Breeding Alto's

[Shane]

Hey guys

i'm wanting to get a breeding colony of alto's and was wondering if they are best to be kept alone or would it be possible to keep some other species with them. I just know that they are not very aggressive and want to know if they would still breed with other fish in the tank. Also i'm looking at getting about 10, would this be ok to establish a colony?

Thanks in advance


Shane

[Benji]

you'll probably only need a pair, maybe a male and a few females could work well other experts could provide this advice, as i haven't breed them myself.  below is some info from google that i found last year.

Tank Setup
The Alto Comp can reach a length of around half a foot so a fairly large aquarium will need to be provided. You should decorate your aquarium with plenty of rocks, formations, and caves. The Compressiceps is a shy cichlid who can become spooked very easily. You will also need to pay close attention to your water quality as these guys are quite sensitive to any sudden changes in the parameters or quality. Be sure to feed a wide assortment of foods such as flakes, pellets, frozen, and even live foods.
Breeding Information
Males are usually larger in an established pair. Adult males will also appear deeper bodied with more elongated finnage. The Alto Comp is a very secretive spawner. The female will deposit her eggs in a shell or cave to small for the male to enter. The eggs usually take between 36-48 hours to hatch and the fry will then become free swimming in about a week too ten days. You should plan on feeding the fry crushed flakes and/or newly hatched baby brine shrimp.
When ready to breed, males will often force a female into a shell or cave, where she will lay her eggs. After the male fertilizes the eggs, he will guard the shell or cave charging anything that comes to close to the cave. This includes other fish in the tank, the fingers of the owner, etc. There's been more than one keeper of Altolamprologus that's pulled his finger from a tank with a small bite out of it. The mother will remain in the shell or cave using her body to block the entrance. She leaves only the sharp scales on her side to exposed to the caves opening. Once the fry hatch out, they can be fed on powdered fry food, mysis, baby brine shrimp or cyclops. These fish are very sensitive when breeding. Once it's determined that breeding has occurred, you should do all in your power to make sure nothing changes in the fish's environment. Look for clutches ranging up to 100 eggs. Once the fry leave the protection of the shell, they are no longer guarded by the parents. The shell can be removed once fry appear at the opening and moved to a holding tank. Frequent water changes and ample room are extremely important when raising young

[here fishie fishie]

What size tank are you looking at housing them in?

Frenchy :D

[Shane]

Looking at getting a 4x2x2. at the moment i only have a 4x15x18 and am wanting to upgrade. I have seen a tank at Ziggy's place that had a few alto's, very nice looking tank and fish, i think it was only 4ft long.

Cheers


Shane

[here fishie fishie]

Well know it sort of depends on the varient of Alto. White Calvus are peaceful compared to the others.{I have guppies & yo yos in with them}
I found my fire fins had no time for anything else in the tank.  :roll:
eg;My trio of neo caudopunctatus. They will dominate the whites & will breed but the whites won't in a 4 footer.
Yet when I have the cauds in with the fire fins, the cauds get smashed & hide behind the filters. :lol: {4 foot tank}

Remember to that Alto's are slow growing & with mixing cichlids, it is pretty much trial & error.
It would pay to buy a group of alto's to grow up, eg; 6 or more. You could try a choice of spilopterus, leptosoma, lamprologus sp, nigripinnis, julidochromis, some neolamprologus sp, gobies & fronnies-as long as the alto's can' fit in the fronnies mouths.

If you like Malawis, it is a case{IMO} of making sure the alto's are competitive enough to get food, establish a cave...as in once alto's are >5cm. They can then handle the less robust mbuna, like yellows, aceiis...& can handle peacocks.

Non cichlid wise Synodontis catfish, most Loaches, most Labeo Sharks, Rainbowfish & Danios, Bristlenose cats and the larger Tetras eg;Congo Tetras. Be aware that some of these have neutral pH requirements but can tolerate higher pH.

Here's a good read on alto's.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/a_calvus.php

Hope that gives you some ideas & options.

Frenchy :D

[Hypancistrus Zebra]

[quote:1860cd53c1="here fishie fishie"]Well know it sort of depends on the varient of Alto. White Calvus are peaceful compared to the others.{I have guppies & yo yos in with them}
I found my fire fins had no time for anything else in the tank.  :roll:
eg;My trio of neo caudopunctatus. They will dominate the whites & will breed but the whites won't in a 4 footer.
Yet when I have the cauds in with the fire fins, the cauds get smashed & hide behind the filters. :lol: {4 foot tank}

Remember to that Alto's are slow growing & with mixing cichlids, it is pretty much trial & error.
It would pay to buy a group of alto's to grow up, eg; 6 or more. You could try a choice of spilopterus, leptosoma, lamprologus sp, nigripinnis, julidochromis, some neolamprologus sp, gobies & fronnies-as long as the alto's can' fit in the fronnies mouths.

If you like Malawis, it is a case{IMO} of making sure the alto's are competitive enough to get food, establish a cave...as in once alto's are >5cm. They can then handle the less robust mbuna, like yellows, aceiis...& can handle peacocks.

Non cichlid wise Synodontis catfish, most Loaches, most Labeo Sharks, Rainbowfish & Danios, Bristlenose cats and the larger Tetras eg;Congo Tetras. Be aware that some of these have neutral pH requirements but can tolerate higher pH.

Here's a good read on alto's.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/a_calvus.php

Hope that gives you some ideas & options.

Frenchy :D[/quote:1860cd53c1]

Nice to see people sharing their expertise.

[Shane]

thanks for your help mate. i forgot to mention which type of alto though. i was wanting some gold comps (not yet ready to lash out on some white calvus).


Cheers

Shane

[here fishie fishie]

Cheers for the kind words Wilson.

The main part to remember Shane is that Alto's are slow growing & can be out competed for food....choose wisely when it comes to tank mates.

Frenchy :D