# Why are Calvus/Comps so popular??



## TMB60 (Jan 6, 2011)

A lot of discussion exists on this forum about Calvus and Comps and it got me asking myself why they seem to be so popular.
I have a couple of Comps and I admit they are a very interesting looking fish. But that's about where my affection ends. Mine are happy and very healthy, not picked on by other tankmates, so all is good there. My issue with them is they tend to spend most of the time just staying in one spot, just kind of treading water and hanging out. At feeding time, they spring to life, darting around to get as much food as they can. Then it's back to just hanging out somewhere not doing much of anything. I like them, don't get me wrong, but would some of you agree they are one of the more boring Tangs? If so, why are they so popular?

Tom


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

Mine interact quite a bit, but I have 3m/5f. The females sometimes shoal around together and there's, of course, some interaction between the males. And there's always interaction between the calvus and juli's. I could see two just hanging out like you describe. Same can be true of many fish. I think part of the popularity is that they integrate so well in tang community tanks. Plus they look cool. 8)


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## punman (Oct 24, 2003)

I don't see them as a main attraction but as an add-on.
Different shape is appealing and they are not too in-your-face.


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## ebjdftw (Aug 24, 2010)

Plus I think the slow growth can be very rewarding to the patience and vigilant fish keeper


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## shellies215 (Jan 7, 2011)

I like the way my comps patrol the tank flairing fins. Fun to watch. I just bought 3 black calvus too for a different tank, waiting for them to settle in so I can see what their behavior is like


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## Lestango (Nov 11, 2010)

I am at an age where it is not advised to buy green bananas :thumb: , yet altos are green bananas that I think are worth it. I think their inter- and intra-species reactivity is rather unique among cichlids. Recently I read a post in the Central American section where a "fan" of those species claimed the Tanganyikans are all dull fish that look the same all the time :zz: . For the most part my Julies don't change much except for color intensity. Not true for Altos.

I have not seen faster color changes than they undergo. An Alto can look rather small and timid until threatened by another fish, then WOW, in an instant: fins flair, bodies arch. color changes, they seem to double in size. Even the mentioned change from appearing very docile to attacking food with huge gaping mouths seems rather species specific.

Finally, it is just my opinion but I just think they are neat looking opcorn: . I have not seen any juvies from either rift lake prettier  than the A. calvus pictures Razzo has frequently posted.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Very tribal looking, my favorite Tang. Mine don't just hang out either...male is always chasing the females.


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## FishFlake (Mar 7, 2010)

It is interesting how different people find different fish attractive, or cool , or worthwhile. I think if you sit in front of the tank long enough, they are all cool.


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## craziloki (Oct 22, 2010)

I didn't even know what a cichlid was until I came across a black alto comp pic on google. Soon there after, I started my tang tank. I fell in love with altos the first time I saw them. As they are my main attraction to my tank as well.

Couldn't stop learning about cichlids after that! :thumb:


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## AZcichlidfreak (Nov 16, 2010)

> I have not seen any juvies from either rift lake prettier than the A. calvus pictures Razzo has frequently posted.


+1
I will be receiving 6 of his A. Calvus Black Congo White Pearl's on Friday! 
:fish:


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## Lestango (Nov 11, 2010)

:thumb:

Dare I say the Discus of East Africa?

Naw - not that delicate! But just as tribal.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Now discus. There is a fish I don't get. :lol:


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## Joekahuna (Oct 9, 2007)

DJRansome said:


> Now discus. There is a fish I don't get. :lol:


that makes two of us! :thumb:


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## Adrian101 (Jan 24, 2011)

they are ornamental. Do nothin but look great. Also they present a challenge to fish keepers as they require a lot of effort. Discus that is. Not a fan myself but can understand why people are.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

As pov356 said, altos can be very active fish when kept in a large group in a suitably sized tank. I used to have 6 (3m, 2f) gold head comps in my 240G for a number of years. After the cyps, they'd be far and away the most active fish in the tank. The males were constantly displaying to each other to make sure everybody knew who was top dog. When they were not doing that, they were courting the females who tended to stay more in an area of their own while the males were cruising the entire 8' of the tank.

After I lost two males, I decided to move one male with the females to a 75G by themselves to get them to breed in an environment where I could save some fry. The females were frequently big with eggs in the 8' tank, and I observed them come to normal size in one night and then hang around a crevice in my rock background for a while, but I could never get any eggs or fry out of that tank. Since coming to the 75G, they are mostly hiding, and I haven't seen any serious spawning activity yet. I hope that will change soon.

The one remaining male in the 240G is not as active as he was in the group, but still out in the open all the time, and a lot more active than his friends in the 75G. I think he feels more secure with all the activity of other fish that swim around.


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## TMB60 (Jan 6, 2011)

Thanks for all the relies. I have to agree with so many of your comments: the "tribal" look,
color changes, flaring their fins, etc, etc. They really are a cool and unique fish. And based on some responses, maybe my biggest problem (boring-wise) is that I only have 2 of them. I think I'll add a few more of them to get more of the male-male and male-female interactions going on.
As always, your responses are great and thought provoking. Many thanks 

As for Discus, I kept them some 30 years ago. Challenging yes, but in my mind some of the most beautiful fish anywhere. The color varieties available these days make for some striking looking fish.

Tom


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## Myrock (Mar 7, 2010)

I thought the same way as you for a while. Now I love the 2 I have. I guess because they are so different. I never got the discus thing myself.


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## BioG (Oct 12, 2008)

You'll notice that some of the guys sporting multiple males had big tanks and/or the males were not 100% mature yet. The older the males get, the grumpier we... I mean they get :lol: !

I have noticed that my males will allow, with minimal fighting, for another male to be around as long as he stays out of the way but only if the dominant male is up to 5 years old or so. I would say, just from recollection (From being a die hard Calvus ENTHUSIAST :drooling: for a million years!), that from 5 to 15 years (15 was the oldest male I ever had may he RIP  ) they, like us, get set in their ways. They seem to even implement more divorce behavior (unapiring from a female which was previously accepted) once older.

My White Calvus male (He's wild but was a small adult of about 2+ inches when I got him so I suspect he was 2-3 yrs. old), which I've had for 6 or 7 years now, used to breed and tolerate (though he always preferred one over the rest in that he would allow her to kinda follow him around without getting annoyed with her constant presence) 5 females but now with no notable setup changes, It's a struggle to get 2 females going in his tank. Plus the preferred female he keeps is was technically #2 but My dominant white female (She was HUGE for a girl at 4" and 16 yrs. old! was killed by what for the last 7 years was the love of her life!

It took him about 3 days, I thought it was just a mating frustration (happens  ) but he eventually harassed her to the point where she jumped through a nook at the filter intake (A nearly impossible maneuver intentionally setup that way) and got all crispy! Now he's got 2 females submitted to the top corners of the tank and just tolerates the one, who is the least attractive and most aggressive female I have had (Still nice though  )

Anyway, the soap operas these fish put on and the fact that they're tolerant of every other species (I have a couple Buescheri Calvus Hybrids in my freak tank with a spare pair of Congo Black Calvus and they all ignore each other even though the hybrids look very much like a Calvus, I thought that was fascinating). Don't worry forum friends, the "freak" tank is for vat and/or weird hybrids only! No breeding in the freak tank! I just couldn't pass on the weird cross Buescheri/Calvus. Now I just raise them to see how they behave/look.

All altos are great fish. IMO, Comps are a little more laid back but it's barely discernable either way. None of my comps seem to POSESS their females the way my calvus do.

Discus are cool but I'd rather glaze them and mount them on the wall than raise them and plant their tanks! :lol:


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

BioG - you are making some excellent points. There was actually a typo in my post, which should have said I had 4m,2f gold head comps in my 240G. It was right around the 5 year mark that I lost 2 of the males. I didn't see how it happened, but my guess would be that they were battered from fighting with the other comp males and then eaten by the other fish. I never have to remove and dead bodies from that tank :wink:

Anyhow, a third male was hanging out in a corner, and looked kind of beat up when I removed the other male and both females to a 75G breeding setup. The last male quickly recovered, which give further credibility to the assumption that none of the other fish bothered him.

So it seems when they reached 5 years of age, I could not even keep two comp males in a 8' 240G tank! Maybe that should make us reconsider recommending juveniles to people with 29G tanks! But the aggression somehow seems to set in with age, not with the start of breeding activity as it seems to do in other lamprologine. I know that the gold head comps in my 240G had been happily breeding for years, and 4 males tolerated each other just fine.

It is also interesting that we know have two independent observations of a behavior change around the 5 year mark. I am wondering if anybody else has made similar observations.


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## TMB60 (Jan 6, 2011)

> It is also interesting that we know have two independent observations of a behavior change around the 5 year mark. I am wondering if anybody else has made similar observations.


fmueller and BioG - those were 2 very interesting scenarios you laid out, i.e. behavior change around the 5 year mark. It begs the question: Were they isolated and non-typical occurrences
or were the changes normal and to be expected? If enough people would write in with their experiences, it would be very interesting to contrast and compare. But for now, I've learned that it CAN happen, but the probability remains in question. Thanks for sharing :thumb:

Tom


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## Razzo (Oct 17, 2007)

AZcichlidfreak said:


> > I have not seen any juvies from either rift lake prettier than the A. calvus pictures Razzo has frequently posted.
> 
> 
> +1
> ...


Glad to hear they arrived happy & healthy 

For, me, it is pretty close between altolamps & frontosa. I am glad they make great tank mates.

I love the shape of altos and their finnage. They have such a distinct look to them. And, yes, they do look tribal (I know what you mean).

I love the way a few of my calvus interact with my brevis.

Also like how they try to impress each other by flexing fins and when the females submit to the males and shake like they got their finger stuck in an electrical outlet.

They are an excellent and interesting addition to any tang community tank. The only tang that I know of that can command a tank by itself is the majestic & graceful frontosa. Ad a calvus to that tank and you are set!

Russ


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## SandBagger (Nov 17, 2010)

Thanks to Razzo I now own my first Calvus! They arrived yesterday morning and Razzo I'm happy to inform you this morning when I woke up and checked the tank, they were all schooling beautifully! A great addition to my Tang community indeed!

Its interesting you bring up their behavior with the brevis...I was telling Prov earlier I have already seen some very interesting interaction between the two species. The brevis I have had for 3 weeks and the calvus have brought some new behavior out of them and the julies for that matter.

I'm a noob so I likely have the least informed opinion here, but I couldn't be more happy to have calvus in my tank!


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## Razzo (Oct 17, 2007)

SandBagger said:


> Thanks to Razzo I now own my first Calvus! They arrived yesterday morning and Razzo I'm happy to inform you this morning when I woke up and checked the tank, they were all schooling beautifully! A great addition to my Tang community indeed!
> ...


That is awesome!

Russ


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## dotbomb (Jan 5, 2011)

SandBagger said:


> Thanks to Razzo I now own my first Calvus!


I am jealous yet extremely happy that some of Razzo's amazing fry have found a home on the West Coast! Enjoy those great looking fish.


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## AZcichlidfreak (Nov 16, 2010)

Razzo said:


> AZcichlidfreak said:
> 
> 
> > > I have not seen any juvies from either rift lake prettier than the A. calvus pictures Razzo has frequently posted.
> ...


They are definitely very health thanks to you and seem to be happy already!
























Sorry for the quality, I took the pics with my phone and I definitely don't have the photography skills of Russ. But I had to show off my new babies!!! :dancing:


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## Lestango (Nov 11, 2010)

Russ - I am feverishly working on a 40br set up that will give me some tank space. It is a race against time (re: my green bananas comment at age 73. By the time they grow up I hopefully will be 78! Now that is something for all you hobbyists to think about! Am I an optimist or what!) and the threat of your running out of juvies to sell. If you have to tickle yoour breeders again just as insurance you will have some available, please do so.

I think we are getting across the point about re: why Altos? I applied the tribal label to them, borrowing a discus comment, but they are at the same time, IMO, the most regal of tangs, and that has to do with their dispays of finnage that you noted. I have had fish take a 2 foot run at them just to pull up when my comps turn sideways, flair their fins and flash their colors.


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## TMB60 (Jan 6, 2011)

Lestango - I'm getting the point about "why Altos?" loud and clear  . I have a whole new appreciation for my 2 juvie Comps (thanks to this thread) and I too am feverishly working on getting 2 additional tanks set up, a 75g and a 20L. The plan is to obtain more Comps or Calvus and make them the focus of a community tank in the 75g. Like you, I kinda wish it didn't take so long for those bananas to ripen, but it is what it is and I guess that's part of the reward.

Aside from their tribal looks and mannerisms which make them so "regal" as you put it, the big bonus is that they incorporate so well into a community tank as Prov mentioned. There are many here.....let's just say they are not fans of Discus. But having raised them in the past and knowing their personalities and nuances, I have to admit my Comps remind me of them in several ways.
And Alto's are sooo much easier to care for. No wonder, then, that I'm being drawn to them.

Having kept fish for over 30 years (various SA cichlids mostly), I've only started with Tangs 3 months ago, very much fumbling into "uncharted waters" so to speak. And boy, the learning curve has started all over again for sure, but that's the best part IMO. At first, you don't know what fish to start with, what you can mix together, what you can't, which fish you'll end up liking, which ones you are sorry you got. Takes time to sort it all out. Reading this board every day has made all the difference so far. I've bought the books, but no book can match the practical experiences you all share here every day :thumb: My hat is off to all of you.
Our hobby is like a journey, and you all make the ride more fun than the destination :thumb:

As always, I can't thank you all enough for sharing your thoughts!!! 

Tom


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## Myrock (Mar 7, 2010)

I wish I could get some of the Fire Red kind like Fucifers avitar.... :wink: lol. Those are nice. Havnt seen any for sale since 2005. If I would have known how nice it is to have these fish then, I would have bought them all.


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## Frazee86 (Aug 1, 2010)

i've only had my altos for a week today but last night during feeding one of them "flexed" his/her fins then darkened up then darted off at a piece of flake food from across the tank caught it "flexed" again like he/she was proud of there self then swam off with it and ate it so far only fish i've had that takes pride in eating seems like haha all the others just eat like pigs then swim off when its gone


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

Aaah this old thread makes want to get Calvus more and more!

I add another reason why it's popular: watching their videos and pics, and reading hobbyist sharing about this unique looking fish, plus its rarity... makes Calvus more appealing.

And yes, I agree that discus is boring. They only look alive during feeding time. I also want to replace my discus with either Geo tapajos or Troph moori.


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## Razzo (Oct 17, 2007)

Als49 said:


> Aaah this old thread makes want to get Calvus more and more!
> 
> I add another reason why it's popular: watching their videos and pics, and reading hobbyist sharing about this unique looking fish, plus its rarity... makes Calvus more appealing.
> 
> And yes, I agree that discus is boring. They only look alive during feeding time. I also want to replace my discus with either Geo tapajos or Troph moori.


Thanks for reviving a great thread.

In tanks that have more than one male, preferably three, it is not stop comedy. Altolamp behavior is some of the most interesting behavior of all cichlids.

Figured this would be a good place to re-post this video of a grow-out tank that has both juvie comps and calvus. Enjoy...


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