# Post Pics of your Altolamps!



## Razzo

I am sure this thread has been done before but I know everyone likes pictures as much as I do. So, please post a few favorite pics of your altolamps. It is OK to repost old favorite pics again too.

Also, please identify what species it they are!

Close ups are great and please post at least one full tank shot.


----------



## Razzo

Below are a few pics of my Altolamprologus Compressiceps (Chataika Orange). I have six of them (2m/4f).

This is my favorite pic so far (one of my males).









Female guarding shell with eggs in it









My two males establishing who is the alpha


















An old full tank shot


----------



## ajay

here is a few pics of my breeder and fry......


----------



## Floridagirl

I'm not a great Photographer. Here is one of my WC Gold Kantalamba Comps. I've had Calvus in the past, but love these guys and their markings.


----------



## firenzena

Wow

You guys are so lucky.
Altos are so rare and hard to come by here.

A 1cm fry tank bred will cost me $70US


----------



## BioG




----------



## BioG

The one on the bottom is my 16 year old female! She doesn't spawn often anymore but is nearly 5 inches from nose to tail tip! I wish There was some kind of award for biggest and oldest! :lol:


----------



## jrf

Love the pics. You guys have some really nice fish.

Next weekend I'm picking up 6 "1 Inkfin Calvus at our local swap meeting. I can't wait!


----------



## ladybugzcrunch

BioG
Did you ever figure out what was going on with that calvus with the unknown nose Q-tip thing?


----------



## BioG

Nope, I hit him with everything under the sun. Ever here of a parasite that can withstand every antibiotic imaginable, copper (Heavy), Malachite green, Formalin, salt, Maracyn, Maracyn Plus, and hex-out!!!!! I'm frustrated just thinking about it.


----------



## Razzo

BioG said:


> Nope, I hit him with everything under the sun. Ever here of a parasite that can withstand every antibiotic imaginable, copper (Heavy), Malachite green, Formalin, salt, Maracyn, Maracyn Plus, and hex-out!!!!! I'm frustrated just thinking about it.


How long has your calvus had it? Could be a scab that will fall off.

Also, as I am sure you are aware, you gotta really watch the water quality real close with calvus. Really shouldn't go much past weekly water changes. Hope it clears up for ya.

Russ


----------



## BioG

You may be underestimating how obsessed with tangs and their husbandry I am razzo! :lol: It wipes right off like cottony fungus although it can't be because he's been treated EXTENSIVELY. I don't think I have ever had my nitrates post near 20ppm and all other parameters in check and stable, weekly (at leaste) %30 matched water. PH 8.5, KH 12 degrees, Ammonia- not dtectable but low, Hardness 300ppm.

it's got me. It's been 6 months and he's still got it. Not a tumor as it's removable, Maybe Lymphocystus but it's focused on one spot, doesn't spread and doesn't get worse over time.

to add to the list above include: Melafix, Pimafix, Praziquantel. Just about everything! I'm going to buy a microscope just because I can't stand not knowing what this thing is made of at least!

Sorry to hijack, I would start a new thread but I have so many on this topic that went unanswered so...


----------



## ajay

Here is a short video of 1 week old fire fin fry eating brine shrimp,6 weeks old black zaire,and 1 year old black kapampa.
http://s209.photobucket.com/albums/bb91 ... Calvus.flv


----------



## Razzo

BioG said:


> You may be underestimating how obsessed with tangs and their husbandry I am razzo! :lol: ...


LOL, I figured that may be the case. In any event, I hope you can get rid of it.

Russ


----------



## Razzo

ajay said:


> Here is a short video of 1 week old fire fin fry eating brine shrimp,6 weeks old black zaire,and 1 year old black kapampa.
> http://s209.photobucket.com/albums/bb91 ... Calvus.flv


Thanks ajay!


----------



## Razzo

Bump...

I have enjoyed the pics so far. Anyone esle got any pics?


----------



## J.B.

Here's my three, I keep them in a 125g with two frontosa, three S. petricola and some Rainbows as dithers.


----------



## Razzo

Nice pics JB and calvus JB (nice burundi frontosa you got there too).

I have a hard time id'ing altolamps when they are young. I can see that they are calvus, but what varient?


----------



## Malawi Mad

Hi all nice fish

I have 3 Altolamprologus calvus (Yellow)
One male 7cm and 2 females 5.5cm

I have had 3 spawns and 1000's of fry but have only managed to grow up 4 they are 1.5cm 
Any info on raising the fry would be great.

Some pictures


----------



## J.B.

Razzo said:


> Nice pics JB and calvus JB (nice burundi frontosa you got there too).
> 
> I have a hard time id'ing altolamps when they are young. I can see that they are calvus, but what varient?


Thanks for the compliments. The individual I got them from bought them as F1 A. calvus "inkfin" from Reserve Stock Cichlids, but I'm not positive on their ID. The one in the second pic matches the description that RSC gives for their imported inkfins, but the other two (pics 1 & 3) stay much lighter in color. I believe they may be the A. calvus "BlackZambien" which RSC offers.


----------



## famikert

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8ce3 ... /ry%3D400/ http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9df2 ... /ry%3D400/


----------



## Razzo

famikert said:


> http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8ce38b3127ccec533931c7c3a00000040O08AcNnDlszYuAe3nwI/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/ http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9df2 ... /ry%3D400/


Is that alto almost 7 inches?


----------



## famikert

Yes he is over 7 inches, that picture is 11 months ago, he probably has grown since then


----------



## Razzo

famikert said:


> Yes he is over 7 inches, that picture is 11 months ago, he probably has grown since then


That's huge for an altolamp - isn't it? What varient is he?

If you got any recent pics of him, I would love to see some more


----------



## famikert

He is a w/c Yellow calvus, and yes he is 2XL


----------



## JBGC

Heres my big fella, 13cm..










Hes a great fish, i'll try to get some pics of his breeding female and also of my gold head. I am really enjoying the comp's atm.


----------



## lopes2434

Hey guys Here are my Atlo.comps


----------



## lopes2434

Sorry about the algae


----------



## ggMing

Here's mine... sorry for poor pic quality










hmmm... whats wrong? i can't see my pic...


----------



## BioG

That 7+ is the biggest I've evr seen :drooling:


----------



## gman87

Sumbu comps









Male Goldhead[/img]


----------



## famikert

The Male yellow calvus is for sale :thumb:


----------



## BioG

were the fish in pic1 sleeping when you shot them? :lol:

JB, for whatever it's worth I think all three of your fish pictured are "ink Fin" Congo Calvus in several stages of color communication (Meaning their color stays relatively the same due to sexual availability, dominance, not to mention substrate and background etc.) I rarely see my 5 inch male White Calvus any color but pitch black. He's darker than most of my inkfins.

He wasn't always black. He was milk white until I added his 4th female. He then turned totally black, he breeds all four of them but he will kill a 5th female if I present her (I did twice and it didn't work out). This, as well as several other experiments with this species in particular leads me to believe that Calvus, if not many other cichlids communicate several different yet particular sexual availability messages.

We all know cichlids use color for sexual purposes but Calvus seem to indicate a lot of particulars such as sexual limits, will to spawn etc. At least in the aquarium. TMI, I know, I'm a nerd!


----------



## Razzo

gman87 said:


> Male Goldhead[/img]


Love your gold head!!! Nice pic! "Nice" pics of gold heads are hard to find. Would you mind posting a few more?

I have a couple wc gold head being delivered next week 

Also have some black congo white pearl coming too.


----------



## gman87

I'd be happy to. I'll try and snap a few more. He's super reclusive and that isn't nearly a good enough photo.


----------



## Gills

Hi all, this is my pair A.comp kasanga. They are the tankmate together with my small group of C.gibberosa Ikola


----------



## Razzo

Gills said:


> Hi all, this is my pair A.comp kasanga. They are the tankmate together with my small group of C.gibberosa Ikola


Thanks Gill. Can you get any side shots?


----------



## Razzo

Here are a few more pics of my A. compressiceps (Orange Fin). I really like these guys 

Both of my males. Pic was a little out of focus 









My sub dom male









Dominant male









Dominant male -again, just out of focus


----------



## FedEXguy

I'm no Tang expert, or even remotely close, but I do like looking at them. Saying that, Razzo, I think that pic of your sub-dominant male is the same fish in your dominant male pics below it.

Or I'm dumb. It's tough to tell with me some days


----------



## Afishionado

Razzo, those orange fins are really nice!

My w/c inkspots. These are not recent pics - I'll have to make an effort to get some better ones of them soon.

The pair









Male with 'friend' (they always looked for food together. Sadly this peacock is no longer)


----------



## Razzo

Afishionado said:


> Razzo, those orange fins are really nice!
> 
> My w/c inkspots. These are not recent pics - I'll have to make an effort to get some better ones of them soon.
> 
> The pair
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Male with 'friend' (they always looked for food together. Sadly this peacock is no longer)


Salut,

Merci pour vos rÃƒÂ©ponses. Magnifiques poissons et magnifiques photos!

I look forward to your updates


----------



## Razzo

Got a photo today that I really liked. I thought it would be neat if everyone kept updating this thread with your favorite pics of your altolamps.

I'll just post favorites from now on.

I like this one. Took it with my daughters new camera.


----------



## Razzo

My link was broke to this one...


----------



## timdo72

Razzo & Afishionado - beautiful fish great photos :thumb:


----------



## J.B.

Razzo

Don't know if you have PaintShop or a similar program, but one of the cool effects you can do is make it look like the subject of the photo is actually popping out of the borders of the picture. I thought this pic of your Altolamp was perfect for the effect. Whaddaya think??


----------



## Razzo

J.B. said:


> Razzo
> 
> Don't know if you have PaintShop or a similar program, but one of the cool effects you can do is make it look like the subject of the photo is actually popping out of the borders of the picture. I thought this pic of your Altolamp was perfect for the effect. Whaddaya think??


JB, that is wicked cool!!!

I use Paint Shop Pro. How'd you do that?

I see you are working with layers.


----------



## GoofBoy

Or popping in the picture...


----------



## Razzo

GoofBoy said:


> Or popping in the picture...


Very nice yellow calvus GoofBoy! It does "pop."

I think I know how to "pop" a pic. Correct me if I'm wrong or if you do it differently:

Apply an artistic effect to the entire image (i.e. Sepia, Aged Newspaper, etc).
Then, using the eraser, erase (carfefully and closely,... almost at a pixel level) the desired subject (i.e. the fish).
Then crop/resize/sharpen.

Thanks,
Russ


----------



## Floridagirl

Cool effects!!!


----------



## GoofBoy

Razzo said:


> Very nice yellow calvus GoofBoy! It does "pop."
> 
> I think I know how to "pop" a pic. Correct me if I'm wrong or if you do it differently:
> 
> Apply an artistic effect to the entire image (i.e. Sepia, Aged Newspaper, etc).
> Then, using the eraser, erase (carfefully and closely,... almost at a pixel level) the desired subject (i.e. the fish).
> Then crop/resize/sharpen.
> 
> Thanks,
> Russ


Actually - I use Fireworks for some Web development - I made a copy of the image and used the magic wand to select and delete everything around the Calvus.

So, now I have a stand alone Calvus - you are right in that I used a couple of effects on the entire picture then layered the untouched Calvus on top. Way quicker than pixel by pixel mucking.

Depending what you use I think you should be able to do much of the same.


----------



## Razzo

GoofBoy said:


> Actually - I use Fireworks for some Web development - I made a copy of the image and used the magic wand to select and delete everything around the Calvus.
> 
> So, now I have a stand alone Calvus - you are right in that I used a couple of effects on the entire picture then layered the untouched Calvus on top. Way quicker than pixel by pixel mucking.
> 
> Depending what you use I think you should be able to do much of the same.


OK, stand alone calvus layered ontop of a duplicate image - got it! Very cool effect, the yellow really glows the way you did it. I really like it.


----------



## Razzo

JB & GoofBoy, thought you might like this PaintShop Pro creation (since this post is morphing a bit into photo effects, but it still has altolamps at its heart - cool 

For this one, I made the bakcground transparent and cut away everything but the fish.
Made a duplicate of the cut out fish and reduced the transparency level (or increased it) of the one of the cut out (which will be my shadow) and pasted the other cutout over it. Threw in some text for fun.

I have played around with the shadow fish to make it more of a shadow by filling the image with black paint and then reducing the transparency (opacity??? transparency might be the wrong term)- however, the one below I didn't do that.


----------



## GoofBoy

I like the fish shadow - I know there is something cool to had there.

To get yellow to pop more, maybe a reddish background.


----------



## scrubjay

that yellow one on the monochromatic background is an interesting example of how a rather bland background and substrate can really make the fish look great. But you could also use it to see how your fish species would look with different colors of rocks and sand. If you were into that kind of thing


----------



## J.B.

Here's the tutorial I used to create your pic, Razzo...glad you enjoyed it.

*Paint Shop Pro **No Boundaries*


----------



## alexlee04

Here is my female white Calvus. She is little but I think she might be getting ready to spawn.



















She has dug out under this conch and the male has started to show some interest.


----------



## Razzo

J.B. said:


> Here's the tutorial I used to create your pic, Razzo...glad you enjoyed it.
> 
> *Paint Shop Pro **No Boundaries*


JB, thank you. I tried it and learned much! I got stuck where you need to use the Warp Mesh Tool,... the best I can determine, I don't have that tool (I am using Paint Shop Pro version 7). I did all the rest which was really cool. These programs are soooo powerful and I have't even scratched the surface.

Thanks again,
Russ


----------



## Razzo

Few pics of my gold head comps...










I didn't post my popped version of the image below (because I did a sloppy job) but that effect was very neat as I was able to make the background of the fish (including that rock that is almost the same color as the fish) greyed out a bit. You really can see how the true colors of the fish look against different backgrounds









I guess I'll post the "popped" version - it is sloppy around the egdes and I screwed up on the tail. But you can see this females gold better when the gold boulder is muted.


----------



## Razzo

Fixed that popped image  Couple versions... Having fun with paint shop pro

Popped - how'd I do goofboy?









Cutout with shadow


----------



## GoofBoy




----------



## punman

Here are pictures of two of the six "Lufubu" Red fins that I have.
I have a couple of questions.
Some of them are fairly "white" and some are quite "barred". What does that indicate?
Secondly, at just over an inch can we tell if these two are male or female and what are the signs to look for?


----------



## alexlee04

I am no expert but I have found that my male is less colorful than my females and is also larger. I am sure there are other ways to tell too though.


----------



## DJRansome

One of my black calvus juvies was white to the point I thought it was a different species. And for a while one was white with just the tail black.

They are all black now. I just think the juveniles are very variable.


----------



## Razzo

Couple pics of my A. calvus (Black Congo White Pearl)


----------



## Razzo

bump,... anybody else want to share pics of their altolamps?

I do enjoy all of your pics


----------



## swim lil fishy swim

Here's my boy Zeke!!!


----------



## GoofBoy

Members of my Yellow Calvus herd...still little...


----------



## Multies

woo that comp is beast! :thumb:


----------



## Razzo

swim lil fishy swim said:


> Here's my boy Zeke!!!


WOW! He is a stud! What is he: fire fin or an orange fin?

I like your rocks too. I see you went the natural cave route. Could you post some full tank shots and a few more pics of Zeke would be cool too 

BTW: goofboy, like those yellows, one of my favs.


----------



## swim lil fishy swim

Thanks folks 

He was purchased as a Wild Caught Fire Fin. Don't have any recent tank shots, but everything you asked for including shots of the female guarding eggs as well as Fry can be found HERE :thumb:


----------



## Razzo

Tim for a bump. I know there are a lot of altolamp owners out there - hope you all will put up some pics. Any Inkfin calvus out there?

Here's a couple more Muzi gold head pics ("popped" with PSP).


----------



## coavsfan

here's a couple pics of my newly aquired f1 yellow calvus there only about an inch right know.


----------



## ggMing

here's a few of mine...

my favourite piece of Yellow Comp...









i'm not sure what this is, but this is the 1st male which spawned for me..


----------



## Razzo

Very nice altos you guys 

Here's a few pics of my calvus. I have six black congo white pearl; although, as you will see, their color can vary...

Two of my BCWP are very dark and actually look more like Inkfin (what do you think?):




































A couple of the smaller females are very light colored









And two look like what you'd expect BCWP to look like


----------



## J.B.

Razzo, you've got some great looking fish! :thumb:

Here is my little female hanging out with my C. frontosa


----------



## Razzo

J.B. said:


> Razzo, you've got some great looking fish! :thumb:
> 
> Here is my little female hanging out with my C. frontosa


She's a beaut JB - what is she? BCWP?


----------



## J.B.

She's an A. calvus 'inkfin' from Reserve Stock Cichlids.com


----------



## Razzo

Just bumping this one again to see if anyone has any new pics.

Here's a few of my female A. compressiceps (Muzi Gold Head). Hope you like - she's a pretty girl and I enjoy photographing her. Hope you like...


----------



## barst00lprophet

nice calvus and comps!!!


----------



## Razzo

Figured it was time for another bump.



















Cat hair - it's everywhere :roll: 









PSP


----------



## AElliott

J.B. said:


> She's an A. calvus 'inkfin' from Reserve Stock Cichlids.com


If my little 1in inkfins from reserve stock cichlids look anything like yours when they grow out I'll be extremely happy!! How long have you had her??


----------



## J.B.

I've had her since Apr 2009.


----------



## davespeed3




----------



## Razzo

davespeed3 said:


>


Dave, I can't see your picture?

Russ


----------



## mel_cp6

no alto pics but i do have a question.
i came across some yellow calvus and the price is $15 for 2-2.5".
*** never seen yellow calvus before. i always see black, white and gold comps.
are these harder to come by? the seller says they are rare in the hobby because 
not to many have them.
im from Toronto Canada btw.


----------



## Potus

My LFS, which only has a small supply of tang cichlids, only has yellow calvus and for that size they would cost around $15. Sometimes a little cheaper for smaller ones.

I'm currently in Wisconsin


----------



## Razzo

mel_cp6 said:


> no alto pics but i do have a question.
> i came across some yellow calvus and the price is $15 for 2-2.5".
> I've never seen yellow calvus before. i always see black, white and gold comps.
> are these harder to come by? the seller says they are rare in the hobby because
> not to many have them.
> im from Toronto Canada btw.


I think $15 for a F1 yellow calvus that is 2+ inches is a good price.


----------



## mel_cp6

thanks Russ. i bought 3 1.5" yellow comps instead for $5 each.
i also bought 3 male paracyprichromis niggipinis and 4 julidochromis gombe.
these are going with 12-15 paracyprichromis utintas in a 75g.

what happened to your cyphos btw?


----------



## Razzo

mel_cp6 said:


> ...what happened to your cyphos btw?


All died except for four females. Waisted away - I couldn't stop it.


----------



## mel_cp6

sorry to hear that. it must have been devastating.
whats wasting anyways?


----------



## Razzo

mel_cp6 said:


> sorry to hear that. it must have been devastating.
> whats wasting anyways?


They stop feeding and get sunken bellies (one by one they kicked the bucket). I think it is common enough to have its own name: "Cyp waisting." Saw a post recently on someone who found a way to over come it.

Mine were wild caught (22 of them). I am done with cyps.


----------



## davespeed3

Ok sorted me album =D> This is a pair of Alto's (Kigoma) that I've tentatively included with my WC Kigoma Frontosa, I was concerned the little female would be consumed but they've been together for nearly a year now and the Alto's easily hold they're own against the Front's. Mostly placid, they will steal food from right among the much larger fish, I've also seen the male forcibly removing a Front from his cave.


----------



## Razzo

davespeed3 said:


> Ok sorted me album =D> This is a pair of Alto's (Kigoma) that I've tentatively included with my WC Kigoma Frontosa, I was concerned the little female would be consumed but they've been together for nearly a year now and the Alto's easily hold they're own against the Front's. Mostly placid, they will steal food from right among the much larger fish, I've also seen the male forcibly removing a Front from his cave.


Beautilful altos Dave :thumb:


----------



## Razzo

J.B. said:


> Razzo
> 
> Don't know if you have PaintShop or a similar program, but one of the cool effects you can do is make it look like the subject of the photo is actually popping out of the borders of the picture. I thought this pic of your Altolamp was perfect for the effect. Whaddaya think??


Hey JB, I finally upgraded my version of PSP and played around with no boundries. It is a fun effect


----------



## Steve.W.

Razzo, my wife is not very happy about this thread, it is because of all the beautiful Altos on here, I have just bought a group of 6 goldhead comps. They are F1 and between two and three inches, and were advertised locally for a really good price. I promise to put some pics up soon, but as you can appreciate, they have only just been added to the tank and are very shy. Fantastic thread. Keep it up guys.


----------



## Steve.W.

Here are a couple of not great pics of mine.

Hding behind a C. gibberosa.


















I will try for better pics soon.


----------



## J.B.

That looks really cool, Russ! It is a neat effect, huh?


----------



## fiupntballr

here are my little guys less than 2 inches long this one is starting to color up


----------



## crisone

Here's a few pics of my WC's........










Gold Comps









Yellow Calvus









White Calvus (Monster male 4")








White Calvus female (back)









Red Kigoma Male 









Red Kigoma Female 









Black Kapili Male 









Black Kapili Female (front)









Thanks for looking......

Cris.


----------



## Steve.W.

That is some collection you have Cris. Your tank looks stunning.


----------



## lakecalvus




----------



## Razzo

mel_cp6 said:


> sorry to hear that. it must have been devastating.
> whats wasting anyways?


Mel, sorry, I miss read your question - I thought you meant cyps.

My frontosa, we sold our house and have been in a temp apart for 3 months (close on the new house on the 30th . I decided to sell my fronts. A 265 gallon tank in a 2nd floor apartment wasn't gonna work. So, I sold them and the tank. They went pretty fast.

Thanks,
Russ


----------



## Razzo

crisone said:


> Here's a few pics of my WC's........


Beautiful fish Chris :thumb:

What is the gold fish furthest to the left behind the big male gold head? Got any close ups of that one?


----------



## Razzo

Steve.W. said:


> Razzo, my wife is not very happy about this thread, it is because of all the beautiful Altos on here, I have just bought a group of 6 goldhead comps. They are F1 and between two and three inches, and were advertised locally for a really good price. I promise to put some pics up soon, but as you can appreciate, they have only just been added to the tank and are very shy. Fantastic thread. Keep it up guys.


Congrats Steve!


----------



## crisone

Razzo said:


> crisone said:
> 
> 
> 
> Here's a few pics of my WC's........
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Beautiful fish Chris :thumb:
> 
> What is the gold fish furthest to the left behind the big male gold head? Got any close ups of that one?
Click to expand...

Thanks Razzo, it's a Male Red Kigoma, here's another pic I have as of now, I'll snap another later:










Cris.


----------



## Razzo

They look stunning Chris!


----------



## SCARF_ACE1981

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b136/scarf_ace1981/africans/DSCN0216.jpg?t=1277764755


----------



## crisone

Thanks again Razzo......

SCARF, nice Calvus.......

Cris.


----------



## cichlify

Wow, nice fish. I just got a wild caught pair of gold face comps a couple days ago. Once they settle in I'll try and get a nice pic too!


----------



## crisone

Same fish, new pics:


























Cris.


----------



## Razzo

Very nice cris!!!!!!

This thread is really turning into a good one. Thank you everyone for posting pics of your altos. I really enjoy looking at them.

Russ


----------



## tokyo

Wow, I just took a look at this thread for the first time. Some beautiful altos here! :thumb:

Keep em coming!
opcorn: :fish:


----------



## timburr

*crisone*
Great looking Alto's Chris
What is in your tank, and what size. Do they all cross breed or do you separate them before hand?


----------



## jhayes6405

My white and black Calvus


----------



## jhayes6405

mel_cp6 said:


> thanks Russ. i bought 3 1.5" yellow comps instead for $5 each.
> i also bought 3 male paracyprichromis niggipinis and 4 julidochromis gombe.
> these are going with 12-15 paracyprichromis utintas in a 75g.
> 
> what happened to your cyphos btw?


Where are you getting deals like that? And do they ship?


----------



## Manoah Marton

Nice fish jhayes6405  !!! I'm just drooling at all the pics :drooling: . I love Calvus, and plan on getting one in a tang biotype I am setting up. If my Calvus turns out anything like what I'm seeing here, well, I'll be a happy man!

Manoah Marton
8)


----------



## jhayes6405

Manoah Marton said:


> Nice fish jhayes6405  !!! I'm just drooling at all the pics :drooling: . I love Calvus, and plan on getting one in a tang biotype I am setting up. If my Calvus turns out anything like what I'm seeing here, well, I'll be a happy man!
> 
> Manoah Marton
> 8)


PM me and I can probably hook you up.


----------



## Manoah Marton

Thanks! I just got the tank yesterday, and I am collecting all the equipment and decore, so it'll probably be setup in about a week. After that, a few weeks cycling, then...    
My stocklist is gonna be 6 multi's and one Calvus (hopefully inkfin). I was planning on getting them from Live Fish Direct or Reserve Stock Cichlids.


----------



## gman87

A FO Inkin


----------



## DENZIO

wow! your ALTOs were lovely
i'll post mine too..


----------



## DENZIO

here are just few of mine! 

















3 Black Calvus, 2 Goldhead Compre and 1 Orange Fin Compre

Really loved your Altos Razzo! Your such an inspiration 
Cris had a gorgeous ones too!


----------



## mthom211

My black calvus just released into the tank.
































































I like this one even thought its blurry, the calvus is actualyy slightly bigger tyhan the flameback.


----------



## Manoah Marton

Well, I ended up getting a proven pair of Black Calvus in my 20 gallon, and I will try to get pictures posted soon. I think you all inspired me with your beautiful fish! 
Also, DENZIO, are the fish in your second picture a pair, or are they just fighting? :-? Because my male seems to do that to my female almost whenever he sees her...but a cool pic!

Manoah Marton
8)


----------



## DENZIO

i think they are depending their territory, a normal scenario for Cichlids..

it seems your dominant male didn't like your female
and it might not likely to end up as a pair (but im no expert)

btw, i also need help
does my posted Altos look female to you?
i'm currently stocking up to possible have a breeding pair
what i knew was it was both a female..

tia!


----------



## Manoah Marton

hmmm. they are a mated pair (they've spawned before) so i think he does like her =D.
I really need to get some pics. on here soon.

Manoah


----------



## smidey




----------



## Manoah Marton

Beautiful calvus smidey! Are they yellow calvus? And do you have any full-tank shots? That's really neat how they have the blue/green on their fins.
Mine are still being little recluses, so getting GOOD pics. of them is going to be difficult.

MM


----------



## smidey

Manoah Marton said:


> Beautiful calvus smidey! Are they yellow calvus? And do you have any full-tank shots? That's really neat how they have the blue/green on their fins.
> Mine are still being little recluses, so getting GOOD pics. of them is going to be difficult.
> 
> MM


they are comps gold heads not calvus unfortunately. we are very limited to what we can get here & there are only one pair of calvus we know about & they came into NZ as comps but weren't.


----------



## Manoah Marton

oops! My calvus/comps noviceness is showing...again!  
They're still beautiful fish!

Manoah Marton


----------



## Manoah Marton

Alright, here it goes...

Female...




























Male...




























Thanks for looking,

Manoah Marton


----------



## DENZIO

wow Manoah! they look good! especially your male
hope to see some full tank shot too.

thanks!


----------



## Manoah Marton

Thanks DENZIO! Here's a full tank shot, along with more pics. of the inhabitance....

(The links are for bigger photos...)











__
https://flic.kr/p/4932893747











__
https://flic.kr/p/4933489112











__
https://flic.kr/p/4932892437











__
https://flic.kr/p/4932890833

They are in a 20 gallon long and currently have 3 zebra danios as dithers. What do you think of adding a trio of multies to this setup? 
Thanks,

Manoah Marton


----------



## aj2494

The multies might be too small. But, you can try it if you want. It is definitely big enough for shellies to be added, but you might want to try something bigger than multies, like brevis, if you have the option.


----------



## Manoah Marton

Oh, good idea! Well, we'll just have to see what's available in my area. If I can get multi adults, I think that would be the best, because i sort of wanted a colony.

Thanks for your advice,

Manoah Marton


----------



## aj2494

Yep, colonies are fun. The best part about a multie colony is you get endless food for your calvus.


----------



## Manoah Marton

=D Yep! Now i just have to FIND multies in my area!

Manoah Marton


----------



## aj2494

Good luck. Check aquabid for them. I think there were quite a few up for auction last time I checked.


----------



## joshdo7

Razzo said:


> Just bumping this one again to see if anyone has any new pics.
> 
> Here's a few of my female A. compressiceps (Muzi Gold Head). Hope you like - she's a pretty girl and I enjoy photographing her. Hope you like...


OH WOW.
SHE IS BEAUTIFUL.


----------



## AnnaFish

Inkfins


----------



## smidey

awesome fish people!


----------



## Manoah Marton

Nice fish, they're going to turn out beautiful!


----------



## jrf

I finally got a camera. So, I thought I'd share a few pictures. These were sold to me as 'Inkfins'.









Above is the Alpha male and his female (lower left).
The female is tiny - about 1 1/2" at best. These two have produced one batch of fry so far.









Closeup of the Alpha male.









Subdominant male?









Get off my rock!









Go away if you're not here to feed me.


----------



## Manoah Marton

Beautiful fish!


----------



## Razzo

joshdo7 said:


> Razzo said:
> 
> 
> 
> Just bumping this one again to see if anyone has any new pics.
> 
> Here's a few of my female A. compressiceps (Muzi Gold Head). Hope you like - she's a pretty girl and I enjoy photographing her. Hope you like...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> OH WOW.
> SHE IS BEAUTIFUL.
Click to expand...

Thanks joshdo7


----------



## DENZIO

Razzo's Altos were really lovely!
His's are one of my inspiration..

mine again..


----------



## Manoah Marton

Nice...here are a few more shots of mine...

Female









Male









Both









FTS


















Love all the pics. and hope to keep this thread going!

Manoah Marton


----------



## Razzo

Beautiful altos. I too hope it keeps going.


----------



## johannes

can help me to id?














































thanks


----------



## Razzo

Pictures 1-4 - A. comp orange fin would be my guess.
Pic. 5 redfin?


----------



## johannes

when they are in the water the colour darkens substantially...

after i found out 1st three fishes came from red and fire fin shipment but got mixed up.

the last two fishes totally no clue..

thats the best info i can give at the moment...

thanks


----------



## Furcifer158

Haven't posted on this site in awhile, but i saw this thread and it made me remember this guy i sold a few years back.


----------



## johannes

Hi furcifer, what variant is that? **** nice!

i know it's a different variant, just want to share my kigoma red fin below


----------



## Manoah Marton

Nice looking comp!


----------



## Furcifer158

johannes said:


> Hi furcifer, what variant is that? darn nice!
> 
> i know it's a different variant, just want to share my kigoma red fin below


Not sure, but you definitely have a nice comp there. Let me know if you ever want to sell it


----------



## GeeJay

Hi, got no pic but a youtube link from my comp.

Special look @ the last 20 secs of the movie. Seems he's got an itch on his gills and trying to 'scratch' it with his fins. ;-)

Btw, all the cyps juveniles you see swimming in the movie survived and are almost young adults. :thumb:






Greetings,
GJ


----------



## jrf

Good looking Comp. It looks like a nice tank. :thumb:


----------



## kiriyama

Hi, I didn't take these pictures but asked permission to use them , these are from the same batch and breeder as my own comps (I don't have a camera), I have lighter rocks and substrate so lighter fish, when they go against the slate, they darken up, nice :fish:










[/img]


















[/img]


















[/img]


----------



## Razzo

Glad to see this thread still has some excitement behind it. My camera had dissappeared for a while. Just got it back and took a few pics this week...

A. calvus (Black Congo White Pearl) alpha male









A. compressiceps (Muzi Gold Head)


----------



## Razzo

kiriyama said:


>


Nice looking altos - what are they?


----------



## kiriyama

They have been described to me as "sumbu shell" or "dwarf sumbu", they max out at 2-3" :fish:


----------



## Manoah Marton

Nice altolamps. everyone! Razzo...glad to see I'm not the only guy who uses flake food... :lol:

Here's a new pics. of my big male (zambian black)...









Thanks for looking,

Manoah Marton


----------



## Razzo

Manoah Marton said:


> Nice altolamps. everyone! Razzo...glad to see I'm not the only guy who uses flake food... :lol:
> 
> Here's a new pics. of my big male (zambian black)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for looking,
> 
> Manoah Marton


Nice Zambian Manoah. LOL - all of my altos, save one (the Muzi Gold Head male), will eat NLS pellets. My Muzi male WILL NOT. So, I have to feed flake too. Everyone will eat the flake but not everyone will eat the NLS.


----------



## Manoah Marton

Nice...I think it's more fun to see them eat flakes...like how they snap them out of the water.


----------



## Furcifer158

Razzo why don't you just starve the fish till they eat the NLS. Thats what I had to do with my xeno cherry princess.


----------



## Razzo

Furcifer158 said:


> Razzo why don't you just starve the fish till they eat the NLS. Thats what I had to do with my xeno cherry princess.


How long would you starve him before giving in and feeding flake?


----------



## Furcifer158

I;m sure its nice and fat already so don't put any food in there for at least 5 days. The food we all feed to our fish has way more protein than what they would eat in the wild, so staving it for 5 days minimum won't even affect it. After the 5th day put some NLS in, do not give in if it does not eat it at first. This is are weakness as fish nerds, when we see fish not eating we try something else. If it does not eat it just keep trying every day till it does. The fish will get hungry and will eat someday. I would say though if its been over two weeks that it still wont eat it. then give in. My xenos took only 6 days till they would eat it. along with these new wild kilesa I just picked up. They only took 4 days. I know its not an african but I starved this guy for 4 weeks till it finally ate some smelt. I was trying to get it off live food.









So really if a fish is healthy, just keep trying the food you want it to eat till it does. Like most everyone I too have given in to stubborn fish not eating what I would like it to eat but I think I have finally lost that after my armatus that took the 4 weeks


----------



## Manoah Marton

Dude!! What the heck is that? Looks like a cross between a barracuda and a piranha!


----------



## Furcifer158

Manoah Marton said:


> Dude!! What the heck is that? Looks like a cross between a barracuda and a piranha!


It kind of is google it. He is about 21 inch now
Hydrolycus armatus


----------



## Manoah Marton

That thing is evil cool!


----------



## Razzo

*Altolamprologus compressiceps (Muzi Gold Head) - female*


----------



## famikert

Did you by chance get that goldhead from Atlan***, Mike


----------



## Razzo

famikert said:


> Did you by chance get that goldhead from Atlan***, Mike


Hey Mike,

Nope, I got the pair from a company in California.

Thanks,
Russ


----------



## mel_cp6

whats the difference between a red fin and a fire fin?
does anyone have a pic of the 2 for comparison?


----------



## kiriyama

Razzo said:


> *Altolamprologus compressiceps (Muzi Gold Head) - female*


Very nice 8)


----------



## Razzo

Took a few more pics. Didin't like how the flash bleached out the color on my female Muzi gold head in the last pic (above). She has been shy lately and most pics have been from the back of the tank. The male calvus is not shy - he is always strutting his stuff. Hope you like 

*Altolamprologus calvus (Black Congo White Pearl)*
Female (left) and male (right)









*Altolamprologus compressiceps (Muzi Gold Head)* - female


----------



## Soul

Well folks, I've been a member here for a short while, but have used this forum as an invaluable resource for some time now. Thanks to this exact thread, I've become addicted to calvus/comps, almost as much so as with my fronts lol.

So I was at a fish store in Toronto last weekend, and walked out with a new male kigoma front for my colony, what I hope will be a breeding pair of Congo black (I think) calvus roughly 3.5", and 7 1"+ inkfin calvus.


----------



## Soul

Needed one post before I could post pics, so here they are, sorry for the grainy pics and kind of large size, the only camera I have at my
disposal at the moment is my iPhone.



























There is also one lufubu red fin juvie in there, about 1.5", you can kind of see him in this pic


----------



## Mr Mbuna

Heres my WC male Nsumbu black calvus - only received it yesterday but its looking good. Still has a bit of growing to do.









I'll post some more pics when they've settled in a bit.


----------



## Razzo

Soul said:


> Well folks, I've been a member here for a short while, but have used this forum as an invaluable resource for some time now. Thanks to this exact thread, I've become addicted to calvus/comps, almost as much so as with my fronts lol.
> 
> So I was at a fish store in Toronto last weekend, and walked out with a new male kigoma front for my colony, what I hope will be a breeding pair of Congo black (I think) calvus roughly 3.5", and 7 1"+ inkfin calvus.


Hey Soul, congrats on the new fish! Cyphos & altos - my two favorite fish too.

I am very glad to see the popularity of this thread. Lots of great alto pics!


----------



## Razzo

Mr Mbuna said:


> Heres my WC male Nsumbu black calvus - only received it yesterday but its looking good. Still has a bit of growing to do.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'll post some more pics when they've settled in a bit.


He is looking good! Congrats!

Russ


----------



## Manoah Marton

WOW!!! Razzo, amazing BCWP's!!! They're stunning!
And Mr Mbuna, that's a really nice calvus!
Nice altolamps everyone! Keep this thread goin! :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

MM
8)


----------



## Mr Mbuna

Here's a few pics of my male A. comp "Crocodile island" orange fin.










I love the blue touches on him. He looks just like the one on the cover of Ad's back to nature book on tanganyika.









This one shows of the colour of his fins:


----------



## Manoah Marton

Holy smokes!!! I want one of those!


----------



## tranced

A. compressiceps 'mbita'


----------



## Razzo

Nice pics of beautiful fish from the UK and down under!

Here's a couple more pics of my calvus:

Altolamprologus calvus black congo white pearl









Female guarding fry


----------



## jrf

You have some great Altos Razzo. Love the pics - keep em comming. :thumb:


----------



## Furcifer158

So this is one you really hardly ever see, well at least it was 4 years ago when I had it. can any one guess what it is?????


























Its the same male in all the pics


----------



## Razzo

Furcifer158 said:


> So this is one you really hardly ever see, well at least it was 4 years ago when I had it. can any one guess what it is?????
> 
> Its the same male in all the pics


That's tough. From the first pic, I am tempeted to say Kipili but the other pics???

You got me curious though?


----------



## Furcifer158

Razzo said:


> Furcifer158 said:
> 
> 
> 
> So this is one you really hardly ever see, well at least it was 4 years ago when I had it. can any one guess what it is?????
> 
> Its the same male in all the pics
> 
> 
> 
> That's tough. From the first pic, I am tempeted to say Kipili but the other pics???
> 
> You got me curious though?
Click to expand...

Ya he's a bit dark in the first one. Lets see if anyone else knows.


----------



## Furcifer158

Razzo said:


> Furcifer158 said:
> 
> 
> 
> So this is one you really hardly ever see, well at least it was 4 years ago when I had it. can any one guess what it is?????
> 
> Its the same male in all the pics
> 
> 
> 
> That's tough. From the first pic, I am tempeted to say Kipili but the other pics???
> 
> You got me curious though?
Click to expand...

Well no one knows...........But you are right. There are three different coloration from Kipili. The white ones seem to be the hardest to come by. At least for me


----------



## Razzo

Furcifer158 said:


> Razzo said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Furcifer158 said:
> 
> 
> 
> So this is one you really hardly ever see, well at least it was 4 years ago when I had it. can any one guess what it is?????
> 
> Its the same male in all the pics
> 
> 
> 
> That's tough. From the first pic, I am tempeted to say Kipili but the other pics???
> 
> You got me curious though?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Well no one knows...........But you are right. There are three different coloration from Kipili. The white ones seem to be the hardest to come by. At least for me
Click to expand...

So, did I get it right? Kipili


----------



## Razzo

Few pics from my new camera....

Altolamprologus calvus black congo white pearl (wild caught)









Altolamprologus calvus black congo white pearl (F1 fry)


















Altolamprologus compressicps Muzi gold head (wild caught)


----------



## Manoah Marton

> Altolamprologus calvus black congo white pearl (F1 fry)


your torturing me!!! (mine still haven't spawned...) your fry look good! I'm sure you'll get a pretty penny for them when their a little older :wink:

Manoah Marton


----------



## kiriyama

Really nice pics. in here, :fish:


----------



## Razzo

Thought I'd bump this threa again with a pic of one of my calvus moms guardings eggs/fry.

Anyone else got any new altolamp pics to share?

*Altolamprologus calvus black congo white pearl*









Russ


----------



## Furcifer158

Male fire fin is in the same in all the shots


















F1 FIRE Fin








Wild Male Fire Fin








Wild Female Fire Fin


----------



## Manoah Marton

gorgeous!


----------



## Razzo

A very studly fire fin furcifier. Is that F1 from his off spring?


----------



## Furcifer158

Razzo said:


> A very studly fire fin furcifier. Is that F1 from his off spring?


Yes it is

To bad I sold this pair a year back or so. I miss them


----------



## shellies215

Young muzi gold


----------



## Razzo

shellies215 said:


> Young muzi gold


Great pic of fry - they are diffiuclt to come by. Ful finnage too - well done!

Wish my gold head muzi would spawn.

Btw: are those fry F1?

Russ


----------



## shellies215

Razzo, I'm not sure if they're F1 or not, I didn't breed them. I can tell you when I saw them I had to have them. I was standing in front of the tank counting my money, I had enough for 6.


----------



## jrf

Here's a few photos of my female Calvus in her new 55 gallon. She's not generally shy, but she likes to hide whenever I break out my camera.


----------



## Furcifer158

nice pics jrf


----------



## shellies215

Heres one more pic of my gold heads. You can see how small they are compared to the shells/filter intake


----------



## jrf

Your little gold heads sure like to show off their fins. :thumb:


----------



## Razzo

shellies215 said:


> Heres one more pic of my gold heads. You can see how small they are compared to the shells/filter intake


Very nice - you will love them more and more as they develop.

Muzi Gold Heads are probably my favorite altolamp. They are one fish that pictures DO NOT do justice. They are much nicer in person than in their pictures. There is a warmth in their coloration that cameras have a hard time capturing. If it wasn't for this camera thing, I think they would be most people's favorite altolamp too.

I almost didn't get my wild caughts because I didn't care about how they looked in the pictures. My friend, who sold them to me, convinced me to buy them even though I didn't like the pictures. He knows my taste and I trust him (so I purchased a pair). My only dissappoinment was that I only ordered two instead of six. Muzi's are probably the nicest of all the gold heads (IMHO) and we just don't see them (Muzi) come in from the lake all that often. Last summer was an exception. I want more :wink:


----------



## Razzo

jrf said:


> Here's a few photos of my female Calvus in her new 55 gallon. She's not generally shy, but she likes to hide whenever I break out my camera.


Very nice!

They are smart fish. I've got a new camera and my alltos don't recognize it and have been more shy since I changed cameras. LOL - that is the truth!

A trick for ya, leave your camera on a tripod in front of the tank. They will start to trust it the more they see it.


----------



## nmonigold87

Looking at buying some calvus and comps. I can get ahold of some Altolamprologus Red Lufubu only have seen the 2 inch ones that are for sale. I havent been able to find many pictures of them.Do any of you have them?


----------



## jrf

Razzo said:


> They are smart fish. I've got a new camera and my alltos don't recognize it and have been more shy since I changed cameras. LOL - that is the truth!


No doubt. They are smart little buggers. In her case, she hides BECAUSE she recognizes my camera and the flash scares her. None of my other fish seem to care much about the flash, but she acts like IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m shooting lightning bolts at her every time it goes off. :lol:


----------



## shellies215

No doubt. They are smart little buggers. In her case, she hides BECAUSE she recognizes my camera and the flash scares her. None of my other fish seem to care much about the flash, but she acts like IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m shooting lightning bolts at her every time it goes off. :lol:[/quote]
LMAO


----------



## punman

These Altolamprologus compressiceps "Lufubu" are in my 90 gallon tank.


----------



## lakecalvus




----------



## Razzo

BUMP - Love all the altolamps pics you guys!

*Altolamprologus calvus (black congo white pearl)* F1



























Russ


----------



## Potus

Razzo I am in love with your calvus. They are such great looking fish and I always enjoy seeing more photos of them.


----------



## seymouradam




----------



## prov356

Beautiful, *seymouradam*. I gotta add these to my wish list. Very nice fish.


----------



## Razzo

prov356 said:


> Beautiful, *seymouradam*. I gotta add these to my wish list. Very nice fish.


100% Agree!!! They are on my wish list too.

Russ


----------



## Razzo

Thought I'd bump this thread with some new pics of my *Altolamprologus compressiceps Muzi gold head* group. I added four more Muzis to the existing two that I already had: in hopes of getting them breeding (like my calvus do). I love having a tank full of Muzis! The competition between the males, the females getting biffy with each other over a choice shell. With six of them, they are not shy at all and they display full finnage for me each time I approach the tank. In any event, here are a couple new pics of my Muzis 

This guy is my alpha (which I am thrilled that he has won out as he is my favorite)
Of course, this image has been "Paint Shop Pro'd" - I am thinking of making it my new avatar








Couple of the females getting biffy with each other. I got lucky capturing this image with my point and shoot camera.
With point & shoot cameras, I prefocus (to defeat shutterlag) and follow the desired subject around the tank (creeping in or out a tad to compensate for the fishes location relative to my prefocused image) - sound complicated :lol:


----------



## shellies215

I like the pic of the female flaring her gills. Awesome fish, I can't wait until mine grow up.


----------



## Frazee86

one of the Calvus that seem to be growing faster cant get the other one he hides in the rocks all the time is a lot darker almost a solid black when he first swims out


----------



## Tosa

Nice fish everyone. I'll be sure to take a pic of some of my calvus or comps soon

edit:
here is one of my cavus black congo


----------



## nmonigold87

Red Lufubu 









Wild Orange Chaitika


----------



## Razzo

Bump 

Hey guys, I took some pics of my wild Muzi gold head comps... thought I'd update and bump this thread. I have been enjoying everyone's photos 

Altolamprologus compressiceps Muzi gold head









Close up


----------



## ElectricRuler

Looks like I need to take some pictures of my two comps and post them. Btw Razzo, those are some beautiful Gold Heads.


----------



## gman87

F0 Sumbu









F0 Goldhead









F0 Inkfin[/img]


----------



## Razzo

gman87 said:


> F0 Sumbu
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> F0 Goldhead
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> F0 Inkfin[/img]


Awesome collection gman!

Always a treat to see some real Inkfin (would love to see more pics). How many Inks do you have and do you breed them?

Thanks,
Russ


----------



## ElectricRuler

Here is the dominant one out of the two in my 125, I forget what species these two are.


----------



## Razzo

gman87 said:


> F0 Inkfin[/img]


Hey gman, couple more questions for ya: I know calvus work well with fronts, how's that julie doing? Just curious, I've been keeping frontosa on and off for 15+ years (species only). I'd like my next frontosa tank to have other species in it. Altolamps for sure and I was also thinking about julies and leleupi too. What species is your julie? Regani?

Would greatly appreciate any feedback towards this next tank I am dreaming up.

Btw: which gibberosa is that in the back of that pic?

Thanks,
Russ


----------



## Razzo

Razzo said:


> gman87 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> F0 Inkfin[/img]
> 
> 
> 
> Hey gman, couple more questions for ya: I know calvus work well with fronts, how's that julie doing? Just curious, I've been keeping frontosa on and off for 15+ years (species only). I'd like my next frontosa tank to have other species in it. Altolamps for sure and I was also thinking about julies and leleupi too. What species is your julie? Regani?
> 
> Would greatly appreciate any feedback towards this next tank I am dreaming up.
> 
> Btw: which gibberosa is that in the back of that pic?
> 
> Thanks,
> Russ
Click to expand...

Ooops, got my answer in your signature: Moba & Regani. How about your leluipi, are they in the same tank. Would love to see more pics of this tank (maybe a new thread).

Thanks again!

Russ


----------



## sickwithcichlids

Nice fish everyone, Heres a couple pictures or my young f1 Black Congo Calvis. The pictures are not the best quality, but the only ones I currently have.


----------



## sickwithcichlids

opps ill try again


----------



## daci

gold



















black



















white


----------



## Razzo

daci said:


> gold


Wow, he is gold! Would love to see more of this guy!

Thanks for posting.

Russ


----------



## Mike_B

Ok- here's a link:

http://s1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff4 ... Picjpg.jpg

I feel kinda dumb, but I can't figure out how to make the picture just show up- Can anyone tell me how to do it?


----------



## prov356

> I feel kinda dumb, but I can't figure out how to make the picture just show up- Can anyone tell me how to do it?


In Photobucket, to the right of the pic, click on 'IMG code'. It'll say 'copied'. Then past that in the post.


----------



## prov356

My calvus chaitika white


----------



## Furcifer158

Tim are they wild????? Look like it to me :-?


----------



## prov356

Furcifer158 said:


> Tim are they wild????? Look like it to me :-?


No, why would they look different?


----------



## Furcifer158

Wild ones to me seem to get darker as they get older like your big male.
My wild male turned almost black by the time I sold him, then when I raised up there fry they just kept getting whiter and whiter. I grew them up for 4 years till the fry hit about 4 inches. Maybe it was just mine?????

Anyways yours look fantastic :thumb:


----------



## prov356

Thanks, I'm enjoying them. This is their first real chance to spawn and give me fry. I"ve always had them in busy tanks before.

I can take pics every day of the week and get different looks. They've been dark black, white and everything in between. I think it's more related to mood and tank mates. My males were nice and white until they reached maturity, then turned jet black. Now in a different tank on their own, more white again. It can change by the hour.


----------



## Duke79

Yes, prov ... those are great photos of beautiful fish!


----------



## Razzo

Tim, they look GREAT!!!!


----------



## des

My Altolamprologus Calvus (black)










My Altolamprologus Calvus Chaitika (white)










My Altolamprologus Compressicep Kabogo










My full tank shot


----------



## prov356

I'm not one to collect different variants of one genera, but I could with altos. I'm thinking of the lufubu red's, and the mwela orange and I've got a line on some sumbu dwarf fry. Somebody stop me please!  Altos are just so easy to work into tang tanks.


----------



## Razzo

prov356 said:


> ....Somebody stop me please!  Altos are just so easy to work into tang tanks.


I can't, I have the same addiction :drooling:


----------



## Razzo

Very nice des!!!!! That black marble rock you have - what is the name of it??? I've got a couple large pieces of it. Really like it. Very dense heavy rock!


----------



## des

Razzo said:


> Very nice des!!!!! That black marble rock you have - what is the name of it??? I've got a couple large pieces of it. Really like it. Very dense heavy rock!


Thanks Razzo. The stores call it "Black Obsidian rock".

My future plan is to separate the Altos from the Frontosas to give them their own space. For now, they will have to get long. After that I would like to split up the compressiceps, white and black calvus in their individual tanks and try breeding.

I want to post more pics of my other guys/gals but I want to wait until I get my macro lens (100mm 2.8L :wink: ). Right now this is the best I can do.


----------



## mobafrontlover

im so glad i finally get to put some pictures in here

here are my new gold heads










one of my females










and my male playing pee-a-boo thats all he does right now lol


----------



## legend918

god hope I can post some picture to share with u guys but I can't dont know how :lol:


----------



## prov356

I see now why my calvus was showing so well. Check out the video.


----------



## mobafrontlover

O wow great video Tim


----------



## des

I spotted one of my calvus the other day doing the same thing in this video. Do they go into the shell only when it's breeding time or will they use the shell for shelter?


----------



## Furcifer158

des said:


> I spotted one of my calvus the other day doing the same thing in this video. Do they go into the shell only when it's breeding time or will they use the shell for shelter?


The female is pretty much the only one that will go in the shell, but if you put your hand in the tank the male might go in it depending on if he can fit.


----------



## DENZIO

keeping the topic alive...

one of my male now joined in my Frontosa Tank.









the same fish in tank before released


----------



## legend918

Hi here some of my calvus but dont know they are black or white calvus :-? 
they also have some fry 

http://s1187.photobucket.com/albums/z39 ... g&newest=1
http://s1187.photobucket.com/albums/z39 ... g&newest=1
http://s1187.photobucket.com/albums/z39 ... g&newest=1
http://s1187.photobucket.com/albums/z39 ... g&newest=1


----------



## Razzo

Very nice DENZIO  & legend


----------



## Razzo




----------



## lokipeacocks




----------



## Razzo

Very nice calvus loki! What esle do you have in this tank?


----------



## lokipeacocks

Razzo said:


> Very nice calvus loki! What esle do you have in this tank?


I have 3 f1 white calvus 1 inchers, a f1 2 1/2 inch black calvus female, ruby red, dragon blood, benga and a electric yellow, all these males. Starting to get addicted to altos, trying to keep as many as these guys as I can.


----------



## bigcatsrus

Here is mine, unfortunately the only 1Ã¢Æ'Â£ left


----------



## lokipeacocks

bigcatsrus said:


> Here is mine, unfortunately the only 1Ã¢Æ'Â£ left


Did you have one die?


----------



## bigcatsrus

I started of with 3Ã¢Æ'Â£ really, just over the last 2Ã¢Æ'Â£ and several month, with a couple of tank moves, those unfortunately died Ã°Å¸ËœÂª


----------



## beachtan




----------



## beachtan




----------



## Razzo

*Altolamprologus calvus (black congo white pearl)*

No flash pictures

Male (left) & female (right)









Female









Female









Russ


----------



## Razzo

Bump 

*Altolamprologus compressiceps (Muzi gold head)*


----------



## hrunok

Hi to all!

Some pictures of my young Altolamprologus compressiceps gold in mixed tanganyika tank. They are 5-6 cm long.


----------



## Razzo

Very nice hrunok - love altos with frontosa!!!

How many altos?

How big is the tank?

Any full tank shots/pics?

Russ


----------



## NoctuVide

Great pics of all the altos! Definitely my favorite type of cichlid! At the moment I have 3 juvie alto comp. fire fin and 2 juvie comp. Mwela orange. At one point I had a beautiful wild caught chaitika white calvus, but lost him/her during a power outage. I'll post some pics of my current altos once I get some decent shots of them, but for now, here's one of the calvus.

This was soon after I brought him/her home and put him/her in the tank. Miss this beautiful fish and plan on getting more as soon as my LFS brings some in.


----------



## NoctuVide

got an ok pic of the two mwela orange comps. Never really seen these two hang out like this, but I'm really hoping its male and female. Would love to see little tiny alto fry! Lol


----------



## hrunok

Here are some pictures of full tank.

There are 3 altos, 10 frontosa, around 15 multies with some fry  , and some ancistus for cleaning job. The tank is aprox. 300L.




























Sorry for not so nice background  !


----------



## ~matt~

so jelous of all the comps/calvus you guys get there in Australia weve only got, black & white calvus, gold comp, gold head comps,kiogma comps, sumbu comps, and mbita comps no ink fins no bcwp no nothing lol there is talking of a mysterious yellow calvus around here but alot of people say that there not here


----------



## Razzo

NoctuVide said:


> got an ok pic of the two mwela orange comps. Never really seen these two hang out like this, but I'm really hoping its male and female. Would love to see little tiny alto fry! Lol


The one in the foreground is a female (btw: with her tube down). Not sure about the one in the background.

Russ


----------



## rck1984

NoctuVide said:


> Great pics of all the altos! Definitely my favorite type of cichlid! At the moment I have 3 juvie alto comp. fire fin and 2 juvie comp. Mwela orange. At one point I had a beautiful wild caught chaitika white calvus, but lost him/her during a power outage. I'll post some pics of my current altos once I get some decent shots of them, but for now, here's one of the calvus.
> 
> [picture]
> 
> This was soon after I brought him/her home and put him/her in the tank. Miss this beautiful fish and plan on getting more as soon as my LFS brings some in.


Real nice Calvus, shame she passed away due to a **** power outage. 
My worse nightmare...


----------



## rck1984

Some shots of my two Altolamprologus Calvus black couple.

*My dominant male:*


Altolamprologus Calvus black by Rck1984F, on Flickr

*Female:*


Altolamprologus Calvus black female guarding her shell with young fish by Rck1984F, on Flickr

And two more shots i recently made and really like:


Altolamprologus Calvus by Rck1984F, on Flickr


Shell full with Altolamprologus Calvus black fry. by Rck1984F, on Flickr

I love the Altolamprologus, they're born predators


----------



## NoctuVide

Look what I got yesterday! (horrible pics but they are very shy. I need to get them used to the camera)

The pair (male bottom, female top):









The male:









A pair of Wild caught Altolamprologus Calvus Black Zambia.


----------



## Razzo

Beautiful photos rck1984! They are all very good but I especially like the picture looking down into the shell with the fry. Would love to see more photos and a full tank photo too.

Russ



rck1984 said:


> Some shots of my two Altolamprologus Calvus black couple.
> 
> *My dominant male:*
> 
> 
> Altolamprologus Calvus black by Rck1984F, on Flickr
> 
> *Female:*
> 
> 
> Altolamprologus Calvus black female guarding her shell with young fish by Rck1984F, on Flickr
> 
> And two more shots i recently made and really like:
> 
> 
> Altolamprologus Calvus by Rck1984F, on Flickr
> 
> 
> Shell full with Altolamprologus Calvus black fry. by Rck1984F, on Flickr
> 
> I love the Altolamprologus, they're born predators


----------



## Razzo

Congrats!!! Sometimes wild fish are just camera shy. My wild calvus are still a little camera shy after three years while their fry are like puppy dogs waiting to be pet. Anywho, congrats - they look great for you just receiving them.



NoctuVide said:


> Look what I got yesterday! (horrible pics but they are very shy. I need to get them used to the camera)
> 
> The pair (male bottom, female top):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The male:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A pair of Wild caught Altolamprologus Calvus Black Zambia.


----------



## NoctuVide

Thank Russ! Super psyched I finally got some again. Don't get me wrong, I love all altos, but there's just something about calvus.

Also I spoke to soon, they both let me take pics of them...the female even decided she wanted to attack my camera.. Lol (food did help in the matter though..lol)

Smaller, probably around 3 1/2 to 4 inch female









Much larger (and darker), probably around 4 1/2 to 5 inch male









Had to throw this on, it was her attacking the camera


----------



## rck1984

Razzo said:


> Beautiful photos rck1984! They are all very good but I especially like the picture looking down into the shell with the fry. Would love to see more photos and a full tank photo too.
> 
> Russ





rck1984 said:


> Some shots of my two Altolamprologus Calvus black couple.


Thank you Russ,
Here is the overview of the tank both my Alto are in:


Overview Tanganyika 240l by Rck1984F, on Flickr

I posted a bunch of pictures of both my tanks in another topic on this forum:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=240968

Take a look if you want


----------



## ElectricRuler

Very nice calvus guys, I'll need to get some pics of my new ones soon.


----------



## Razzo

rck1984 said:


> Razzo said:
> 
> 
> 
> Beautiful photos rck1984! They are all very good but I especially like the picture looking down into the shell with the fry. Would love to see more photos and a full tank photo too.
> 
> Russ
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> rck1984 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Some shots of my two Altolamprologus Calvus black couple.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Thank you Russ,
> Here is the overview of the tank both my Alto are in:
> 
> 
> Overview Tanganyika 240l by Rck1984F, on Flickr
> 
> I posted a bunch of pictures of both my tanks in another topic on this forum:
> 
> http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=240968
> 
> Take a look if you want
Click to expand...

Beautiful! I really like it a lot.

Russ


----------



## Saleen281

My white chaitika male hopefully this upload works


----------



## Saleen281

And my second batch of fry hopefully these will not die or get eaten like the first lol my breeder net fell into the tank the first time wast hooked on well enough lol


----------



## rck1984

My most recent Altolamprologus:


Altolamprologus Compressiceps (sumbu or sp.) shell by Rck1984F, on Flickr


Very satisfied with these shellies!


----------



## Razzo

Saleen281 said:


> And my second batch of fry hopefully these will not die or get eaten like the first lol my breeder net fell into the tank the first time wast hooked on well enough lol


I would not mess with a breeder net - they adults can pick at it and do damage to the fry.

Russ


----------



## Razzo

rck1984 said:


> My most recent Altolamprologus:
> 
> 
> Altolamprologus Compressiceps (sumbu or sp.) shell by Rck1984F, on Flickr
> 
> 
> Very satisfied with these shellies!


Beautiful!!! And the pictures are excellent too!

May I ask what settings you used and I am assuming no flash?

Thanks,
Russ


----------



## rck1984

Razzo said:


> rck1984 said:
> 
> 
> 
> My most recent Altolamprologus:
> 
> 
> Altolamprologus Compressiceps (sumbu or sp.) shell by Rck1984F, on Flickr
> 
> 
> Very satisfied with these shellies!
> 
> 
> 
> Beautiful!!! And the pictures are excellent too!
> 
> May I ask what settings you used and I am assuming no flash?
> 
> Thanks,
> Russ
Click to expand...

Indeed, no flash 

*Camera*: Canon EOS 5D Mark II 
*Aperture*: 2.8 
*Exposure Time*: 1/80 (0.0125 sec) 
*Focal Length*: 70mm 
*Flash*: Off 
*ISO*: 1000 - 2500


----------



## PTrops

Gold Heads




























Red Fins

Sub dominant male









Dominant male 









Getting ready to spawn


----------



## Razzo

rck1984 said:


> Indeed, no flash
> 
> *Camera*: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
> *Aperture*: 2.8
> *Exposure Time*: 1/80 (0.0125 sec)
> *Focal Length*: 70mm
> *Flash*: Off
> *ISO*: 1000 - 2500


Thanks Rick. I can see you have some serious gear 

I have a starter DSLR: Canon EOS T2i with a 18-55mm IS lens. Having a lot of fun with it and am starting to research a "good" lens for my son's soccer games. I am discovering that the lower the aperture the higher the price tag  I am looking at the EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM. What do ya think? Perhaps we should PM 

Love your pics though :thumb:

Regards,
Russ


----------



## Razzo

PTrops said:


> Getting ready to spawn


Very nice altolamps!

Please forgive me for asking but is all that redish orange debris fish waste or is that excess food at feeding time? Your sponge filter looks heavily soiled!!!

Altolamps (comps not as bad as calvus) require excellent water quality especially if you want to breed them and give the fry a good chance at survival. I humbly suggest your altolamp tank should NEVER look like that.

Sincerely,
Russ


----------



## PTrops

I took the pictures before my water change and filter clean. The tank never looks like that but on the day of my water change routine I power feed them. I do a 50% waterchange every Saturday.


----------



## rck1984

Razzo said:


> rck1984 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Indeed, no flash
> 
> *Camera*: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
> *Aperture*: 2.8
> *Exposure Time*: 1/80 (0.0125 sec)
> *Focal Length*: 70mm
> *Flash*: Off
> *ISO*: 1000 - 2500
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Rick. I can see you have some serious gear
> 
> I have a starter DSLR: Canon EOS T2i with a 18-55mm IS lens. Having a lot of fun with it and am starting to research a "good" lens for my son's soccer games. I am discovering that the lower the aperture the higher the price tag  I am looking at the EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM. What do ya think? Perhaps we should PM
> 
> Love your pics though :thumb:
> 
> Regards,
> Russ
Click to expand...

I also owe the 70-200mm f/4 L IS and I've used it for couple soccer games as well. The L lenses are the sharpest you could get. And with that zoom and pretty low aperture, It's perfect for soccer games. You are welcome to PM me if you have further questions.


----------



## Razzo

rck1984 said:


> Razzo said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> rck1984 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Indeed, no flash
> 
> *Camera*: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
> *Aperture*: 2.8
> *Exposure Time*: 1/80 (0.0125 sec)
> *Focal Length*: 70mm
> *Flash*: Off
> *ISO*: 1000 - 2500
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Rick. I can see you have some serious gear
> 
> I have a starter DSLR: Canon EOS T2i with a 18-55mm IS lens. Having a lot of fun with it and am starting to research a "good" lens for my son's soccer games. I am discovering that the lower the aperture the higher the price tag  I am looking at the EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM. What do ya think? Perhaps we should PM
> 
> Love your pics though :thumb:
> 
> Regards,
> Russ
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I also owe the 70-200mm f/4 L IS and I've used it for couple soccer games as well. The L lenses are the sharpest you could get. And with that zoom and pretty low aperture, It's perfect for soccer games. You are welcome to PM me if you have further questions.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply and endorsement - I think this lens is going in the budget


----------



## DENZIO

my 5.5 inches WC Black Compressiceps
unfortunately , the LFS dont knew its Collection Point - anyone?


----------



## rck1984

My new wildcaught Altolamprologus Calvus white. I traded them with a friend for my two Calvus black, they were too agressive and dominant in my tank. These two Calvus white (~7-8cm) are significly smaller then the black's. (9-10cm)


Altolamprologus Calvus white Chaitika by Rck1984F, on Flickr


----------



## Saleen281

Razzo thanks for the input on the breeder net! So far it's working great plus there is only pleco and the papa calvus who doesn't touch em in the tank.so they are good in the net so far


----------



## Razzo

DENZIO said:


> my 5.5 inches WC Black Compressiceps
> unfortunately , the LFS dont knew its Collection Point - anyone?


Nice fish! I am not familiar with a "Black Comp" - A "black comp" could be a dark Kipili????

Russ


----------



## Razzo

rck1984 said:


> My new wildcaught Altolamprologus Calvus white. I traded them with a friend for my two Calvus black, they were too agressive and dominant in my tank. These two Calvus white (~7-8cm) are significly smaller then the black's. (9-10cm)
> 
> 
> Altolamprologus Calvus white Chaitika by Rck1984F, on Flickr


Beautiful


----------



## DENZIO

Razzo said:


> DENZIO said:
> 
> 
> 
> my 5.5 inches WC Black Compressiceps
> unfortunately , the LFS dont knew its Collection Point - anyone?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nice fish! I am not familiar with a "Black Comp" - A "black comp" could be a dark Kipili????
> 
> Russ
Click to expand...

yes ofcourse its an Altolamprologus Black Compressicep mate 
he was dark when i first got him, and now he feel secure in already in their tank

yeah it might be Altolamprologus compressiceps Kipili Black, here is the how they were box when imported, anyone notice the box and what fish supplier it came from?


----------



## Razzo

DENZIO said:


> yes ofcourse its an Altolamprologus Black Compressicep mate
> he was dark when i first got him, and now he feel secure in already in their tank
> 
> yeah it might be Altolamprologus compressiceps Kipili Black...


I just haven't heard them marketed as "blacks" before - just "Kipili."

Kipili it is then - I've always thought of Kipili as brown; but, hey, if "black" helps sell more fish "good on ya mate" 

Btw: yours is a good looking fish!

Russ


----------



## des

They could be Kipili but they also look like the ones I have from Kabogo


----------



## DENZIO

DENZIO said:


> yes ofcourse its an Altolamprologus Black Compressicep mate


Sorry Razzo, i misunderstood your reply so i replied like this. peace out :fish:

anyway, it might be really mislabeled by the LFS here
and it really much like a KIPILI as may Idol Razzo says

i got him as dark as this https://www.reservestockcichlids.com/product.php?productid=160&cat=3&page=1
but not as dark as our Black Calvus


----------



## dbao123

pics of 2 of my 7 juvi black calvus

as u can see only one of them isn't camera shy lol


----------



## dbao123

calvus with juvi cyps

i had to take this one from a distance. they'd dart right back in the barnacles if i came any closer 

enjoy


----------



## Thanusan

WC white's








Yellow


----------



## Tosa

My male black Zambian
Dull patch on body is a bite mark from my large female julie. 
While his "pearls" are small, he makes up for it with his blue fins which I am quite fond of.


----------



## Razzo

Tosa said:


> My male black Zambian
> Dull patch on body is a bite mark from my large female julie.
> While his "pearls" are small, he makes up for it with his blue fins which I am quite fond of.


He is an impressive fish - love the blue as you pointed out. Didn't see that dull patch you mentioned (maybe one of those things only the artist who painted the picture notices). Beautiful fish!

Russ


----------



## mobafrontlover

:lol: Alto comp gold head










Tosa thats a great looking alto i might have to get some


----------



## joshdo7

CROUCHING TIGER!!!! :dancing:


----------



## 24Tropheus

joshdo7 said:


> CROUCHING TIGER!!!! :dancing:


Wow. What variant is he?


----------



## IvanF

Hi All,

Some of my 6 new wc _Altolamprologus calvus_ (Black Congo White Pearl) - settling in over the past few weeks and now living in (relative) harmony. All camera-phone pics, so hopefully I'll be able to take some better shots once I get my hand on a decent camera.They range from 2 to 3.5inches approx:


































Cheers,

Ivan
PS - If anyone would like to have a go at sexing the fish from the photo's above then that would be _very_ much appreciated.  I'm especially interested in the dominant member of the group which is seen in the 2nd photo (and also on the left of the 3rd photo)


----------



## Hurriken

24Tropheus said:


> joshdo7 said:
> 
> 
> 
> CROUCHING TIGER!!!! :dancing:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wow. What variant is he?
Click to expand...

I'd like to know as well.


----------



## canuck

cant complain about pics if you dont contribute


----------



## Bachachi

In memory of my Gold Head comp, that I just lost today.


----------



## canuck

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] ... /lightbox/


----------



## LouIE82

New guy here, lots of great looking Calvus/Comps here. I've been into fish since I was a kid, it's been a few years since I've had a tank running but I got itchy lately and set up a small studio apartment friendly bow front. I'll say it feels shameful going from a 135 gallon to a 26 gallon.

Although I've had cichlids on and off for years, the only tangs I've kept before are Frontosa(who can resist?). I'm not sure which Alto I have but I'm guessing orange or gold Comp... Can anybody identify it?


----------



## Razzo

Bachachi said:


> In memory of my Gold Head comp, that I just lost today.


That is a bummer! Very sorry for your loss. He was an outstanding gold head. Which collection point was he from?

Russ


----------



## Razzo

LouIE82 said:


> ...I'm not sure which Alto I have but I'm guessing orange or gold Comp... Can anybody identify it?...


Welcome and very nice comp!

What color are his pectoral fins - that will answer your question.

Many gold heads will have shiny gold pec fins and usually same color on the forehead









However, some females will not have that strong gold trait on the forehead but will still have gold pec fins









Orange fin will be, well,... orange









Hope that helps. My guess is you have an orange fin. But, whatever color you think the pec fins are is probably what it is.

Russ


----------



## canuck

finally got it to post a pic. juvenile kipili


----------



## moh27

I was finally able to take a good pic of my yellow male.



This is my Black calvus male.



And the new one little white male.


----------



## Frazee86

my juvy gold head comps got few weeks ago


----------



## Phildo

White calvus pair, never would use the rocks they just loved the muffin shell.










The male was a weirdo, one day he dug this big pit and guarded it for a few days. Maybe he was copying the kilesa!


----------



## Razzo

Very nice altos you guys - very nice!


----------



## Razzo

A couple of my alto fry have graduated and made it to the frontosa tank.

Out of hundreds, perhaps thousands of F1 A. compressiceps Chaitika orange fin fry that my wild group produced, this is one that I saved:





































One of my F1 A. calvus black congo white pearl fry that made the jump too  









I do have one wild calvus in there too, a black calvus (a big boy at 5")


----------



## jonjoker

Razzo said:


> A couple of my alto fry have graduated and made it to the frontosa tank.
> 
> Out of hundreds, perhaps thousands of F1 A. compressiceps Chaitika orange fin fry that my wild group produced, this is one that I saved:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One of my F1 A. calvus black congo white pearl fry that made the jump too
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I do have one wild calvus in there too, a black calvus (a big boy at 5")


wow...


----------



## broken202

Insane. I'm so jealous. I have a nice 75g just waiting for a nice group of Calvus and/or A. Comps. Can someone PLEASE tell me where I can get some in Central IL!? I can't find them anywhere...


----------



## Razzo

broken202 said:


> Insane. I'm so jealous. I have a nice 75g just waiting for a nice group of Calvus and/or A. Comps. Can someone PLEASE tell me where I can get some in Central IL!? I can't find them anywhere...


I'll meet you half way in Kentland, IN :wink:


----------



## Razzo

IvanF said:


> Hi All,
> 
> Some of my 6 new wc _Altolamprologus calvus_ (Black Congo White Pearl) - settling in over the past few weeks and now living in (relative) harmony. All camera-phone pics, so hopefully I'll be able to take some better shots once I get my hand on a decent camera.They range from 2 to 3.5inches approx:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Ivan
> PS - If anyone would like to have a go at sexing the fish from the photo's above then that would be _very_ much appreciated.  I'm especially interested in the dominant member of the group which is seen in the 2nd photo (and also on the left of the 3rd photo)


Outstanding Ivan!

Wait till they settle in for a few more weeks and start showing tubes. In general, the male tube will be thin and dark whereas the female will be more rounded and clear. When you have them side by side it will become obvious after long.

Notice the tube on my male gold head comp









Notice the tube on the female in this image
Both are females
The aggressive female on the left has her tube down
Clearer and rounder than the male









Hope that helps

Russ


----------



## FTChemist

Wow, Russ, those Alto "graduates" are a couple of studs!


----------



## Razzo

FTChemist said:


> Wow, Russ, those Alto "graduates" are a couple of studs!


Thanks mate!

He is a special fish. I saved a group of his fry and am growing them out for eventual inclusion in a frontosa tank. There are several that seem to have early signs of that dark body. I am stoaked 

*Altolamprologus compressiceps (Muzi Gold head)*









Here is what he looked like at, approx., half of his current size:


----------



## growpower

These are my wild caught Altolamprologus Fasciatus. Russ spotted some potential problems when I first picked them up and suggested a treatment for them in the quarantine stages. Now they have spawned several times. The male has got more yellow color since he has matured.

Male and Female when i purchased them last spring

















Male now in front of his spawning tube. 

















Female now.


----------



## Razzo

growpower said:


> These are my wild caught Altolamprologus Fasciatus. Russ spotted some potential problems when I first picked them up and suggested a treatment for them in the quarantine stages. Now they have spawned several times. The male has got more yellow color since he has matured.
> 
> Male and Female when i purchased them last spring
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Male now in front of his spawning tube.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Female now.


Congrats!!! I like them!!!

Russ


----------



## Tosa

The big boys


----------



## Razzo

Tosa said:


> The big boys


Exceptionally nice - both species!!!

Russ


----------



## Tosa

Thank you! This is one leleupi that knows how to behave himself.


----------



## Tosa

Here is another picture
A clash with the dominant male Multie 
"clash of the titans".


----------



## Razzo

Tosa said:


> Here is another picture
> A clash with the dominant male Multie
> "clash of the titans".


I have had a similar clash. This brevis got too big for his britches and was harassing a female gold head comp guarding eggs. I guess he wanted her shell. Big mistake on the part of the brevis. Not long after this photo, I started calling him lefty as his right eye was lost in a skirmish.

How's this for "in your face?"


----------



## Tosa

great pic! Luckily my male shell dweller has never been injured. In fact he has successfully raised most of his brood in the presence of 4 black calvus!

Hopefully your fish is alright after than, a fish with one eye would bug the **** out of me, but id get over it eventually lol.


----------



## Razzo

Tosa said:


> great pic! Luckily my male shell dweller has never been injured. In fact he has successfully raised most of his brood in the presence of 4 black calvus!
> 
> Hopefully your fish is alright after than, a fish with one eye would bug the #%$& out of me, but id get over it eventually lol.


He has adjusted just fine  He has quite an attitude :lol:

Russ


----------



## Razzo

Love this thread - Alto eye candy 

Got this pic of a F1 Altolamprologus calvus (Black Congo White Pearl) that I have in my 240 gallon C. gibberosa tank. This calvus came from my very first batch of F1 calvus fry from my old wild caught group. He is closing in on four inches and is doing very well with the frontosa.

So, for all you altolamp fans - here is a timely bump. Would love to see more of your altolamp pics


----------



## Kleovoulos

Razzo i love your fotos =D> 
Here is one of my beauties (i'm not the photographer :? )


----------



## bullit

Not sure if i ever posted these.


----------



## cyps

Beautiful wishes. Makes me want them.


----------



## Razzo

Kleovoulos said:


> Razzo i love your fotos =D>
> Here is one of my beauties (i'm not the photographer :? )


Beautiful altolamp!


----------



## Razzo

bullit said:


> Not sure if i ever posted these.


I have not seen them before. I love the gold heads. Of course, I love all altolamps, but the gold heads are my favorite of all. I would love to see more of these  Especially the one n the 3rd pic that has the yellow/gold running through the dorsal fin.

BTW: what is their collection point? There is a collection point that starts with a "K" it escapes me at the moment. That would be my guess???

Thank you for sharing!!!!


----------



## Razzo

Another photo of the lone calvus in my frontosa tank...

Altolamprologus calvus (Black Congo White Pearl)


----------



## Kleovoulos

Altolamprologus sp."Compressiceps shell"
male








female


----------



## Razzo

Very nice!

Are you sure about them being sp. shell? They look like orange fin to me????

Do you shoot your fotos with a DSLR? If so, what is your ISO set at?

Russ


----------



## 24Tropheus

Supposed to be two types of Sumbu dwarf. Erm agree. Those guys do not look like my Sumbu dwarf (small grey/whitish and black/grey bars plus yellow tail) but I do not know what the so called "yellow Sumbu dwarf" are supposed to look like.


----------



## Razzo

Kleovoulos said:


>


As a photographer and a student of light, this image has my curiosity. The orange in the tail is being projected into the shadow of the fish on the rock - that must be an intense light? Is that your overhead lighting or a slave flash?

I like the dark streamer on the dorsal fin. I had a wild orange fin male with a "smokey" black effect blaze through his dorsal fin.

Russ


----------



## Frazee86

congo


my sumbu dwarf


older pictures need to get some updated ones sumbu have grown abit since these first pictures when i got them


----------



## Kleovoulos

Razzo said:


> Very nice!
> 
> Are you sure about them being sp. shell? They look like orange fin to me????
> 
> Do you shoot your fotos with a DSLR? If so, what is your ISO set at?
> 
> Russ


  sorry Razzo but I'm not the photographer.
They are certainly sp.shell and their colors are a little faded than photo.


----------



## ACC in NC

Razzo said:


> bullit said:
> 
> 
> 
> Not sure if i ever posted these.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have not seen them before. I love the gold heads. Of course, I love all altolamps, but the gold heads are my favorite of all. I would love to see more of these  Especially the one n the 3rd pic that has the yellow/gold running through the dorsal fin.
> 
> BTW: what is their collection point? There is a collection point that starts with a "K" it escapes me at the moment. That would be my guess???
> 
> Thank you for sharing!!!!
Click to expand...

Are these Alto comp Kasanga? I just got 7 of the Kasanga type and I believe the group is 1 male and 6 females. The male is 4 inches and the females all around 2.5 inches.


----------



## ACC in NC

This is one of the possible females in my group of 7 Alto comp Kasanga. I can't get a shot of the male yet.


----------



## Razzo

ACC in NC said:


> This is one of the possible females in my group of 7 Alto comp Kasanga. I can't get a shot of the male yet.


Very nice! If you can get a shot (side view is OK) I may be able to ID gender for you.

Russ


----------



## bullit

To Razzo and Acc. Yes they are kasanga. The male in the first and 3rd pic was about 5 inch when i sold them. I had the pick of a new shipment when i bought them and they were all big. Razzo ill have a look for some more pics, i think the only other ones *** got though are with a cheaper camera. cheers


----------



## Razzo

bullit said:


> To Razzo and Acc. Yes they are kasanga. The male in the first and 3rd pic was about 5 inch when i sold them. I had the pick of a new shipment when i bought them and they were all big. Razzo ill have a look for some more pics, i think the only other ones I've got though are with a cheaper camera. cheers


Salut,

Beautiful yellow/gold on those Kasanga.

Here's a pretty good look at a female's tube (generally rounder and clearer)









And a good look at a male's tube (more like a pencil tip and darker)


----------



## Thanusan




----------



## rck1984

My Altolamprologus Compressiceps sp. Shells:


Altolamprologus Compressiceps sp. Shell by rck.hermans, on Flickr

Altolamprologus Compressiceps sp. Shell by rck.hermans, on Flickr

Altolamprologus Compressiceps sp. Shell by rck.hermans, on Flickr

Altolamprologus Compressiceps sp. Shell by rck.hermans, on Flickr

Altolamprologus Compressiceps sp. Shell by rck.hermans, on Flickr


----------



## rck1984

A couple more from my other tank(s):


Alto. Calvus white "Chaitika" by rck.hermans, on Flickr

Alto. Calvus black "Zaire" by rck.hermans, on Flickr

Alto. Calvus white "Chaitika" by rck.hermans, on Flickr

Alto. Calvus black "Zaire" - Female with fry by rck.hermans, on Flickr

Alto. Calvus black "Zaire" by rck.hermans, on Flickr

Enjoy


----------



## Razzo

rck1984 said:


> A couple more from my other tank(s):
> 
> Alto. Calvus white "Chaitika" by rck.hermans, on Flickr
> 
> 
> Enjoy


rck1984 outstanding pics!

This one is my fav.

So, what kind of gear are you shooting with? Guess I need to ask you about lighting too  How did you illuminate the shell?

Cheers,
Russ


----------



## rck1984

Razzo said:


> rck1984 said:
> 
> 
> 
> A couple more from my other tank(s):
> 
> Alto. Calvus white "Chaitika" by rck.hermans, on Flickr
> 
> 
> Enjoy
> 
> 
> 
> rck1984 outstanding pics!
> 
> This one is my fav.
> 
> So, what kind of gear are you shooting with? Guess I need to ask you about lighting too  How did you illuminate the shell?
> 
> Cheers,
> Russ
Click to expand...

Hey Russ,

The first pictures of previous post, the ones of the Alto. Compressiceps sp. shells are made with my LG G2 smartphone.
The most recent ones of the Alto. Calvus black and Alto. Calvus white are made with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, with a EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

*Aperture:* ƒ/2.8
*Exposure time:* 1/60 - 1/80
*Focus length:* 50mm - 70mm
*ISO:* 1600 - 2000
*Flash:* Off

The lightning i am using are two T5 light tubes:

1x 39w T5 Sylvania Aquastar, dimmed for about 50%
1x 39w T5 Blue Reef Actinic, dimmed for about 75%

To dim the tubes, i am using a simple technique with PVC(?) pipes. Take a piece of pipe at the length of your light tubes and drill as much holes in it until you're satisfied with the amount of light. 
After that, drill some more holes at the opposing site so the warmth, produced by the lights can escape. The plastic pipes tend to get pretty warm and might discolor a little of you don't drill enough holes.
I made a picture of it a while ago when someone asked me the same question 


Lightning dimming technique by rck.hermans, on Flickr

To be able to make the picture of the shell, i turned of my pump/filtration system for about 2 min. There was no need to turn on some sort of extra lightning to illuminate the shell;

*Aperture:* ƒ/2.8
*Exposure time:* 1/80
*Focus length:* 70mm
*ISO: * 2000
*Flash:* Off

These settings did the job :thumb:

Hopefully this information is of any use for you. If you have anymore questions then feel free to ask


----------



## Razzo

That's awesome! Love these forums for the exchange of ideas!!!

I wondered if your focal length wasn't close 70mm - thought that might be the case. At this time, I am limited to 24mm 

Your "Canon EOS 5D Mark II" is that a full frame sensor? Think so?... Just wondering if the full frame sensor helps reduce noise at that high of an ISO or if you are adjusting the luminance in Adobe Camera RAW?

EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens - that's a nice lens! I have had the EF70-200mm USM lens on my wish list. Trying to decide if I want to pay the extra to get down to f/2.8 or go with the f/4.0? Other than fish, I don't shoot a lot of indoors - that is causing me to lean towards the f/4.0 version.

Russ


----------



## rck1984

Razzo said:


> That's awesome! Love these forums for the exchange of ideas!!!
> 
> I wondered if your focal length wasn't close 70mm - thought that might be the case. At this time, I am limited to 24mm
> 
> Your "Canon EOS 5D Mark II" is that a full frame sensor? Think so?... Just wondering if the full frame sensor helps reduce noise at that high of an ISO or if you are adjusting the luminance in Adobe Camera RAW?
> 
> EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens - that's a nice lens! I have had the EF70-200mm USM lens on my wish list. Trying to decide if I want to pay the extra to get down to f/2.8 or go with the f/4.0? Other than fish, I don't shoot a lot of indoors - that is causing me to lean towards the f/4.0 version.
> 
> Russ


Hey Russ,

My Canon 5D Mark II is a full-frame camera, yes. And It sure helps with reducing noise, sometimes i adjust the luminance a little but usually it's not needed at all.
I understand that you're having difficulty deciding between the f/2.8 or the f/4.0  Tough decision! 

Good luck deciding


----------



## Razzo

rck1984 said:


> Razzo said:
> 
> 
> 
> That's awesome! Love these forums for the exchange of ideas!!!
> 
> I wondered if your focal length wasn't close 70mm - thought that might be the case. At this time, I am limited to 24mm
> 
> Your "Canon EOS 5D Mark II" is that a full frame sensor? Think so?... Just wondering if the full frame sensor helps reduce noise at that high of an ISO or if you are adjusting the luminance in Adobe Camera RAW?
> 
> EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens - that's a nice lens! I have had the EF70-200mm USM lens on my wish list. Trying to decide if I want to pay the extra to get down to f/2.8 or go with the f/4.0? Other than fish, I don't shoot a lot of indoors - that is causing me to lean towards the f/4.0 version.
> 
> Russ
> 
> 
> 
> Hey Russ,
> 
> My Canon 5D Mark II is a full-frame camera, yes. And It sure helps with reducing noise, sometimes i adjust the luminance a little but usually it's not needed at all.
> I understand that you're having difficulty deciding between the f/2.8 or the f/4.0  Tough decision!
> 
> Good luck deciding
Click to expand...

I thought that might be the case with the full frame sensor. I pretty much have to shoot with an ISO of 1600 (just to get a shutter speed of 1/80) on my 2Ti and usually, have to adjust the luminance by at least 38%. Really think it is time to upgrade to a camera with a full frame sensor.

So glad you posted pictures. I very much enjoy the exchange of photography information 

I hope you keep posting images of your beautiful altolamps.

Cheers,
Russ


----------



## rck1984

Razzo said:


> rck1984 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Razzo said:
> 
> 
> 
> That's awesome! Love these forums for the exchange of ideas!!!
> 
> I wondered if your focal length wasn't close 70mm - thought that might be the case. At this time, I am limited to 24mm
> 
> Your "Canon EOS 5D Mark II" is that a full frame sensor? Think so?... Just wondering if the full frame sensor helps reduce noise at that high of an ISO or if you are adjusting the luminance in Adobe Camera RAW?
> 
> EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens - that's a nice lens! I have had the EF70-200mm USM lens on my wish list. Trying to decide if I want to pay the extra to get down to f/2.8 or go with the f/4.0? Other than fish, I don't shoot a lot of indoors - that is causing me to lean towards the f/4.0 version.
> 
> Russ
> 
> 
> 
> Hey Russ,
> 
> My Canon 5D Mark II is a full-frame camera, yes. And It sure helps with reducing noise, sometimes i adjust the luminance a little but usually it's not needed at all.
> I understand that you're having difficulty deciding between the f/2.8 or the f/4.0  Tough decision!
> 
> Good luck deciding
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I thought that might be the case with the full frame sensor. I pretty much have to shoot with an ISO of 1600 (just to get a shutter speed of 1/80) on my 2Ti and usually, have to adjust the luminance by at least 38%. Really think it is time to upgrade to a camera with a full frame sensor.
> 
> *So glad you posted pictures. I very much enjoy the exchange of photography information
> 
> I hope you keep posting images of your beautiful altolamps.*
> 
> Cheers,
> Russ
Click to expand...

Glad you like them 

If you haven't already, give my Flickr-page a visit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/
Besides Altolamprologus there is plenty of other Tanganyikan fish on it


----------



## adesh8028

These are my priced possessions


----------



## gregl

Nice fish adesh


----------



## adesh8028

Thanks gregl


----------



## FALexpert

are the altos compatible with yellow labids, kenyis, aceis, and dwarf red jewels?


----------



## Deeda

FALexpert said:


> are the altos compatible with yellow labids, kenyis, aceis, and dwarf red jewels?


Generally no, it isn't recommended. Malawi cichlids are a bit too rowdy for the Tanganyika cichlids.


----------



## FALexpert

Deeda said:


> FALexpert said:
> 
> 
> 
> are the altos compatible with yellow labids, kenyis, aceis, and dwarf red jewels?
> 
> 
> 
> Generally no, it isn't recommended. Malawi cichlids are a bit too rowdy for the Tanganyika cichlids.
Click to expand...

I'm only asking because i believe were i bought my yellow labids they were in the same tank and seemed to be doing just fine there was no nips in their fines


----------



## Razzo

Love all the pics!

Here's a video with a couple F1 juvie calvus & a couple F1 juvie comps mixed in with some frontosa fry:


----------



## gregl

My pair


----------



## Razzo

Well my altolamp friends,.... for the first time, in close to ten years, I am now "officially" Altolamp-less. 

As some of you may already know, I sold off my wild caughts some time ago. Those three wild caught groups (calvus BCWP, orange fin comps & Muzi gold heads comps) gave me, easily, 1000+ F1 fry which many of you have swimming in your tanks today (I would love to see some of those pics :wink: ). Recently, I sold off my last two F1 Altolamp growout groups. They are still one of my favorite species but I just needed to make room for some new interests (we all know how that goes). All of your participation has made this a great thread. Where else can you go to see so many pics of great looking altos in one place?

I am remastering some of my old favorite pictures for a project that I am working on (more about that later). I just wanted to share a few of these pics as I collect them for the project. Here's a couple pics of my favorite altolamp EVER! This was one of my breeding wild caught Muzi gold head comps. This dude was a stud. Please forgive this prideful statement (we are all proud of our fish)... he was a magnificent specimen and I miss him.

Click on the image to see them in HD 8) 


















Please feel free to keep this thread going with pics of your altolamps - love them all! I'll add a few more later..........

Cheers,
Russ


----------



## Razzo

Shameless bump 8)


----------



## bwestgsx06

I wish you had some BCWP or would let me know where I could get some from your strain! I miss mine


----------



## jimk

So sorry to hear you have no altolamps Razzo, I find myself in the same position since I lost my wild caught Inkfins and sold all the babies. I miss them terribly.









I wish I had some of those goldhead babies!


----------



## jimk




----------



## Razzo

Guys & Gals,

It's my pleasure to bump this thread as it was one of my all time favorites. I have been Altolamp-less for a while and this this afternoon, Lord willing, that will be changing with the arrival of a new group of wild Black calvus  You know I'll be posting some pics


----------



## dledinger

Of all the fish-pic threads I've ever viewed, this one takes the cake!

Great work! Makes me jealous having never dipped my toes into the Alto world and being an absolute buffoon with a camera!


----------



## Razzo

dledinger said:


> Of all the fish-pic threads I've ever viewed, this one takes the cake!
> 
> Great work! Makes me jealous having never dipped my toes into the Alto world and being an absolute buffoon with a camera!


They are such a fascinating species. Not only do they look cool - their behaviors are even cooler. Hope you get a chance to enjoy them soon!


----------



## Razzo

Not sure where to post this: here or a new thread. I guess, I'll post here because you all have seen me go from multiple groups of altolamps to altolamp-less. I am now back into Altolamps; so, this is the thread to announce my return 

***********************************
Very excited to have altolamps again! I broke down and ordered a wild group of Altolamprologus calvus (Black Congo Calvus) from Greg at Little Africa Aquatics (2m/3f). So happy with them! They are still very shy and hard to photograph without feeding them, based on past groups of altolamps, I trust this will improve. Pics are a few days old. They have since started getting much darker (which I like). I'll add more photos as they become less shy; but, here's a few early pics for starters...

Large show male


















One of the females being VERY shy


----------



## StevenHing

Hi Guys, Greetings from Singapore.

Just sharing Picture of my spawning GoldHead Comp, sorry for the lousy picture, taken in my spawning tank.


----------



## Deeda

Nice pics Steven and I love the view of the fry in the shell!! Welcome to C-F!!


----------



## StevenHing

Deeda said:


> Nice pics Steven and I love the view of the fry in the shell!! Welcome to C-F!!


Hi Deeda,

Thanks!! My pleasure to be able to share in this forum !! :dancing: :fish: :dancing:


----------



## StevenHing

sharing my 5 years old 5x2.5x2.5 approximately 235 gallon Tangan community tanks consist mainly of Alto Comp (Pardon the Congo Tetres Non-Tangan, they are mainly to diverse the aggression) and amateur photos taken with iPhone.


----------



## Razzo

StevenHing said:


> Hi Guys, Greetings from Singapore.
> 
> Just sharing Picture of my spawning GoldHead Comp, sorry for the lousy picture, taken in my spawning tank.


Steven,

VERY nice Gold Head group! Love the color on your male and how it goes all the way back by the tail.

Also, like the fry in shell pics too.

Russ


----------



## Razzo

Here's a few more pics of my newly acquired Black Congo Calvus group. Palau, the dominant male has since beat up the subdominant male who I rescued, in time, to a 10-gallon hospital tank. The subdom male is now fully recovered and swimming in my 240-gallon C. gibberosa tank. I'll try to add a pic of him with the fronts later. Much to my surprise, Palau also started attacking one of the females. I was not able to save her 

Here are those pics of Palau in the 40-gallon tank...


----------



## StevenHing

Steven,

VERY nice Gold Head group! Love the color on your male and how it goes all the way back by the tail.

Also, like the fry in shell pics too.

Russ[/quote]

Hi Russ!!

Thanks for the compliments... I rescue this goldhead from the LFS about 2-3 years back, he was in a really bad shape and had really bad fin rot and cloudy eye..... But i was impressed with intense gold colour even when he was sick that i decided to take him home and try to nurse him back to health.... Since then he had given me a few spawn.







And i also really love your black calvus white pearl..... But over in Sg here, we can rarely get our hands on such quality fish... Once a while, a LFS might bring in some good fish but because shipping and fatality rates are high... Local LFS dun really want to ship in from Africa, Czech or Germany...


----------



## Razzo

Steven,

That was a great rescue! I like him even more now! Have you given him a name?

I know many do not name their fish. However, an awesome rescue like him qualifies (at least in my book).

Russ


----------



## Razzo

New pic of Palau that I captured yesterday. Boy, am I glad to have Altolamps back in my fish room 

Hope you like...

Altolamprologus calvus (Black Congo Calvus)









Cheers,
Russ


----------



## StevenHing

Razzo said:


> Steven,
> 
> That was a great rescue! I like him even more now! Have you given him a name?
> 
> I know many do not name their fish. However, an awesome rescue like him qualifies (at least in my book).
> 
> Russ


Russ,

No, i have not... Probably i should.

Do you know what is the general lifespan of Altos Comp? When i rescued him 2-3years back, the LFS labelled him as WC Muzi Gold head, he was a good 5 over inches then... I know they grow slowwww.... But the last 2-3 years... He probably didn't grow much although he recovered fully and spawned a few times. He is probably over his prime already....


----------



## Razzo

StevenHing said:


> Razzo said:
> 
> 
> 
> Steven,
> 
> That was a great rescue! I like him even more now! Have you given him a name?
> 
> I know many do not name their fish. However, an awesome rescue like him qualifies (at least in my book).
> 
> Russ
> 
> 
> 
> Russ,
> 
> No, i have not... Probably i should.
> 
> Do you know what is the general lifespan of Altos Comp? When i rescued him 2-3years back, the LFS labelled him as WC Muzi Gold head, he was a good 5 over inches then... I know they grow slowwww.... But the last 2-3 years... He probably didn't grow much although he recovered fully and spawned a few times. He is probably over his prime already....
Click to expand...

Not absolutely sure Steven. I'm guessing 7 to 10 years. 5 to 7" for mature males. 7" being rare.


----------



## Razzo

Pursuit.... Wild caught Altolamprologus calvus (Black Congo Calvus) in pursuit of prey.


----------



## T-Royale

These are pics of my recently deceased WC Kasanga male formerly known as "Old Yellow". He was a 6"+ beautiful male with blue and yellow highlights in his fins and a killer yellow head. I really could never get good pics but i was able to salvage a few. He spawned three times with two broods having a few fry that grew to almost an inch within two months, while all the other fry were .25". I was able to keep one of the large fry alive only to come home after a week vacation to find him deceased stuck under a rock. I have 9 of his offspring from the last spawn that are currently in the 1.75" range. Hopefully a few males will grow just as glorious as Old Yellow was. Im feeling a little melancholy as I post these pics. R.I.P and LONG LIVE OLD YELLA!


----------



## StevenHing

Hi T-Royale,

Your Old-Yellow was really a solid looking piece, sorry to hear that he has passed on. 

My experience from breeding them so far after at least 5 spawns, of which at least a couple of the fries in every spawn grow up to adulthood, until now 4 years and counting. I have none that takes after the male's traits of solid yellow head. I have breed it with at least 3 different female goldhead which were of pretty good standard but non of the off-spring come close to the males' colour. I have yet to encounter a female with such intense goldhead that I can use to breed.

But I have heard from another hobbyist that to achieve the F0 males' trait, one can use F1 female to breed with the FO males to achieve the result. I have not done it myself as I am worry about the inbreeding genetic faults.


----------



## StevenHing

Managed to find some time to take some pictures. Sharing Pics of my Community Tanganyika Main tank consists mainly Alto Compressiceps. 
Occasional some chasing here and there, but overall a still fairly peaceful tank.


----------



## mikeval

StevenHing said:


> Managed to find some time to take some pictures. Sharing Pics of my Community Tanganyika Main tank consists mainly Alto Compressiceps.
> Occasional some chasing here and there, but overall a still fairly peaceful tank.


Very Nice, what size tank you got, do you think it is the number of Alto's, like in an all male Malawi tank that you keep over crowded that is keeping the aggression down?


----------



## Razzo

T-Royale said:


> These are pics of my recently deceased WC Kasanga male formerly known as "Old Yellow". He was a 6"+ beautiful male with blue and yellow highlights in his fins and a killer yellow head. I really could never get good pics but i was able to salvage a few. He spawned three times with two broods having a few fry that grew to almost an inch within two months, while all the other fry were .25". I was able to keep one of the large fry alive only to come home after a week vacation to find him deceased stuck under a rock. I have 9 of his offspring from the last spawn that are currently in the 1.75" range. Hopefully a few males will grow just as glorious as Old Yellow was. Im feeling a little melancholy as I post these pics. R.I.P and LONG LIVE OLD YELLA!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


He was awesome! Sorry for your loss


----------



## Razzo

StevenHing said:


>


Very nice Steven. That little comp fry looks like a snack to that frontosa.


----------



## StevenHing

mikeval said:


> StevenHing said:
> 
> 
> 
> Managed to find some time to take some pictures. Sharing Pics of my Community Tanganyika Main tank consists mainly Alto Compressiceps.
> Occasional some chasing here and there, but overall a still fairly peaceful tank.
> 
> 
> 
> Very Nice, what size tank you got, do you think it is the number of Alto's, like in an all male Malawi tank that you keep over crowded that is keeping the aggression down?
Click to expand...

mine is a 5x2.5x2.5 approximately 235 gallon tank with a 4x1.5x1.5 sump fitration tank.... I think the dither fish helps a lot to keep the aggression down and lots of rockwork for covers, once a while when a female comp is in breeding mode, there will be a couple of male comp fighting to guard her shell, but I see no major fights.

the big males will be guarding their own small pile of rockwork sure... but there are other tangs inside that will keep the more aggressive comp in check. Probably over crowding could also be the reason.


----------



## StevenHing

Razzo said:


> StevenHing said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Very nice Steven. That little comp fry looks like a snack to that frontosa.
Click to expand...

so far maybe except the lelepi that occasion chase the comp ****, the frontosa pretty much leave the comp fry alone.... the Alpha frontosa is busy chasing other fronts instead. I had many comp fries that grow to adulthood in the tank already.

All the big frontosa in the tank now are all grown out from juvenile 1.5 inches fries, they were all the same size when I got them, note the differences in their growth rate now, and they has always been on a pellet diet so keeping them well fed could be the reason as well, that they dun snack on the comp fries.


----------



## T-Royale

StevenHing said:


> Hi T-Royale,
> 
> Your Old-Yellow was really a solid looking piece, sorry to hear that he has passed on.


Thanks Steve. Hopefully one of the 9 offspring will be just as nice. I think they are predominantly all male so we will see.


----------



## T-Royale

He was awesome! Sorry for your loss [/quote]

Thanks Russ. He came down with a case of severe bloat on one side of his belly and would just sit on the bottom but still spawned. Then the bloat developed on both sides of the body in which i placed in a hospital tank for treatment which was probably way to late. *** kept lots of Altos, but this was my first time have one with bloat. It looked like he swallowed a ping pong ball.


----------



## ldregz

What a great thread, there's so many awesome fish. Would anyone be able to post some FTS to show off your aquascaping?


----------



## Ram-Finatic




----------



## Ram-Finatic

This gold head is usually a lot brighter, as seen in the picture of my previous post. Guess it hasn't got use to me being around. Darkens up whenever I'm in front of the tank.


----------

