[ash01]

Not long ago i bought one Calvus for my Tang/Malawi Tank to see how it got on in the tank with the others. Everything has been great and i love the Calvus that much that i decided to set up my smaller tank and bought 5 more of them.

I recieved my 5 new Calvus yesterday morning at 7.00am through the mail. After floating the bag for 1/2 hr I slowly started pouring water from my tank over a 2 hr period into their bags and then gently netted them and put them into my tank.

The first question i have is, is it normal for them to be quite jumpy when they are new into a tank? My 5 new ones are quite jumpy which were mail ordered but the first one i got was from a fish shop down the road and he was fine straight away after going into my tang/malawi tank. I was just wondering if maybe it was because they are maybe a lot more stressed than the one from the fish shop from bring mail ordered. This is the first time i have ever mail ordered any fish so i don't/didn't really know what to expect hopefully someone here can help me with that.

They have also been hiding since i got them and its like they are kind of resting on the gravel but shoot off like lightning if you go near the tank. Is them resting like that normal? They do not look ill in any way and no sign of any gasping/breathing problems.

Since this morning i have noticed some of them digging and moving gravel like what mbuna do beside the rocks, is this normal as i never realised Calvus did this?. The one Calvus in my main tank has been doing this aswell.

They are all 1 & a half inch long and just to let you know the little one in my main tank will be going in with the other Calvus once i know the new 5 are fighting fit and no parasites etc, and thats if i mangage to catch the little bugger i will need to try and do it on the fly lol !!! I don't fancy taking out nearly 40kgs of Ocean Rock to get him out lol !!!

Anyway some answers would be great as this is a new type of fish to me and so would like to find out the little habits they have etc. Just to say aswell that i have already found out about them being sensitive to water changes and temp etc.

Thanks,

Ashley

 

[triscuit]

Wow, it sounds like they're doing great! :thumb: The typical acclimation question involves calvus gasping on the bottom and not moving for days. Calvus are skittish fish and will take weeks to settle in, so that they are swimming at all is a good thing. To help them settle in, feed sparingly, and keep the lights off until they're less jumpy.

What size tank is this and are there any other fish in there? Sometimes dithers will help them be braver.

 

[MidNightCowBoy]

My Calvus are fairly shy. I've had them for about a year and a half now and 2 of them are starting to "beg for food" when i approach the tank while the other 2 still hide when I come near. They are definitely a patience fish. Eventually they will become accustomed to you and eventually they will get a little big bigger as well. Nothing happens very fast with these fish I'm finding out.

Being extremely skittish when you first get them seems to be pretty normal tho.

 

[ash01]

Thanks for the reply.

The tank they are in is just a spare 2 ft tank i have with an external filter. They will be getting moved on into a bigger tank when they start getting a bit bigger.

There is no other fish in the tank with them and i don't know if there is any room for dither fish as its only a 2 ft, what do you think??? What kinds of fish are classed as dither fish?

I was hoping that the little brave Calvus in my main tank would of sorted them out from being scared as it isn'y fazed by anything.

Oh i forgot to add this to my first post. I have also noticed that they are quite nippy with each other i never expected this as i thought they were meant ot be dead laid back.

 

[Fogelhund]

As far as some good dither fish, some platies or feed guppies would work, and provide some good food for the little calvus too. There is enough room for them in your tank.

 

[ash01]

Woohoo !!! My little Calvus have started to swim about now which i am very happy about because the tank looked bare when they were all hiding around the rocks. They are still a little bit jumpy when you go by the tank but not as much as before.

Going by the replys i have already received on this subject it seems i may be very lucky for then to have settled in so quickly,

I am going to try them on some frozen food later to see if they will take it they have been eating flake.

I totally love them they have a fantastic look to them and a great character.

Now all it leaves is to make sure they aren't going to get ill in the next week and then try and catch the little guy from my main tank and put him in with the others so that will be guaranteed fun and games trying to catch him lol !!

Does anyone have any advice/tips for me to make sure i keep my little babies in good health ???

 

[spitfiretjh]

yea calvus are very skittish mine didnt eat or swim very much for about 3 days.