c.calvus and c.compressiceps, do the normal sized ones use shells for spawning too?

[Hybridfish7]

I keep seeing these 'calvus caves', and I've seen videos of calvus/compressiceps spawning in said caves and basically just shooting everything in. My guess is they do it in shells naturally, and sumbu dwarf compressiceps just evolved to make this process more convenient. Is this the case?

 

[twentyleagues]

The sumbu are shell dwellers. As for the regular ones they are cave/rock dwellers. Could be linked in ancestry, one could have stayed small or the other way around. I'm not sure how that part of evolution worked. Things usually grow larger based on abundance of resources. Someone with more information could sort this out I'm sure.

 

[Milingu]

The shells availiable in lake Tanganyika are too small for A. calvus/compressiceps. The female has to fit completely inside and she needs some space.

But they still like to breed in big sea shells in the aquarium.
It is actually quite difficult to provide proper rock caves in the aquarium.
Some people glue two flower pot coasters together.

 

[DJRansome]

They do seem to prefer the large shells (breeders use whelk...I used tonno) in the aquarium to the rocks. I even bought clay caves designed for calvus but no interest.

 

[fishguy1978]

I am having difficulty finding anything on how slow A. C. Sumbu take to grow. Words/phrases like slow or painfully slow but neve a time frame. Any help would be appreciated. My 4 are 1in or less.

 

[RTCfan86]

They do seem to prefer the large shells (breeders use whelk...I used tonno) in the aquarium to the rocks. I even bought clay caves designed for calvus but no interest.

I can’t find tonno shells online. Is there by chance another name?

 

[DJRansome]

tonno shells for sale - Google Search

 

[SpeedRacer]

I’ve had Calvus use turbo and whales eye shells for breeding and completely ignore “Calvus caves”.