Greetings everyone! I recently had the opportunity to jump back into the aquarist hobby after college, settling into a new routine, etc etc. Years prior I had kept a variety of fish: guppies, betta, lake fish (pan fish, plecos, carp, small bass etc), and my last foray were some Malawi cichlids. So while I'm not brand spanking new, it has been at least a solid 6-7 years since I kept anything larger than a 10 gallon aquarium. As such, I'm doing as much research as possible before making the purchase of any new fish.
I knew I wanted to get a little deeper into the world of cichlids, and after weeks of browsing and reading I absolutely fell in love with the Altolamprologus Calvus.
Currently I have a 45 gallon breeder set up and cycling (image attached) and I was hoping to get a little input on my setup and any useful resources and/or tips on Calvus. Obviously my first priority is the fish's health and comfort, so I'll just bullet point a few questions I have but any and all info will be greatly appreciated. :thumb:
-Does my setup look like a comfortable environment for Altolamprologus Calvus?
I know the Calvus are finicky with their water chemistry as well as their aquascaping. I arranged as many caves, crevices, nooks and crannies that I could to give them ample places to hide, feel safe, and break up line of sight to tamper aggression as they age. I plan to add some whelk shells and/or boester bells to encourage breeding in two years once they reach sexual maturity. I'm also considering adding an Anubias plant, but I'm not sure if that would be more of a help or hindrance to them? Is there anything else I might want to consider adding to the aquarium?
-What is the optimal number of Calvus to keep in my size setup?
So far I've seen the magic number for keeping Calvus to be around 6 fish. Is this the most accurate and optimal number? (I do plan on getting a second setup going for fry if/when the Calvus start breeding).
-Is this the best time of year to buy Calvus?
I've heard from a couple petshop owners that summer is the best time to purchase cichlids, whether they be tank bred or wild-caught. Is there any basis to this? Similarly due to their rarity should I snatch up a group as soon as I manage to find some available?
-Is the aquarium large enough to comfortably house any other Tanganyikan cichlids? Or should I stick with just Calvus?
I hear other cichlids (such as the schooling cyprichromis) can help keep Calvus at ease, the schooling behavior alerting the Calvus to the fact that there are no dangers present. If this is true, can my setup house another type of cichlid without interfering with possible breeding? If so, is it acceptable to add them later down the road after the Calvus are already established, or are the benefits of getting all the fish at once too great to ignore?
Any other links or tips would be greatly appreciated! The largest compilation on Calvus care I've been able to find thus far has been this article: http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/c ... Calvus.php
However I know the dangers of relying too heavily on just one or two sources for proper fish care. I've browsed various forums and picked up pieces of information anywhere I could find it, but there's no such thing as too much research haha.
Thanks again for any help offered!
I knew I wanted to get a little deeper into the world of cichlids, and after weeks of browsing and reading I absolutely fell in love with the Altolamprologus Calvus.
Currently I have a 45 gallon breeder set up and cycling (image attached) and I was hoping to get a little input on my setup and any useful resources and/or tips on Calvus. Obviously my first priority is the fish's health and comfort, so I'll just bullet point a few questions I have but any and all info will be greatly appreciated. :thumb:
-Does my setup look like a comfortable environment for Altolamprologus Calvus?
I know the Calvus are finicky with their water chemistry as well as their aquascaping. I arranged as many caves, crevices, nooks and crannies that I could to give them ample places to hide, feel safe, and break up line of sight to tamper aggression as they age. I plan to add some whelk shells and/or boester bells to encourage breeding in two years once they reach sexual maturity. I'm also considering adding an Anubias plant, but I'm not sure if that would be more of a help or hindrance to them? Is there anything else I might want to consider adding to the aquarium?
-What is the optimal number of Calvus to keep in my size setup?
So far I've seen the magic number for keeping Calvus to be around 6 fish. Is this the most accurate and optimal number? (I do plan on getting a second setup going for fry if/when the Calvus start breeding).
-Is this the best time of year to buy Calvus?
I've heard from a couple petshop owners that summer is the best time to purchase cichlids, whether they be tank bred or wild-caught. Is there any basis to this? Similarly due to their rarity should I snatch up a group as soon as I manage to find some available?
-Is the aquarium large enough to comfortably house any other Tanganyikan cichlids? Or should I stick with just Calvus?
I hear other cichlids (such as the schooling cyprichromis) can help keep Calvus at ease, the schooling behavior alerting the Calvus to the fact that there are no dangers present. If this is true, can my setup house another type of cichlid without interfering with possible breeding? If so, is it acceptable to add them later down the road after the Calvus are already established, or are the benefits of getting all the fish at once too great to ignore?
Any other links or tips would be greatly appreciated! The largest compilation on Calvus care I've been able to find thus far has been this article: http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/c ... Calvus.php
However I know the dangers of relying too heavily on just one or two sources for proper fish care. I've browsed various forums and picked up pieces of information anywhere I could find it, but there's no such thing as too much research haha.
Thanks again for any help offered!