It has distinct markings with five to seven black vertical bars adorning a white or blue body and head and trailing fins with a distinct blue hue.

The species also develops a nuchal hump that is more pronounced in older specimens.

C. frontosa is a sexually monomorphic species, although the hump is occasionally more pronounced in males.

As is the case with many of the cichlid species found in Lake Tanganyika, isolation of distinct breeding colonies has resulted in several different colour variants evolving.

The species generally resides at greater depths (30–50 m subsurface)[2] than most other cichlids, and rises to shallow waters in the early morning to feed on shoaling fish such as Cyprichromis species.