- Malawi Eyebiter
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Malawi Eyebiter 
male[verification needed] of Dimidiochromis compressiceps Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Perciformes Family: Cichlidae Genus: Dimidiochromis Species: D. compressiceps Binomial name Dimidiochromis compressiceps
(Boulenger, 1908)Malawi Eyebiter
(Dimidiochromis compressiceps) is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. It is endemic to Lake Malawi, east Africa.
The common name refers to the fact that they have been known to remove (and presumably eat) the eyes of other fishes. No doubt they do, but such events appear to be fortuitous during attacks on large prey fish, and nothing to do with their main diet. The species is an ambush predator in the wild; they are piscivorous by nature, generally eating small fish whole.
Appearance
The males of this species exhibit a dazzling metallic blue hue and can attain lengths of up to 12 inches whilst the females are a drab silver and only grow to approximately 2/3 the length of males.
Aquarium requirements
In the aquarium they usually prefer to swim out in the open unlike the more common "Mbuna"(rock dwellers). They can become quite aggressive during spawning, vigorously defending their spawning site from all intruders. A single male should be kept in a harem style environment with multiple females as this diverts his aggression towards any particular female.
In aquarium they should be housed in at least 100 gallon tank as they tend to grow to a large size. Also, any fish that is smaller in size and of lesser aggression should be avoided as they may be eaten. This species can also exhibit some aggressive behavior towards other similarly colored species. As with all cichlids of lake Malawi, they prefer hard, alkaline water.
References
- ^ Kazembe J., Makocho P. & Mailosi A. (2005) Dimidiochromis compressiceps.2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 4 August 2007.
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