Malawi eyebiter

Care at a glance

Overview

Despite the reputation it is fairly calm for a big Malawi cichlid, though it gets pushy at breeding time. Give it at least 250 liters with sand, rock, and open swimming space, and a sex ratio of one male to several females works best. Feed high-protein foods such as carnivore pellets, frozen fish and shrimp, and the occasional live food. Tankmates should be too large to be seen as a meal.

In the wild

The Malawi eyebiter lives in Lake Malawi, hanging around sandy areas with light plant cover and the edges of rock piles. It uses that cover to wait and ambush, so a setup with open sand, some Vallisneria-type plants, and scattered rock suits it. Keep the water hard and alkaline (pH 7.5 to 8.5) with temperatures in the mid to high 20s C.

Good to know

Dimidiochromis compressiceps is a cichlid that reaches about 25 cm, with males a bit larger than females. The body is strongly flattened side to side, which lets it slip through plants and line up on prey. It is a maternal mouthbrooder. The female holds the eggs and fry in her mouth until they can manage on their own. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern.

Did you know

The common name comes from old reports that it bites the eyes off prey fish. In reality it usually takes smaller fish head-first in one go, and the eye-biting story is mostly exaggerated, but the name stuck.

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