# Advice on keeping and breeding Calvus?



## cichlidpastor (Jun 20, 2009)

I am new to Tangs but am really excited about my Calvus. But I want to make sure i do everything right.

Is there anything I need to know about keeping breeding these guys? Breeding is still a way off, but need all the advice I can get. I know that they are not as hardy as Malawi, so what should I keep in mind? Water quality? Diet? Disease and ways to prevent it?

Mine are about 2" right now. thanks in advance


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## JBGC (Aug 25, 2008)

I'm no expert mate but i have heard a lot about them. I'd say for a start you would want to be a VERY patient man as these things grow so slow its not funny. Water quality is also a big issue, i've spoken to a guy that breeds them and he swears by good water with high ph around 8-9. I have a breeding pair of gold comp's myself but i just don't have the patience to raise the fry.. takes too long.

Jas


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

cichlidpastor said:


> I am new to Tangs but am really excited about my Calvus. But I want to make sure i do everything right.
> 
> Is there anything I need to know about keeping breeding these guys? Breeding is still a way off, but need all the advice I can get. I know that they are not as hardy as Malawi, so what should I keep in mind? Water quality? Diet? Disease and ways to prevent it?
> 
> Mine are about 2" right now. thanks in advance


Pretty scary how close our tank list is...

I dove into tangs last year after years and years of Malawi and had some of the same trepidation.

The tang tank setup has been going for a year now, and honestly it has been easier than Malawi. If you keep the water clean and consistent - you are golden. After the initial 48 hours where I lost 2 fish after shipping - I have lost no tangs in my 75 in a year.

I feed mine NLS Growth - even after a year, the Cyps really seem to prefer it so everyone gets it.

Clean consistent water is all I can really say. My Calvus are not breeding (haven't even paired) yet but the rest are - Julies, Multies and Cyps. (Lots and lots o' cyp babies :lol.

Don't be intimidated at all - if you can keep mbuna successfully - you can easily keep Calvus.


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## (Anthony) (Nov 26, 2009)

Patience,Patience and more Patience,
*** spawned my black pearl calvus but it took 1 week into when i got them because they were allready a pair,
U have to get them to a descent size before u see them do anything and if yours are only 2" then you probablly have a while to wait
Once they get around that size but in caves or rockwork were the female can get in but the male cant so if the female gets chased around then she has somewhere to hind and not get attacked,

HTH

Anthony,


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## cichlidpastor (Jun 20, 2009)

Thanks a lot for all the helpful advice. When I first realized how long it takes these guys to grow and breed i almost decided on something else. But Calvus are awesome fish and I decided that they are worth the wait.

My shipment of Calvus came a day early and all but 2 were dead. Cold got them no doubt. The heat pack was not very heated. The breeder actually called me because he realized it shipped a day early. I told him then that the fish arrived dead. He was a really stand up guy, apologized and promised to send me a new order. So I guess I get these 2 for free. The 2 that survived are doing well, but are very alone in their big tank.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Check and see if you need to pay shipping for the replacements, you usually do.


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## cichlidpastor (Jun 20, 2009)

DJRansome said:


> Check and see if you need to pay shipping for the replacements, you usually do.


Will do. I'll call on Monday. By the way. I noticed today that one of the fish has his/her mouth open constantly. Swimming fine, but mouth is open. The other one is fine. Have any of you ever seen anything like that?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Yes, Calvus can get lockjaw. Sometimes you can nudge the jaw back in place. Unsightly but usually not harmful to them.


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## cichlidpastor (Jun 20, 2009)

DJRansome said:


> Yes, Calvus can get lockjaw. Sometimes you can nudge the jaw back in place. Unsightly but usually not harmful to them.


How do I do that??? catch him and just push his mouth closed?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Yes. Gently. It's like he has dislocated it. If you can wiggle or nudge it back, it might work.


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## cichlidpastor (Jun 20, 2009)

DJRansome said:


> Yes. Gently. It's like he has dislocated it. If you can wiggle or nudge it back, it might work.


Will it go back by itself?


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## cichlidpastor (Jun 20, 2009)

I caught him and tried to wiggle it a little and closed it. But it didn't seem to work. I put him back in and his mouth is still open . . . hmm


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## BioG (Oct 12, 2008)

first pull the jaw forward (gently) as if you were stretching it for exercise or something, then press down (gently), on the exposed thin layer of mouth skin while sliding the mouth shut. Hold it shut for ten seconds (try and keep him underwater the whole time or at least as much as possible)

I have actually stitched these shut before :lol: (I have a friend who is a surgeon and we bore easy... It's a long story)

I have heard that a very small amount of super glue on the upper lip will hold it shut for a day or two to allow healing but I've never tried it.

There's a tendon you can almost see when they yawn or open wide that runs like a racing stripe right up the center of the head, it's torn so pushing it in won't likely cure the problem.

However, as those guys said, if you don't mind an ugly fish mouth, then it's no biggie, they'll still eat etc. if you want it fixed though, the sooner the better because if it heals wrong you would have to re-tear it which, I hope, is beyond our skills as aquarists :lol:

Ah, the joys of overdoing things!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

As stated, sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. If this is one of your new fish, I'd get a refund on that one.


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## cichlidpastor (Jun 20, 2009)

Wow. This is all a lot to take in. Just to make sure that you all know. This fish in only 1.5" long. Very difficult to maneuver a jaw that's that small. I will try it again today. I'm just afraid of hurting the little guy.

As far as refund goes, the breeder is sending me a new order anyway, the 2 that i have are basically considered dead. So I have a free Calvus with lock jaw.

Now I need some clarification on something. BioG you spoke of a torn ligament, but DJR you spoke of lock jaw. I know it could be either one, but are they the same? In other words, does a torn ligament cause lock jaw? And if its a torn ligament then how could just adjusting his mouth fix it?

Also when you say, "press down (gently), on the exposed thin layer of mouth skin while sliding the mouth shut" is the fish upside down or right side up?

Sorry for all the questions but I am totally a Calvus novice (less than a week).


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## cichlidpastor (Jun 20, 2009)

Well his mouth is closed! And I didn't do anything other than what i did last night. Today after I posted the above, I checked him out and his mouth was closed. So problem solved?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Let's hope so, keep an eye on him. He may be more prone to it than your other fish.


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## BioG (Oct 12, 2008)

That's the best kind of novice to be! No one on this site will ever tell you that I'm not totally partial to these fish 

As for the jaw thing, he's right side up. "lock Jaw" and "Torn ligament" are basically one in the same in that they first tear that ligament while yawning or extending their mouth in some fashion, then you/they experience the lock jaw part.

You probably noticed that when you net the fish and push his mouth closed that it doesn't pop or seem to snap back into place? This is because it's not technically "locked" open, but rather, it is unable to close because the tendon is damaged and will not allow the muscles to do their job.

All that being said, at 1.5 inch, I wouldn't mess with it. It's just not worth it. I wouldn't breed it though as their is some evidence that their is a genetic propensity for this disorder.

I.E. I'm sure this hapens in the wild but, when/if it does, that fish is probably dispatched quickly because, while he/she/ can still eat, they cannot eat violently or predate. They also cannot perform their natural ordering behavior via fighting etc. Therefore, those that get "lock jaw" in the lake, unless they'v bred previously, fish with this deal don't breed most likely.

I would cull it based on looks (I know I'm a shallow, evil fish keeper :roll: ) or give it away. at that size, they're easy to replace. The only time I've (only twice in many years) ever worked on a fish with this was when they were large, hard to replace adults.

For all your Calvus needs :lol: 
HTH


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

These are new fish. I'd still get a refund on that one.


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