i need some help im getting a 6x2x2 soon and im putting a colony of young calvus and want to put a young colony of frontosa about the same size will they go together allright any replies would be great :starwars: i just hope this doesnt happen and if it does i hope the calvus have the force with them

The frontosa is much larger than the calvus, and although the frontosa is gentle for a cichlid of that size, id still be very concerned.

Calvus are a micropredator, sniping fry, young fish and inverts in the rock work and quite a shy, retiring fish, also they are very similarily marked to the frontosa.

The frontosa however is much bigger and more powerful, it is also very aggressive in comparison to the calvus and prone to moving the rock work around. So not only will this fish mess with the hunting ground of the calvus, but also there is a chance of it mistaking the calvus for another frontosa andc knock seven bells out of it. It is for this reason that i would choose one or the other, myself id go for the calvvus and a colony of other smaller tanganyikans, however frontosas are magnificent and i wouldnt want to disuade you from them at all.

I am by no means the african expert, and this has only come from my own experience of Africans (very much trial, error, more error, blood shed and finally a massive success lol)

Sorry for the late reply, I've been fishing....

For the most part, I agree with Oddballs advice...

Just to play devils advocate...I think under the proper circumstances in can, and has been done. FIrst off, the tank needs to be fairly massive...I think 6 foot would be the minimum.... IF the calvus are mature (3++)inches, and the frotosa are added as juveniles (just large enough that the calvus wouldn't eat them) and the tank is properly aquascaped so that the calvus have plenty of places to hide and breed (without the frotosa disturbing the aquascaping). While not overly aggresive calvus are fairly well armoured, tough fish that will defend a small breeding area.

Personally, with a six foot tank, I think I would do Calvus, Cyprichromis sp. and somekind of rockdweller (such as N. leluepi, Julidochromis, Telmatochromis etc) and a shell dweller species.....just make sure to properly aquascape so the calvus have 'vagina shaped' caves to breed in, the rockdwellers have plenty of other caves to spawn in and the shellies have a sandy area with lotsa shells....

Thats why your the african mod and im not :P hell my african knowledge is tiny compared to yours seedy, just thought I'd add my experience of massive size diff and similar colours (blue zebra and adult blue dolphin)

The only reason i know about these fish is that i considered buying them and did a little reading, they are about the only two africans i know about bar demonosi and tropheus duboisi as all my peacocks are colour morphs and im not sure what they are lol

BTW-


C.frontosa is typically bluish or purple stipes with white...sometimes can have a pink or even yellow tint, depending on the location in the lake they came from...they can also vary in the number of stripes...

A. calvus is found in a number of varieties, a number of different black variations, also yellow and a white varient....it just depends on what part of Lake Tanganyika they come from...

The one in my sig (farthest pic to the right) is a "white" version from Chaitkira bay...

thanks for the help i was think i would go with these black calvus,julies,lelepi and maybe samazi blue six bars i dont know if the six bars will be to agressive i dont think they will be i just want a second opinion if u have any ideas it would be great and i want to know if samazi blue six bars are hard to find thanks.why cant calvus grow 12 inches :banghead: