All fish / Cichlidae

Malawi Eye-biter

Dimidiochromis compressiceps

Also known as eye-biter, malawi eyebiter, eye biter cichlid, compressiceps, haplochromis compressiceps, dimidiochromis compressiceps gold, albino eye-biter, コンプレシケプス, 马拉维食眼鱼, 食眼鲷

A very flat-sided, long-snouted predatory cichlid with a large mouth and a dark stripe from snout to tail; mature males turn metallic blue-green with red and orange touches on the fins. Keepers value it as an unusual ambush hunter for large Malawi hap tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

20 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

7.5 to 8.6

Smallest tank

400 litres

Keep as

One male with 3 or more females

Diet

Carnivore: small fish in the wild; in aquariums quality pellets, krill, mysis and prawn

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

8 to 10 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Lake Malawi (Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania)

Breeding

A maternal mouthbrooder: the female holds the eggs and fry in her mouth for about three weeks. It breeds readily in a large tank with several females per male.

Good to know

It will eat any fish small enough to swallow, so keep it only with robust Malawi cichlids of similar size. The 'eye-biter' name comes from old reports of it attacking the eyes of other fish, which is rarely seen in aquariums.