encourage mating in African cichlids including Frontosa. That maybe a useful tip in the future. Good Luck!!
Thanks for the info, I appreciate it!
Hello Mike how is the stand of your Tank. Didi you no Water Change any more. What kind of Sand is this?
I finally did a water change or 2 but in the past 4 years or more, that's all I've done other than topping it off as it evaporates. The sand is from the Red Sea and is no longer on the market.
@@MikeKincaid79 Thank you for your help my friend. Wish you a good 2022.
Love it. My tank runs green quite often and I’m tired of buying those cheesy filters. Loved your sponges idea.
They work so much better.
What do these fuss eat
Hey great video keep it going. I have frontosa little bigger than 2inches and I have a less than a inch baby baby frontosa in a breeder net inside the tank, and I let them swim together and big frontosa layed on its side when they met I was scared as SHIT thinking it would end bad but he kept nipping and chasing the little guy around I don’t know what to do. Do you have any advice?
Make sure they're well fed or they will nip at each other. If it gets bad enough, you may have to separate them.
@@MikeKincaid79 appreciate bro I hope it doesn’t get that bad
where is the male front ? i see the large female , did you take it out after spawning. you must have cause he would eat all the fry.
There’s no male, never has been one. I bought this female as a juvenile that was about 1.5 inches long. She was in this tank for several years by herself and one day I saw she had fry swimming around her.
Don't change the water! The fish are doing so well because of the eco system that you have in there. The microbial population is why they are healthy. And you guessed right. It's the combination of deep sand, filtration from above and water movement. Oh and you'll appreciate this, you have all that because you gave your tank time. It takes time for your tank to do what it is doing now. Awesome fish.
Thanks, Laura! You confirmed (so eloquently) what I've been thinking.
a trick : watch series at flixzone. I've been using it for watching all kinds of movies lately.
@Leonel Quinn yup, I have been watching on Flixzone} for since november myself =)
@Leonel Quinn Yea, have been watching on Flixzone} for since november myself :)
True! Fewer water changes is key in my experience. I just add water to compensate for evaporation.
I dont do full water changes either. However, I use aquarium water to water all my houseplants and seedlings, so I have to top the tank off pretty well every week or 2. Love your tank. It sounds like you've got the perfect balance of BB in there.
I love the plant watering idea. I actually want to start planting pothos in the filter.
#1) most under utilized pure natural processed BB- to successfully start
External-growth With just a couple of seeds; sit back & watch it grow..
It’s like cow _Dxxx_patching up a field-but -fish waste is 100%x’s better!! Installed a huge fish pond, just to establish-grass growth-after -East coast/king/N.E/winters, closes into spring.
with this BB-watch how seeds literally take to bulb & sprucing within three days..outdoor-pond water is unitized in so many ways it now is connected into my fish room, for water top-off’s..
I honestly look at my Koi-as water cows
Hey! Only now seeing your video. Where is the male in the tank?
No male. True story. I've got other videos about this. I had this one female in the tank since she was a juvenile about 2 inches. She was in the tank by herself for 2 years. One day my wife noticed a bunch of fry swimming around. That was about a year ago. Since then, she has had about 4 or 5 total batches of babies and there are almost 70 fish in the tank. Every couple months she spits out more babies. I think she's holding again now. Once again, no male ever. Now I'm wondering if her male babies will eventually breed her.
Is it just the male & female front & that’s it ? I’m asking because maybe I have too many fish in my tank for breeding
It was just a female front, no male.
What size is the tank out of curiosity please
This tank is 80 gallons
Absolutely stunning. Thank you ❤
Wait, there's been no male in the tank & she's producing fry? That's some biblical goings-on right there.😮
I know, isn't that crazy! 100% true
Thank you for saying it lol!!!! That’s all I can concentrate over his yelling voice
Anyone have the link for the first miracle fish babies video? Want to share it with a friend!
Here ya go: ruclips.net/video/qyMXqDIlJ9E/видео.html
You should grow some pothos or philodendron in that tank to suck up some of the nitrates. Let it vine around the canopy.
Working on it.
Overhead sump, how much would that weigh?
A lot, lol. Something that I'm thinking about while considering it because I would want it to hold about 5 gallons of water.
where did you get the rock
I've collected it a few pieces at a time but all from one store, Aquarium Paradise in Lakewood, Washington. I've been collecting it for over 15 years.
Have you tried a canister filter? I run the Fluval FX6 on my 125 gallon tanks and I love it. Tons of biological media in it and moves a lot of water.
I really enjoy diy and can't get around spending the money yet. I've searched for used ones online but the price is pretty steep. I have heard they work well though and I'm going to have to do something different for the 180 gallon tank so I'll keep it in mind. Appreciate the comment.
I have the fluval it’s butter
What kind of sand bro?
It's sand from the red sea but they don't sell it anymore. I think it's illegal now to gather sand there.
Hi Mike,
I loved your video and I’m going to set up a deep sand bed aquarium like yours. Thanks for the inspiration buddy!
What rocks are these in your Frontosa aquarium?
And, I’m not able to find any reasons for your first Frontosa to spawn without a male. That’s crazy awesome! You mentioned she was there for 2 yrs, all alone and then all of a sudden fries. Right?
Liked it and subscribed your channel. Post more about this Frontosa colony.
Yes, that's correct, 2 years by herself and then suddenly she had about 30 fry. Now she has had 3 batches of fry and is holding more in her mouth again. Glad you love the video and I'll make more updates as we go!
Thanks buddy! What are those rocks in there?
@@living-my-life it's sea stone .
We did the same thing with our fish and just kept the filter changed and it worked out just fine. You're doing a fine job so keep it up. Let the fish do the work. Haha 😁😁😁
What kind of rock did you use in your aquarium?
Lace rock
Thank you so much! I bought the same kind of rock at a rock quarry and they were unable to tell me what it was. Thx :)
I took 4 fig cuttings from my tree in January. And now they are all rooted! 100% success! And I didn't use any rooting hormone. These figs are amazing! I'm definitely going to order a bunch of new fig varieties next winter!
Oh no, he's addicted, haha! Good job and have fun with it.
Mike Kincaid oh yeah definitely 😂 I’ve already started air layers. And am trying to figure out what varieties I want. And I’m hoping to do a few air layers on a big pear tree my grandparents have sometime soon!
Where is your male n how big is he?
There's no male. There never was. This was a strange case of immaculate conception.
🤦🤦😂😂😂
So who is the male frontosa ?
No male
Mike Kincaid so how did she have eggs ? That’s interesting
Somewhat just joking, but have you considered putting an ornamental sweet potato plant in the filter? Might be a decent idea for your top of tank sump.
Not sweet potato but I'm going to put some pothos in it soon.
Alot of fish tend to breed in "dirty" water in nature. When you think about nature it goes like this. The time of year is spring it rains and the rain washes about of foreign material into the water making the water cooler in Temperature and also dirty and as we know spring is the time of year for fish to breed because of the conditions
I haven't kept fish in a millennia, have you checked the levels in that tank for nitrates, nitrites, ammonia etc? What is the ph? I was an Apistogramma guy but always loved those beautiful Frontosa.
They sure are beautiful fish when the tank is sparkling clean. Haven't checked the parameters but maybe it's time to get a test kit and see what's actually going on in there.
Once a good tank is established from what I noticed and the nice balance all I have to do is top the tanks off when the water go lows
That's all I do.
I just saw your video and i agree with you i have never done a water change i just top up and my frontosa are breeding like crazy .
I dont beleive in water changes i used to do water changes years ago and my fish would die since i stopped i hardly have any deaths
Yep, I agree. Somebody somewhere in the hobby got it wrong when they started that rumor.
If it ain't broke don't fix, it's working great LEAVE IT BE! Nice fish!
I agree, some things work best the way they are. Thanks 👍
By the way, I'm about to finally upgrade them to a 180 gallon tank in a few days. Should be pretty cool.
Bro May i know what brand and model of that sand?
It's no longer for sale. I bought it over 15 years ago. I think it originally came from the Red Sea.
@@MikeKincaid79 the sand itself is round? I wonder if there is any similar sand. What was it called?
@@edylie007 looks like ground coral or crush coral !
Wow. That is amazing. I do water changes twice a week because I have pretty heavily stocked tanks but that is awesome. If there breeding and eating good I wouldn't change anything and wheres the male?
Thanks, Mike! That's the weird thing about this whole situation. There never was a male. We bought the frontosa as a juvenile (about 1.5 inches long) and she was in the tank by herself for 2 years and then suddenly my wife walked by the tank one day and saw babies. She has now had 4 different batches of babies over the past year or so and now there are over 60 fish in the tank. Pretty bizarre.
Uv nail polish can fix your old impeller. Hope this helps quick fix.
Do you use it as glue?
Hey Mike, I’m curious, who manufactured your filter? It looks vaguely like a Marineland filter. Love the aquarium videos.
It's a tetra filter and when I really think about it and pin it down, I bought it about 14 or 15 years ago. I've searched and can't even find pictures of it online.
you've kind of built a saltwater system in your tank, utilising rock and sand as the main source of filtration. Since the sand bed is so deep and the flow is so minimal, your sand could be de-nitrifying your tank
I'm sure the deep sand bed has something to do with it. This sand was originally sold for saltwater aquariums and at one time this aquarium was salt water. The sand is very porous. Too bad it's not available anymore.
One female and how many male?
Well, now I'm sure there are many males and females. In the beginning, there was 1 female for 2 years by herself.
@@MikeKincaid79 this does not make sense one female for two years and she spawn? How many males in that tank with the babys and the famale that spawned or are you bringing her into the tank each time she spawns.
No water changes for over 2 years. Very unusual...but I have think nitrification is taking place and the fish are just aclimated to the conditons. If you were to introduce new fish or 2 most likely it would wither and die before acclimating if ever.
It's been close to 3 years now. I think it's due to the deep sand bed and the sand is very porous as well so plenty of room for bacteria to grow. New fish are introduced all the time as the mother continues to have new batches of fry every few months. Still no problem.
maybe im dumb but.. where is the male frontosa :O?
There is no male, never been one. That's the amazing thing about this. I only ever bought 1 frontosa and it was in the tank by itself for about 2 years. One day, I had baby frontosa. Can't explain it. There are some articles online about these fish doing this in the wild when times get tough. You know, "Life finds a way" sort of thing.
@@MikeKincaid79 there is no freaking way , thats awesome a big part of me still belives that your lying but i hope you're not im gonna have to check that out some more ! , i have a 190g with 10x frontosas atm really hoping to breed them someday :)
Cool! I'm not sure about changing the water in that tank. The tanks I've had weren't that big. I had a maybe 3 gallon tank that I caught some catfish fry. Little itty bitty things, looked like a bunch of little specks with tails floating around. But I kept them in that tank for probably 4 years. I would care the water Avery couple of months at first. But we're they got big enough that there were only 2 of them in there and whenever they would turn around the water would try to splash out I had to let one of them go then I was changing water every day. For about a week till I let the other go 😂
I also raised a Flier. It's a endangered fish species. It lived almost as long as the catfish did in the tank, which was double what it's lifespan was. And it got double the size it was supposed to.
But I did the same thing you do with the sponges.
I love these sponges, they work so much better.
@@MikeKincaid79 and like you said cheaper
Are you related to steve kincaid that works at audi fort lauderdale?
Not that I know of but I do have extended family in Pensicola, so I suppose there could be a distant relation.
About how many u keep?
There's close to 70 of them in this tank
Do you plan on using the old water from the tank to water your plants? I have heard it is a great fertilizer ?? I am not a fish person and know nothing about keeping fish in tanks so I am no help to you, however, if they are thriving you must be doing something right. Take care and stay safe, Sandie from Ontario Canada.
Plan on putting plants in the filter to suck the nitrates out of the water.
I'm just shocked about the solo breeding!? Didn't think that happened w frontosa lol pretty cool stuff
I'll tell ya, it sure did shock the heck out of me the first time I saw all those tiny little fry in the tank, haha. I still can't figure it out. They're all still strong and healthy. I've lost a couple of them but after several cycles of babies, there are around 50 good sized frontosa in the tank now.
How big was that tank? Did ya ever set up the 180?
how many males in that tank, i don't see them ? and not changing any water is not the answer. i change every two days in my blue zair tank with tap water and they are multiplying. This is just a matter of time, food and environment but filthy water, i doubt that since i don't have dirty water.
I'm not sure what the question is?
but how are her eggs getting fertilized
That is the question of the century. I have no answer for it, other than immaculate conception. Maybe she's catholic, I'm not sure. I bought 1 frontosa, as a juvenile, several years before this happened. The frontosa I bought is the large one you see in the video. She was all by herself in this tank for about 2 years, only an inch or 2 long when I bought her. I've never owned another frontosa. One day I was looking at the tank and was completely shocked when I saw little fry swimming around in the tank. I couldn't believe my eyes. No idea where they came from other than little "Mary" mother of the frontosa god.
Hi im like you i dont beleive in water changes i just top up and my frontosa has had about 60 babies in 12 months
I think that's got to be the secret. Sure is working well here. Thanks for sharing your experience.
You outta grow luffas to use for your filters. I haven't used them personally for filters, but I grew a lifetime supply of sponges from one plant last year!
I've seen videos about them. Looks like a fun plant to grow.
Life finds a way 😊 do a water test and let us know the results and we could understand what’s going on in there. It’s probably a combination of things.
1st is probably by not doing water changes the TDS’s are way up creating very hard water that they like(the h2o evaporates leaving all lime salts etc making the water harder) Would love to hear results of any tests. Post them here in this reply and I’ll go through thoughts and possibilities with you if you like 👍
Thanks Michael, I looked for a test kit at the local big box store the other day but none there so I'll have to order online. I'm curious too. We definitely have hard water here, lots of calcium, it builds up on everything in my house, lol. I'll bet the water in this tank is close to "rock hard" after 2 years of accumulating. I've read that these fish like a lot of calcium in the water.
Mike Kincaid
When you do your tests no matter what the results I’ll still suggest water changes 😊🤷🏻♂️ hope you won’t mind that but despite all of that the results will tell an interesting story as your aquarium at the moment is very definitely functional, that’s all great.
Long term it is definitely unsustainable but with water changes and and some salt to harden the water to what it is now you can definitely have continued success with the system. Could be an interesting little series of videos as to what happens an aquarium that is mature settled without water changes and maybe how best to slowly take back control of the system. I’ll talk you through it and help you figure it out, I’ll leave it up to you to make it entertaining in your lovely way :))
I’m a lifetime fish keeper (with plenty of gaps in my knowledge though) I kept and bred tropheus and kept some other tanganikians. I sometimes left big gaps in changes too so did a bit of what you are doing now too.
Chat soon
Michael
My 5 year old frontosas had 56 babies....I do minimal water changes and the reason they had babies I think its because of the water temp set to 80 degrees.
Awesome! I think the water temp has a lot to do with it. Keep that breeding pair and you'll have more fronts than you know what to do with.
The deeper the substrate the more anaerobic area there is, and that is where the beneficial bacteria thrives. When you gravel vac you disturb that layer and kill of bacteria and it has to start over. But if it is thick there will be bacteria in the lower layers that can reach the lost bacteria faster. So if you don't do water changes then the aquarium is able to complete it's biological cycle and keep itself alive and healthy with only topping off water.
Sure is working well. And to support your thoughts, I don't ever vacuum the sand.
I'm so glad that the new impeller worked for you! I also replaced almost all of my media to sponge in almost all of my filters (I do have a few aquariums). 👍😉👋
Works so much better, doesn't it! I can't believe I use to waste so much money on filter pads.
I knew you were going to say you hadn't done a water change! I've been breeding fish for over 20 years and I learned from people who were doing it 25 years before me and they never done water changes! Water changes was started by the product companies to get you to buy declorination products etc
That’s really cool to hear. Didn’t know it was a thing that breeders actually did and I just kind of stumbled on it. Sure does work and makes life much easier.
I have under gravel filters in my tank (50 gal) and all I do is top it off when needed. Love your little Mama!
In the past, I used an under gravel filter but got rid of it when I changed to saltwater. It was a really simple and effective way to filter.
Mike, I watch all your gardening videos, A * thank you so much, then I come across this one. Mike you are too much! : )
Just having fun, haha!
There’s no male in there? Super nice rock set up man!
No male. It's the strangest thing. She's the only Frontosa that's ever been in this tank.
What's happening is you have replaced some water. But water hit perfect breed temperatures. And you didn't mess with it. Water temp is what triggers fish to vfc eat and breed.
where is the male?
There was no male originally and she just spontaneously started having babies after being in a tank by herself for 2 years. We bought her as a juvenile and only had this one frontosa mother. Now there are some of her babies that are showing male coloring but they are much younger than her obviously.
@@MikeKincaid79 how is she having babies without a male?
where is papa frontosa? this doesnt have any sense he claims that the tank was only for mama frontosa who exactly fertilized the eggs?
There wasn't a papa. I think I explained it in the video. Pretty bizarre if you ask me.
Burundi Frontosa are slow growing and not sexually mature until about 2 years old. So your baby explosion is more of a factor of maturity than anything else.
With the increased bioload, you will need to thin the herd some or else risk water parameters getting off. Parents were fine at 2-3 fish and no water changes for 2 years. But now you will need to step up your nitrate removal, aka water changes or a sump with plants.
Good luck!!
Thanks, David. The original baby explosion was a crazy experience as the mother was in this tank for 2 years by herself, bought as a 1.5 inch juvenile. She spontaneously had babies on her own. I've read that some animals can become hermaphrodites to reproduce and she figured it out. Amazing! I still haven't done a water change and there are over 80 fish in here now. She is pregnant again! I know I need to do something soon and the plan is to move them all over to a 180 gallon tank that I picked up last winter. I'll film it all when it happens.
@@MikeKincaid79 true about some fish changing sex, however, having both male and female parts in Frontosa is a new one one me. A real mystery and super intriguing.
Where is the male?
No male, lol. That's the whole mystery to all of this. 1 female in the tank by herself for 2 years, never had any other frontosa in this tank. She was originally purchased as a juvenile that was about 2 inches long. One day I looked in the tank and voila! Babies!!!
High mineral content in the water. My guppy and turtle tank is the same way. I've wanted to use the water to grow plants in just don't know what ones.
Pothos!
Do u ever wanna sell any?
I'm sure I will eventually but I'm enjoying them right now. They are getting bigger and beautiful. The plan is to move them into my 180 gallon tank eventually.
Mike, have you checked out Joey's older filter videos on "The king of DIY"?
I've seen some of them. I'm really liking the overhead sump idea right now though.
If you do it I hope you video it! I'm surprised that you aren't running an aquaponics system off the tank!
but, where is the male?
No male, never was one.
I always put a little Vaseline on the magnet and spinner better.
Yep, did that and it worked out well.
Thats really incrededible, but it worked out well!
It’s pretty crazy how this happened. Still have the fish today and they’re getting big.
Wow two years top notch fish there mate 🙌👌
Thanks 👍
U will have a lot of good bacteria in your filtration, So thats a good thing a ofc thats allot of water in the tank so, If u dont overfeed u can still have good water for your fish, But if i was u i would start making some water changes even if its a bit
I have a colony about 20 frontosa in a 150 Don't understand why you rely on that filtration system I have eight African tanks smallest is a 75 to 150 all running either sumps or canisters
I just don't have anything better yet but last winter I picked up a 180 gallon tank and as soon as I find a place to set it up I'm going to use a sump.
If you just want more biological media for the top of your filter get some ceramic rings. Cheap and will block the flow plus they have a little weight to keep everything in place. Then the ceramic media can be used for a second/quarantine tank because it would already be cycled.
Great idea!
Here's me trying to find a frontosa in the 300 miles range, and this guy can't get rid of them...
Hahaha, so true. This girl just keeps breeding! She’s put out about 4 more batches of fry since this video. Where do you live?
@@MikeKincaid79 They are beatiful, wish you all the best :) .. I'm from Europe, Bosnia and Herzegovina., setting up a new tank for my kids, they love these cichlids, and everything else is out of the question :)
Awesome! Sounds like your kids have good taste. Closest I’ve been to your area is Slovenia, back in 1998, when I was in the Navy
@@MikeKincaid79 that's so cool. Great to hear that. Anyeay managed to find 7 frontosa not far from here maybe 100 miles..12 bucks each. So maybe I'll check them out. I also found a lot of different cichlids in Belgrade(Serbia) about 160 miles from here, and this guy has the most colorful cichlids ..so definitely I'm checking those as well. 🤘
Wow 2 years and i want to buy some when you start selling them.
I'm pretty amazed at what they're doing in there. The mom just keeps turning up pregnant, lol. She seems to always be carrying fry in her mouth but now the other fish are getting bigger and starting to eat them as soon as they're born. I really need to get them in a bigger tank.
Nice production job on the filming there... btw who is the daddy of those fish if there is only a momma in there?
There never was a daddy, lol. That's the crazy thing about all of this. Go back to the first fish video I posted a year ago and I explain it all.
There wasn’t a daddy what ?
he,he,he,he,he,---i'm right with you bud. i don't change my aquarium water either. and my fish are thriving also. i must say that i do sneak in a bit of chem. in once a month but i have so many bio-balls in the filter and in the gravel, i have a mixture of activated carbon and zeolite. get going on that floor so we can see the new tank setup. -- great work on the impeller. later, carmine.
Haha, love to hear it. I'll get that floor done eventually, trust me, I'm just as excited to get the big tank set up.
I have so many fish and fry I have been caught completely off guard. The mom had maybe 4 batches if that’s what you call it or pregnancy at minimum 4 at each time. I thought the entire time the big one was the dad picking on the mom well found out that was the female and she killed him from being territorial. She is so territorial I can’t have any other fish in my tank. 😞Now I’m trying to figure out what to do with all these fish. It’s a lot!!! I didn’t want just one set of fish and looks like that’s all I will have. Oh enough with my venting 😆🤣🤣🤣🙄Congratulations hearing that’s what you wanted but goodness what do you do with so many fish? Than she is so aggressive!!!
Haha, I don't know what to do with them all but still have them!
from years of exp. its the sand bed the deeper the bed the better for the fish their is a shop in san fran that has been running for more than 20 years and has never done a water change in those tanks he uses very deep sand beds i have a shrimp tank i never do water changes on its a 20 long with 4 and a half inches of plant substrate on top of an under-gravel filter and a jungle of valls and its been running for over a year with no water changes and i see new shrimp ever week or so
It sure seems to be a healthy way to go for the fish.
Hey Buddy, When I was young, and at one time years ago I was young, I raised tropical fish. There are some breeds that won't spawn unless the water is slightly dirty. So when we wanted babies we would turn off the filter system and bingo, we got baby fish. I noticed you have provided no hiding places for the newborn to hide. Think about that when you set up your new tank. And as far as changing the water all you should do is every week take a few gallons(2) out and replace them with fresh water. You don't ever have to clean a tank if you don't want to. Don't use tap water if it contains chorine. all you have to do is let the new water set a day or so to remove the chlorine or get some drops that do it for you. If I remember right your fish are freshwater fish, right? Love your show and look forward to your "retirement" also. God Bless.
Thanks for the info, Mac, and glad you enjoy the channel! I'm pretty lucky in that I have my own well so no chlorine problems.
Mike did you have to sleep on how you were going to mate the smaller size gadget into the larger size pump so it would run properly? I have always loved seeing beautiful fish swimming around their glass home. But I don’t think I would want to clean the tank out. To me it would be just another chore around the house. You are semi retired so I guess you have time on your hands to make a mess while your wife is at work. All joking aside I know you still work hard and you have many projects going on around your home and garden.👍
Figured out that little pump part on the spot. It is constant work around here but when you love doing it, I guess it doesn't feel like work. Thanks for watching.
Mike Kincaid ❤️👍
I always say if the fish r happy u r doing it right ... I love low tech tanks .... lots of plants lots of fish. just gotta get that ratio right....
I've often thought about adding plants but always afraid the fish will eat them.
Magnum 350 filter instead
Awwww I love these fish! Can’t wait to see the new babies💕
Mom sure is holding onto them for a long time!
Beautiful Frontosa biotope
i have only done 1 water change every year for about 6 years. pleco is 8 years old,,, left a like
I love it, confirmation coming in!
What filtration and what tank if you dont minf me asking
@@69Savageee for me? a 29 gallon with whisper for
@@michaelbahr7267 yes thank you ... Any other fish in the tank but the pleco?
@@69Savageee guppies, danios, tettra, just the basic family can't agree for freshwater fish tank. Lol
thats exactly what it is m8 that dep substrate bed is where all the goodness is ater all if aint broken dont fix it.
Leaving it alone, thanks
I was watching a video from I thi K he's called fishgrandad he has fish tanks running on 15" substrate that he never cleaned for the last 20 years and he runs a whole store that way
Sorry his name is father fish that's his RUclips channel
Make more video on frontosa
I know, I really need to update you guys on that.
@@MikeKincaid79 make a video on how you setup a tank with the decorations if you decide to move the baby frontosa
@@MikeKincaid79 make a video when you change water and clean the tank
@@MikeKincaid79 make a video about their diet and how many times a day. Just give you some idea my friend hope you the best.
It's all tha porous Rock you have in the tank. It is acting like a biological filter. It would work even if you put a marine wave maker in the tank, which you fit inside the tank . To push the water around. What will filter it even better....
Yeah, I think you're right. A combination between the deep porous sand bed and all the rock, plus a hang on back filter stuffed full of sponge.
What a nice colony bro
Thanks!
I never change water..never lost a fish..got good water; top off’s + substrate-+ filter-ur good..more natural better..
Yes! exactly how I feel about it.
Kool tank bro
Thanks, they're still going strong!
Sheesh. I want a freshwater tank again.
Haha, I use to have saltwater and got tired of all the money and maintenance. So glad I went back to freshwater.
Where's the male
Beautiful fish
You need to do another video
I know, people are asking about the fish!
Where is your male ???
Never had one. That’s what is so amazing about this. I only ever had 1 female for years. Suddenly, babies showed up. I read all about it and found that some frontosa can spontaneously become hermaphrodite to keep the species going. Must be true cause there’s no other explanation, lol
@@MikeKincaid79 That is crazy …. I’ve never heard of that , but guess now I have 😳
Yeah, it's pretty bizarre, and most people don't even believe me but that's OK because my wife and I witnessed it with our own eyes. It actually happened several times over the course of a year. She produced several "batches" of babies while the fry from previous batches were still as small as a pencil eraser. She kept making babies until the fry got big enough to eat the new ones, haha. At this time, there are about 50 of them in there and they are several inches long each. The mom is getting pretty big, maybe I can do an update sometime.
Good luck 👍👍
Thanks 👍
Very nice
Thanks, they've grown a lot since my last post and the mom had another batch of babies, although each run of fry is smaller and smaller. I think the young fish are eating some of the fry as they come out of her mouth. Beautiful channel, by the way. Subscribed.
Greetings Earthlings!
Greetings
I would sale them or give the fish away!
I hope you show us the wood floors! Do a good job Mike! to all. Keep the wife happy! Hugs🤗🤗
Keeping here happy.
Good job Mike! Have a blessed week!
great video been waiting for an update!
We've only just begun with these fish but it'll be a long journey. Thanks for hanging in there.
Luar biasa om ,
Salam dari indonesia 😀😁