Frontosa cichlids do best on a varied, meaty diet of high-quality pellets plus frozen foods like mysis shrimp and krill, fed in small portions once a day. They are slow, relaxed eaters from Lake Tanganyika and are easy to overfeed, so less is usually better.
What Frontosas Eat in the Wild
Wild frontosas are ambush predators in deep water. They hunt small fish and invertebrates such as shrimp, snails and other crustaceans. In an aquarium, you copy that with a protein-focused diet rather than a plant-heavy one.
Best Foods for Frontosa Cichlids
- Quality cichlid pellets: choose a sinking or slow-sinking pellet sized for the fish’s mouth. Look for fish or shrimp meal near the top of the ingredient list.
- Frozen mysis shrimp and krill: excellent staples. Thaw before feeding.
- Frozen brine shrimp and silversides: good occasional variety; silversides suit large adults.
- Earthworms and mussel or clam meat: occasional treats that most frontosas accept.
- Spirulina-based foods: a small amount of plant matter can help digestion. See our guide to spirulina fish food for cichlids.
Feeding Schedule
- Juveniles: feed small portions once or twice a day.
- Adults: feed once a day, or even every other day, in an amount they finish in a few minutes.
- Fast one day a week: many keepers skip a day to give digestion a rest.
What to Avoid
- Feeder goldfish and mammal meat: feeder fish can carry parasites and disease, and beef heart or similar meats are fatty and hard for fish to digest.
- Overfeeding: frontosas are prone to bloat and digestive trouble, and extra food also fouls the water.
- Cheap flakes as the only food: they do not give large predatory cichlids what they need.
Tank and Water Basics
Adults get large and are best kept in big tanks, in a group, with stable, clean, hard and alkaline water like that of Lake Tanganyika. Regular water changes matter even more with a protein-rich diet. Use rocky decor with caves, and avoid housing them with small fish they could swallow. For more on cichlid feeding in general, see our page on color-enhancing fish food for cichlids and our Tropheus cichlid food guide for another Tanganyikan species.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I feed an adult frontosa?
Once a day is plenty, and many keepers feed adults every other day. Watch the belly: it should be gently rounded, not swollen.
Can frontosas eat flakes?
They can, but flakes are not ideal as the main food for a large predatory cichlid. Pellets and frozen foods are better.
My frontosa stopped eating. What now?
Check water quality first, since stress and poor water are the most common causes. If it keeps refusing food or looks bloated, consult an experienced fish keeper or aquatic vet.
Bottom Line
Feed frontosas a meaty, varied diet of quality pellets and frozen shrimp, in small portions, once a day or less. Keep the water clean and avoid overfeeding.
