Calvus

SimonWoodstock

SimonWoodstock

Lush
Sep 14, 2003
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How do Altolamprologus calvus do in a planted tank without many rocks?

I've read they get along with other non-cichlid fish that aren't small enough to be eaten because they tend to keep to themselves, and are tough enough to fend for themselves if messed with. True?
 
You could do a hard water set up, with things like Vals and anubias. They will need some rock structures as their kind of on the shy side. Mine are peaceful, but once in a while they did attack the guppies I had in the tank.

Calvus's generally aren't aggressive, and when attacked they kind of bend so their side is rounded and their scales stick out. Their scales are kind of sharp, so other fish, unless signifigantly bigger, don't usually mess with them for too long.
 
My ph is right around 8.

How much do they usually cost? Seems like somewhere I read 1-1.5" should be close to $7 and a 2-2.5" is more like $16.
 
I paid $15 each for 1.5''s, they may be cheaper in large LFSs though.
 
Compressiceps

I have kept these on and off for a few years. At one time, I had them in a tank with anubias, java moss, and java ferns. Some driftwood. Really, it was not the ideal set up and certainly far from the ideal ph and water hardness. However, they were all very healthy and suffered no diseases while in my care. These are tough fish. The only knock I have against them is that they grow so slow.

At first, mine would only eat brine shrimp and small fish. But after a while, they got to the point where they eat just about anything. I even kept them with some Leaf Fish in a planted tank for a short time.

I definitely recommend keeping them in water that is similar to their origins. However, do so only if you can keep the water's properties (ph, hardness, temperature) stable and constant. In my limited and humble experience, it is more important to provide stable, clean, and consistent water quality than perfect chemistry. The fish can adapt. Do not use these fish to cycle a tank, for example. Make sure the tank is stable and that you can provide stable water quality before taking these fish home. Buy some small feeder fry just in case the new fish won't eat flakes.
 
Yeah, the guppies always slowly began to dwindle in numbers.... :). Though when the lights were on, every thing went "okay".
 
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