Altolamprologus compressiceps 'Gold Head' in my 240G Lake Tanganyika setup.

Altolamprologus are some of those fish that always catch a premium price at fish auctions - especially when they are of a decent size. Part of the attraction of picking up a big one is that they just grow painfully slow. I might have underestimated that somewhat, and also wanted a good number of them and did not have much money left after setting up this 8' tank and buying most of it's inhabitants, so I inquired on the OCA forum about local breeders that could set me up with some good quality altos at a decent price. The unanimous vote was for John and Betty Oyer in Michigan. The Oyers are bound to own one of the largest fish breeding setups in the country. I haven't had the opportunity to visit their house yet, and they seem reluctant to put an exact figure on the number of tanks they have, but rumors range anywhere from 400 to 700. Betty's Giant Gourami (Osphronemus goramy) is a bit of a celebrity in the fish keeping world in its own right, and there are stories circulating about things like a large Frontosa setup that's wedged in behind the furnace and only accessible in one corner. Fact is that the Oyers can set you up with pretty much any frontosa variety under the sun - or nearly any variety of African cichlid for that matter. In addition the quality of their fish is second to none, and you won't find cheaper prices anywhere. When I was looking for altos, they emailed me a stocking list with prices, and there was easily a dozen color morphs on there, so even though I knew that I did not want white or black ones, I was a little confused what to choose. So I picked up the phone and rang up the Oyers. I had Betty on the line, and after the usual introductions, the conversations went roughly about as follows:

Me: "I have a 240G tank with 50 juvenile frontosa, and am looking for some yellow altos for a bit of contrast in color. Which of the different varieties you have on your list has the best color?"
Betty: "Altos are not yellow".
Me, confused: "Really? But you have several varieties listed that sound like they should be yellow."
Betty: "Altos are not yellow fish".
Me, still confused: "Ahmmm, how about 'sunset compressiceps' or 'goldhead compressiceps'?"
Betty: "They are not yellow"
Me: "Ah, here, there is one variety on your list that's called 'yellow calvus'. What color are they?"
Betty, unshaken: "They are just not a bright yellow fish"
Me: "Ah, ok, I see what you mean. I know what altos look like, and that they are not leleupi, but does any of the fish you offer have better coloration? Are there any that are more yellowish than the others?"
Betty: "No"

At this point I was about to hang up on her, but I remembered all the great things I had heard about the Oyers, plus I knew that I would never ever be able to get altos for anywhere near the price they were offering them for. So in the end I took the plunge and ordered 20 Goldhead Compressiceps of 1" for $3 each. They were supposed to be delivered to the GLCS Auction in September 05, which ended up being postponed to October. So when I finally tracked down the Oyers at the auction and got the Comps, I was more than a little excited to see if the promise that their impeccable reputation held would hold true. I don't want to contradict Betty, but let me just say that straight when I opened the box, I was very pleasantly surprised. Other than that, I'll let my photos of these fish answer the question whether or not gold head comps - and particularly the ones the Oyers are selling - are indeed yellow! Why am I telling you all this? Well, the Oyers might not be sleek telemarketers who talk you into buying stuff that you don't want - to the contrary, they almost talked me out of something I did want to buy. Don't be fooled by that. If you buy fish from these guys, you will not be disappointed!

Addendum January 2009

In about four years even the slow growing comps have grown to a respectable size in my tank. I also have a strong feeling that they are breeding regularly, although I have never seen any fry. There are days when the males are chasing each other wildly all over the tank, and I believe those are the days actual spawning activity takes place. I have also seen them excavate caves in the substrate, and they defend these areas vigorously - to the point that they have bitten into my finger on occasion. The spawning sites are always behind the rocks of the two big caves that I have in the tank, and unfortunately there is no way to look into these places to get a better idea what exactly is going on there.

Some pictures from January 2009