Pearly Compressiceps Gold (Lamprologus calvus gold)

Choose a rocky Tanganyikan specialist

The Pearly Compressiceps Gold (Lamprologus calvus) is a freshwater cichlid from the southwestern part of Lake Tanganyika. It reaches 13.5 cm and suits a keeper prepared to provide hard, alkaline water, cave-filled rockwork and carefully screened companions. Its deep, laterally compressed body allows it to enter narrow cracks and shallow caves. FishBase now lists it as Altolamprologus calvus.

Keep it at 24–25°C, pH 8.0–8.6 and 12–18°dH. These routine values are the overlap of the recorded environment in FishBase, the aquarium range in the Seriously Fish species profile and OATA’s African lake cichlid group guidance. Hold all three values within that overlap rather than selecting temperature, pH and hardness independently from the wider ranges.

In Lake Tanganyika, this fish stalks through rocky habitat and feeds mainly on shrimps and other crustaceans. That natural history makes rocky cover, meaty food and prey-size screening central to its aquarium care. Although territorial, it is generally peaceful towards fish it cannot fit into its mouth.

Understand the fish you receive

One purchase supplies one Pearly Compressiceps Gold. The dispatch grade is 3.5–4.5 cm; this is the fish’s size when supplied, not its adult size. Plan its permanent aquarium around the recorded 13.5 cm adult length, its territorial behaviour and the space required for caves.

Sex is guaranteed only when the selected option explicitly states male or female. This Pearly Compressiceps Gold listing has no sex-guaranteed option. Males are recorded as growing larger and developing longer fins than females, but those traits do not assign a guaranteed sex to the fish supplied.

The gallery images are representative, based on reference photographs of this species, so colours can look slightly different from the live animal.

Gold colouring is one of the colour forms associated with this species. Use the name and care requirements to plan the aquarium rather than expecting every individual to reproduce the exact colour, pose or markings shown in an illustration.

Decide whether your aquarium fits

Choose this fish when you can maintain the narrow routine range of 24–25°C, pH 8.0–8.6 and 12–18°dH in a mature, filtered aquarium. The setup also needs substantial rockwork arranged as caves and crevices. A bare community aquarium does not provide the structure described for this species.

Plan the social arrangement before adding the fish. Seriously Fish permits either a pair or a colony in a suitably sized aquarium. A colony requires room for several territories, while a pair still needs cave choices and compatibility monitoring. Avoid treating a single purchase as a complete social plan; OATA’s group guidance notes that very few, if any, African lake cichlids do well when kept singly.

Potential companions must match the hard, alkaline conditions and the fish’s relatively shy temperament. Named possibilities include Julidochromis, Neolamprologus, Cyprichromis and Tanganyikan Synodontis catfish, but each combination still needs screening for adult size, vigour and territorial use.

A working biological filter, mature bacterial population and zero ammonia and nitrite are essential before introduction. If you are preparing a new setup, follow our guide to maturing a first tropical aquarium. You can also browse African cichlids while comparing water and compatibility requirements.

Check the complete plan before purchase

• Confirm that the aquarium holds 24–25°C, pH 8.0–8.6 and 12–18°dH steadily.
• Check that ammonia and nitrite are both zero before adding livestock.
• Map several caves into the rockwork rather than relying on one central refuge.
• Decide whether the long-term arrangement is a pair, colony or screened Tanganyikan community.
• Remove prey-sized animals, Mbuna and other aggressive or very vigorous fish from the plan.

If one of these conditions cannot be met, adjust the aquarium before introducing the fish. This sequence links water, shelter and stocking decisions instead of treating any one measurement as proof that the whole setup is suitable.

Plan the aquarium around the adult size

Plan around an adult length of 13.5 cm. FishBase records that maximum total length for male or unsexed fish. Seriously Fish gives a different figure of 13.8 cm standard length. Use 13.5 cm as the consistent planning figure for this animal while allowing sufficient space for its caves and territories.

Use behaviour as well as length

The narrow body profile helps the fish enter crevices; it is not a reason to reduce aquarium space. This is a territorial cichlid that may be maintained as a pair or colony only in a suitably sized aquarium. The layout must support the intended social arrangement rather than merely contain the body length of one fish.

Build the plan around piles of rocks that form multiple caves and narrow gaps. In the wild it cruises through rocky habitat, and its compressed body lets it slip into narrow cracks and shallow caves. Rock piles forming caves should fill much of the aquarium so the fish can use the behaviour for which its body is adapted.

Scale the plan to the stocking decision

• For a pair: provide several cave choices and watch how both fish use the rockwork.
• For a colony: allow substantially more room for separate territories and monitor weaker fish for increased hiding or reduced feeding.
• For a community: account for the caves and swimming space required by every named companion, not only this species.

OATA advises choosing as large an aquarium as practical because larger aquaria give more stable temperature and water quality. Final dimensions should therefore follow the adult size, number of fish, territorial layout, filtration capacity and total Tanganyikan community plan.

Hold the water within the routine overlap

Keep the aquarium at 24–25°C, pH 8.0–8.6 and 12–18°dH. This range lies inside the FishBase environment values, the Seriously Fish aquarium range and OATA’s African lake cichlid guidance. It gives one coherent target for temperature, acidity and general hardness.

Measure the aquarium rather than relying on the values expected from tap water or substrate. Our water chemistry guide explains the role of each measurement, while the water matcher helps compare measured values with this target.

Use a mature biological filter

The RSPCA explains that biological filtration supports bacteria that convert toxic ammonia to nitrite and then to the safer nitrate. Add this fish only after that bacterial population is established and tests show zero ammonia and zero nitrite.

OATA recommends an oversized filter for crowded African lake cichlid communities and vigorous aeration to maintain dissolved oxygen. Match the filter to the full stocking plan, then increase fish numbers slowly. Adding several fish and extra food too quickly can leave the bacterial population unable to process the increased waste.

Respond to a failed test immediately

If ammonia or nitrite appears, stop adding fish, review feeding and check the filter for blockages. Carry out a 25% partial water change and continue testing. Water chemistry must be back within the stated targets before the stocking plan progresses.

Read the measurements together

A temperature of 24°C does not complete the check when pH, hardness, ammonia or nitrite are outside their targets. Record each result at the same testing session so changes can be compared over time. For example, water at 25°C and pH 8.2 still needs general hardness between 12 and 18°dH, zero ammonia and zero nitrite. If one result moves, review recent water changes, feeding, stocking and filter condition before making another livestock change.

Build caves through the rockwork

Arrange piles of rocks to create caves, crevices and narrow gaps throughout a Lake Tanganyika-style aquascape. Seriously Fish advises a Lake Tanganyika biotope with piles of rocks forming caves that fill much of the aquarium, while FishBase records a compressed body adapted to entering narrow cracks and shallow caves.

Give the fish choices

Use more than one cave so a pair or colony is not centred on a single refuge. Spread the cave structures through the aquarium and preserve routes around them. In a community, compare where each species lives and shelters before deciding that the same rock pile can meet every fish’s needs.

Dim lighting will encourage this shy fish to be seen more often. Treat that as a visibility and behaviour decision rather than a substitute for caves. The fish still needs physical rock structure even when plants, wood or subdued lighting form part of the wider display.

Support the hard, alkaline setup

OATA advises that an African lake cichlid aquarium should have fine coral sand or a similar substrate for buffering. Test the finished aquarium because substrate alone does not tell you whether the water is within 24–25°C, pH 8.0–8.6 and 12–18°dH.

Keep the arrangement practical for maintenance. You must be able to remove solid waste during water changes, inspect the fish and check the filter without dismantling the animal’s entire territory each week. When aggression develops, OATA notes that rearranging décor can help reduce it as fish find new territories.

Watch how the caves are used

• A fish moving through cracks and shallow caves is using the habitat described for the species.
• A fish hiding more than normal may be responding to health, water-quality or social pressure.
• A fish being excluded from feeding or shelter needs an immediate review of stocking and territory use.

Feed for a crustacean predator

Make meaty live and frozen foods the main diet. FishBase records shrimps and other crustaceans as the principal wild food, and Seriously Fish reports that most meaty live and frozen foods are readily accepted. Suitable examples from OATA’s carnivorous African cichlid guidance include frozen brine shrimp, prawn and cockle.

Feed only what the fish can eat within a few minutes, twice a day. This schedule comes from OATA’s group guidance and controls the portion rather than defining one fixed number of pieces. Watch the fish eat; food that disappears behind rockwork has not necessarily been eaten.

Use response to set the portion

• Offer a small portion and watch for active feeding.
• Stop when the fish has eaten what it can take within a few minutes.
• Reduce the next portion if food remains and begins to break down.
• Check water quality if appetite falls or waste increases.

Seriously Fish notes that dried varieties are not usually taken, so do not rely on dried food as the sole staple. A quality dried product may be tried, but the feeding plan must still fit the recorded preference for meaty live and frozen foods.

Keep variety within the recorded diet

Rotate suitable meaty foods rather than feeding one item continuously. Variation must remain within the animal-based diet recorded for this predator. Shrimps and other crustaceans are food in its natural history, so ornamental shrimp and similar invertebrates should not be planned as companions.

Overfeeding has a direct water-quality cost. Uneaten food breaks down and releases waste, adding pressure to the biological filter. A twice-daily schedule therefore does not mean filling the aquarium twice; each meal remains limited to what is eaten within a few minutes.

Use the first meals as a checkpoint

Watch where each portion lands among the rocks and whether the fish reaches it before companions. If food remains in a crevice after a few minutes, remove what you can and reduce the next serving. If the fish shows less interest than normal, test water quality and check whether territorial pressure is blocking access to food. Keep the twice-daily schedule tied to appetite and waste control rather than increasing portions to compensate for missed feeding opportunities.

Maintain the aquarium every week

At least once every week, change 25% of the aquarium water. Use a siphon to remove solid waste that collects around the substrate and rockwork.

Treat replacement tap water with a conditioner that removes chlorine or chloramine before it enters the aquarium. Continue testing at least once per week so ammonia and nitrite remain at zero and nitrate does not exceed 20 mg per litre above the normal tap-water level.

Check the filter without losing its bacteria

Inspect the filter for blockages. When cleaning is needed, do not run the filter media under the tap. Rinse it lightly in aquarium water removed during the partial water change; this reduces the number of established beneficial bacteria lost during cleaning.

Filtration and water changes perform different jobs. The biological filter processes waste continuously, while the partial water change removes dissolved waste and the siphon removes solids. Keep both parts of the routine rather than using a stronger filter as a reason to skip water changes.

Use a weekly decision sequence

1. Test temperature, pH, general hardness, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
2. Compare temperature, pH and hardness with 24–25°C, 8.0–8.6 and 12–18°dH.
3. Carry out the 25% partial water change and siphon visible solid waste.
4. Treat all replacement tap water with conditioner before adding it.
5. Check the filter for blockages and rinse media only when needed.
6. Observe swimming, breathing, colour, body condition and feeding response.

If a result moves outside the target, review recent stocking, feeding and filter condition before adding another fish. OATA warns that stocking too quickly can produce unhealthy ammonia and nitrite levels because the bacterial population has not grown enough to process the extra waste.

Compare one week with the next

Keep the results in a simple dated log. A repeated rise in nitrate, more solid waste around the rocks or declining feeding response gives you a reason to review portions, stocking and filter performance before the fish deteriorates. Record any filter cleaning and livestock addition beside the measurements so the likely cause of a change is easier to identify. Continue the weekly 25% water change while investigating; do not substitute observation for the measured routine.

Follow the arrival steps in order

Our delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee policy gives the arrival procedure and explains the evidence needed if anything has gone wrong.

1. Receive the parcel in person; live fish cannot be left unattended.
2. Start a continuous unboxing video before the parcel is opened, showing the still-sealed parcel and the outer box.
3. Open and inspect the parcel on the day it arrives, keeping the video in one continuous take and showing the fish inside the sealed bag before anything is disturbed.
4. Float the bag for 20–30 minutes before releasing the fish.
5. Release the fish without pouring the bag water into the aquarium.
6. If anything has gone wrong, send the order number and continuous unboxing video on the same day so the issue can be assessed under the policy.

Make the stocking increase gradual

OATA advises increasing fish numbers slowly because the mature filter’s bacterial population must expand when stocking and feeding rise. This fish should enter water with zero ammonia and zero nitrite, within the routine temperature, pH and hardness range.

Observe the fish after release without interpreting one moment in isolation. Compare its swimming, breathing, colour, hiding and feeding over time. A shy fish may use its caves, but OATA lists hiding more than normal as a change to watch for; test the water quality and review compatibility if it appears.

Act on changes in health or behaviour

Watch the fish for changes in swimming, colour, temperament, breathing, appearance, body condition and feeding. These observations are most useful when compared with the individual’s normal behaviour rather than with an illustration or another fish.

Begin with measurements because OATA notes that African lake cichlids can be stressed by even the smallest amounts of ammonia. Confirm ammonia and nitrite are zero, then compare temperature, pH and hardness with the routine range.

Separate observation from diagnosis

A symptom can have more than one cause. Increased hiding may reflect the naturally shy character described for this species, but a change from normal may also follow territorial pressure or poor water quality. Test first, record what changed and send us the results and a description if concern continues.

Do not choose medication solely from one visible sign. Instead, test the water, check filtration and aeration, review compatibility and seek guidance about the specific change.

Screen every companion before stocking

Build the community around calm Lake Tanganyika species that share hard, alkaline water. Seriously Fish names Julidochromis, Neolamprologus, Cyprichromis and Tanganyikan Synodontis catfish as good possibilities. These names are a starting point for assessment, not universal matches for every aquarium.

Check each proposed fish for adult size, temperament, vigour, water requirements and use of the rockwork. Pearly Compressiceps Gold is generally peaceful towards fish it cannot fit into its mouth, but it remains territorial and naturally preys on eggs, fry and small fish.

Do not mix different colour forms of this species because Seriously Fish warns that they should not be allowed to hybridise. OATA also advises against mixing Malawi and Tanganyikan cichlids because their temperament and behaviour differ. Mbuna are specifically identified as too aggressive or vigorous for this relatively shy fish.

Use prey size as a firm screen

If a fish can fit into this cichlid’s mouth, do not use it as a companion. The species is a predator adapted to entering rock gaps for eggs, fry and small fish, and FishBase records that it feeds mainly on shrimps and other crustaceans.

For combinations outside the named examples, uncertainty remains until adult size, water needs, vigour and territory use have been assessed together. Use a calm Tanganyikan community as the default framework and monitor every introduction.

Manage pairs, colonies and territories

Keep this species as a pair or as a colony only when the aquarium is suitably sized for that arrangement. Seriously Fish permits both approaches. The practical colony size depends on how many territories, caves and compatible feeding positions the aquarium can support.

Plan before combining fish

• Provide several caves rather than centring the aquascape on one opening.
• Confirm every fish shares the routine hard, alkaline water range.
• Keep small prey-sized fish and crustaceans out of the plan.
• Avoid aggressive or very vigorous species, including Mbuna.
• Observe whether every fish can shelter and feed without being excluded.

Because the offer does not guarantee sex, do not build the stocking plan around an assumed male or female. Assess the actual social behaviour after introduction and be ready to revise the arrangement if one fish is persistently excluded.

Respond to territorial pressure

Look for increased hiding, reduced feeding, damaged fins or scales, changed colour and a rise in aggression. Test the water as well as reviewing compatibility because poor water quality can alter behaviour and condition.

OATA recommends adding more peaceful African lake cichlids before more aggressive species. It also advises that rearranging aquarium décor can reduce aggression by prompting fish to establish new territories. Apply that step only with continued observation; the revised layout still needs enough caves for the planned pair, colony or community.

A territorial display does not make every companion unsuitable. The useful decision is whether all fish remain able to feed, shelter and maintain normal condition. Remove a proposed combination from the plan when adult size, vigour, prey risk or water requirements fail the screening rule.

Use the first month to test the arrangement

• After introduction: confirm that every fish can reach shelter without being persistently displaced.
• At feeding: check that each animal reaches food and that none remains hidden through repeated meals.
• During weekly maintenance: inspect fins, scales, colour and body condition while testing the water.
• If pressure increases: review territory use, rearrange décor where appropriate and reassess the combination.

A workable arrangement remains stable across feeding, shelter and normal daily movement. Repeated exclusion is a stocking problem even when the water measurements remain within range.

Answer common care questions

How big does Pearly Compressiceps Gold get?

It reaches 13.5 cm. Plan the permanent aquarium around that adult length, cave-filled rockwork and the territories required by the intended pair or colony.

What size aquarium does Pearly Compressiceps Gold need?

Use a suitably sized Tanganyikan aquarium planned around the 13.5 cm adult size, cave-filled rockwork and the intended pair or colony. OATA advises choosing as large an aquarium as practical because larger aquaria give more stable temperature and water quality.

How many Pearly Compressiceps Gold should I keep together?

It can be kept as a pair or as a colony in a suitably sized aquarium. Provide multiple caves and enough territory for every fish, then monitor hiding, feeding and aggression.

Does this fish suit a beginner?

It suits a prepared keeper who can maintain hard, alkaline water at narrow routine values, mature a biological filter, build extensive rocky caves and screen every companion for prey size and vigour.

What does Lamprologus calvus eat?

Feed meaty live and frozen foods, including suitable crustacean-based foods such as brine shrimp and prawn. Offer only what it can eat within a few minutes, twice a day, and do not rely on dried food alone.

What temperature and pH does Pearly Compressiceps Gold need?

Keep it at 24–25°C and pH 8.0–8.6, with general hardness of 12–18°dH. These routine values are the overlap of FishBase, Seriously Fish and OATA guidance.

Is this fish aggressive or likely to nip fins?

It is territorial but generally peaceful towards fish it cannot fit into its mouth. Avoid aggressive or very vigorous companions such as Mbuna, and monitor all fish for damaged fins, increased hiding or exclusion from food.

Which fish or invertebrates can it live with?

Screen Julidochromis, Neolamprologus, Cyprichromis and Tanganyikan Synodontis catfish for the planned aquarium. Avoid prey-sized fish, shrimps and other crustaceans, Mbuna, very vigorous fish and other colour forms of this species.

How does this fish arrive alive in the UK?

Tropical Fish Co hand-packs the fish in pure oxygen inside an insulated poly box, adding a heat pack when the weather calls for it, and uses a licensed live-animal courier. Be present to receive the parcel, film continuously from the sealed parcel onward and float the bag for 20–30 minutes before release.

Consult the care references

• FishBase species summary — identity, distribution, recorded environment, maximum length, habitat and wild diet.
• Seriously Fish species profile — aquarium water, rockwork, diet, behaviour and compatibility.
• OATA African lake cichlid care sheet — group water, feeding, filtration, maintenance and stocking guidance.
• RSPCA aquarium environment guidance — biological filtration and nitrogen-waste processing.
• Tropical Fish Co delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee policy — packing, receipt, unboxing evidence and acclimatisation procedure.