Malawi Eyebiter - Dimidiochromis Compressicep

Species name: Dimidiochromis Compressiceps

Synonym:

Common Names: Malawi eyebiter

Family: Cichlidae (Cichlids) , subfamily: Pseudocrenilabrinae

Order: Perciformes (perch-likes)

Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)

Max. size: 30 cm / 12 inches

Environment: freshwater

Origin: Lake Malawi, upper Shire River and Lake Malombe

Temperament: Aggressive.

Company: Can be kept with other large aggressive species. Small fish will be considered food.

Water parameters: pH 7.5-8.5, temperature 22-28°C / 72-82° F

Aquarium setup: This fish grows relatively large and needs a big tank. 90 gallon / 350 L should be considered a minimum. Don’t house several males if unless you got a very large aquarium. Requires stone formations that allows the fish good hiding places. Malawi eyebiters also requires areas with dense vegetation. Don’t use roots in your aquarium since they lower PH levels..

Feeding: Accepts all kinds of food but prefers live food.

Breeding: mouth-brooder. Males become very aggressive during spawning. The fish needs a good and varied diet to spawn. The female will brood for up to 4 weeks. You can tell if a female is brooding by her enlarged mouth and the fact that she isn’t eating. Fry accepts most kinds of food. Brooding females can be isolated for more productive breeding. It is recommendable to try to make the isolation as short as possible to avoid that the females loses their social status which may cause fights once they are returned. Stress might cause the females to eat eggs and fry. In some cases the male is the course of stress that causes her to eat her fry. In that case its best to separate the female from the male during the next brooding season.

Picture of Adult Malawi eyebiter - Dimidiochromis compressiceps. Copyright www.jjphoto.dk

Juvenile Dimidiochromis compressiceps - Malawi eyebiter. Copyright www.jjphoto.dk

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