December 2003 Fish of the Month

Calvus- Altolamprologus calvus


Picture credit:-World Cichlid Forum Member
The calvus is a beautifull cichlid from Lake Tanganyika.They are semi agressive but can be kepted in a Tanganyikan tank with fish of simular size. They get to about 10cm/4inches but are very slow growers.

The minimum tank for one or 2 of these should be 150litres/40gallons with high ph of around 8.5-9(this can be acheived using crushed coral as a substrate) with a temperature of around 26-28c/78-82f.

Breeding is fairly easy once you have a established pair. This can be done by raising 6 and wait for them to pair off,unfortunatly this can take 1-2 years.They usually like to spawn in a shell so its pretty important to offer them one as if there is only rockwork in the tank they usually wont mate. After courting the female will lay her eggs in the shell with the male comming in after to fertilise them. The size of the shell is important as it should be one that the fish can just get into one at a time, this makes the female feel safe whilst in the shell. After spawning the female will remain in the shell with the male guarding from outside.

Calvus prefer live foods but will accept frozen stuff like brine and plankton,they will also eat flakes but may not flourish as good.

For More Information visit the Worldcichlids Help Forum

Written by:-oscar2001

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