One
genus which inhabits nearly all of our show aquariums is Altolamprologus.
I am referring to the Tanganyikan compressiceps and calvus. These
fish adapt well to various environments and tankmates. We house
specimens of Altolamprologus with Tanganyikans, Malawians,
Victorians and South Americans.
The
unique body shape and peculiar habits of compressiceps and calvus
endear them to their keepers. As a group, they are big favorites
among veteran African cichlid enthusiasts. These fish grow extremely
slow, but are long-lived. This accounts for the comparatively
large difference in price between young and adult specimens.
While
most serious hobbyists are familiar with the orange and
redfin compressiceps, there are others encountered with
less frequency. The varieties of goldhead compressiceps
with which we are familiar are striking fish with bright gold-plated
heads. The Malasa Island (Tanzania) variant has a chocolate brown
body with a gold head. The Kalambo variant is a lighter-bodied
compressiceps with a bright gold head. Recently being imported
is a variant from Muzi, Tanzania, which can be identified by gold
spotting on the flanks. Other, more recent imports have included
goldhead varieties from Kantalamba and Samazi. The Samazi appears
to be a smaller fish and exhibits an extremely bright gold head,
while the Kantalamba specimens have been comparatively large but
equally striking. Rarest of all at present is the Mutondwe Island
(Zambia) specimen. It has the same gold head and similar body
color, but sports hues of blue in the unpaired fins. It is the
only referenced compressiceps which exhibits any blue coloration.
The blue is much more noticeable when the fish is in its light
phase coloration.
Another
little known Zambian compressiceps from Mutondwe Island
is the gold dot variety. This attractive fish displays gold dots
(similar to the white spots on a calvus) on its body and unpaired
fins.
The
rare Kiku gold compressiceps is from Congo (formerly Zaire)
and sports an overall bright gold color over the body. Sometimes
the vertical dark barring can form a sharp contrast with the gold.
The fish looks splendid in either dress.
The
Nangu blackhead compressiceps (Cape Kachese and Nangu Island,
Zambia) has shiny pearly spots on a brown body with a jet black
head in both sexes which intensifies when the fish is excited.
We believe it to be a dwarf of some type. It is not to be confused
with the equally scarce black compressiceps from Congo. This color
form lacks the white dots for which the black calvus is known.
We recently imported a black compressiceps from Tanzania that
does sport white dotting similar to a calvus. Another Zambian
compressiceps is the Mbity Rocks sunset. It earns its sunset
trade name with a yellow chest against a light brown body.
Three
red forms of compressiceps include the Kigoma red, the
Burundi red and another which is collected off the coast of Zambia.
There are also multiple forms of the so-called orange compressiceps,
including the attractive Chaitika orange, the darker variety traded
as Kapemba orange, and the ruddy colored Kalambo orange. The most
spectactular orange compressiceps, however, might be the one collected
at Mwela; it has the brightest coloration of those mentioned here.
For
the real connoisseur or shell-dweller specialist, there are two
highly interesting and peaceful varieties of dwarf Altolamprologus.
The Altolamprologus sp. Sumbu (Sumbu Bay, Zambia) and the
Altolamprologus sp. Shell (Mbita Island, Zambia) are common
in their dwarf stature and snail shell-spawning behavior, but
exhibit different coloration. In comparison, the sp. Shell
has thicker, fleshier lips; exhibits barring in both sexes; and
has nice yellow in the unpaired fins. In a recent import shipment,
we received a new variety dubbed "White Dwarf" by the
collector/exporter, who collected the fish at Kabwe off the coast
of Tanzania. It is a much larger "dwarf" than the two
mentioned previously. These dwarf species can be happily housed
and spawned in appropriately stocked aquaria from 10 to 200 gallons
in size.
"New"
varieties of compressiceps have been reaching us on a regular
basis, and there are varieties recently received which are not
covered in this article.
The
four well-known color variants of Altolamprologus calvus
are black, white, pearly and yellow. The beautiful black calvus
comes from both Congo and Zambia. There is a variant from Mpala,
Congo, that sports larger-than-normal white spots. The unusual
yellow calvus has been documented to originate from Nangu
Island, Nkamba Bay and Chilange Rocks—all in Zambia.
The
white calvus is found at Cape Chaitika (Zambia) and is
also a favorite because of its pleasant, contrasting black and
white coloration. It differs from the pearly calvus in this stark
contrast; the pearly calvus has a silver to gray background contrasted
with dark barring.
Of
the varieties discussed here, our searches lead us to believe
that some are extremely rare among present U.S. aquarium populations.
In addition to these, there are a few other Altolamprologus
varieties found in the trade and—hopefully—many more
yet to be discovered.
The
fish has a wonderful personality, accepts most foods, tends to
be hardy and is a great addition to any aquarium.
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