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Cichlids
/ Africa / Lake Malawi / Malawi Eye-biter
Malawi Eye-biter
Dimidiochromis compressiceps | Pictures
Synonyms: Cyrtocara
compressiceps, Haplochromis compressiceps
Physical description:
An elongated fish with triangle-shaped head.
The mouth is large for catching prey.
Body
coloring ranges from silver to bright blue.
After the edges of the scales are orange giving the fish a spotted
appearance.
The crest of the back is a rusty-orange color and the caudal fin is body colored.
The anal fin may be dark blue to bright
orange with some blue and white egg-spots (clearly marked on males).
The dorsal fin is elongated and can
be blue and orange-spotted with a red edging.
Size/Length: To 10" (25 cm)
Similar species: None
Habitat: The Malawi Eye-biter inhabits thickets of
Vallisneria that grow from a sandy substrate.
Eastern
Africa; Lake Malawi.
S: bottom, middle
Aquarium: 40" (100 cm) or 45-55 gallons (170-209 L) is sufficient for smaller fish.
Adult
fish need at least a 60" (152 cm) or 90-110 gallon (342-416 L) tank.
Larger tanks are appreciated because
this fish likes large open swimming areas.
Use a coral sand substrate with large rock structures as a back-drop.
The
sides and the corners of the tank should be heavily planted with
Vallisneria.
Use a filter that causes little or no
current.
Water chemistry: 7.5-8.8 (8.2), 12-25 dH (18), 73-82°F (23-28°C)
Social behavior: A large, peaceful, predator that will consume small fish.
The Malawi Eye-biter can be easily combined
with other cichlids and catfish that are over 5" (13 cm) in length.
Keep one male with several females.
Suggested companions: Lake Malawi Haplochromines,
Synodontis, larger mbunas,
Polypterus, Afromastacembelus
FOOD: Live fish are the best food.
The prey are taken tail-first, the only known
predator that consumes its food in this manner.
The Malawi Eye-biter will lurk in a head down position, among a thicket
of Vallisneria
, awaiting its prey.
When the prey is sighted, the Malawi Eye-biter will dart out and grab
it.
Acclimated fish may take pellets, tablets, and large live foods.
Sexual differences: Males are more brightly colored with obvious egg-spots of the anal fin.
Breeding techniques: Breeding can be accomplished in a large tank with an abundance of
Vallisneria and rock structures.
Place
one male with several females.
Usually 40-50 eggs are laid and taken into the mouth of the female.
The eggs are fertilized by the dummy-egg
method.
The fry are incubated for about three weeks, when they first emerge.
Start feeding the young with Artemia
and dry foods.
Breeding potential: 7.
Breeding is especially possible in a large tank with only the one male and several females
being placed in it.
Remarks: This species has a reputation for eating the eyes of other fish.
This is a true feeding habit of wild
fish.
A number of theories have arisen from this behavior; some feel that the eye-eating is a result from
an attempt to blind its prey, other think that the eyes are a delicacy for the fish, and still others believe that
this behavior can be attributed to a lack of food.
For whatever reason, the eyes are not taken often.
This behavior has not been observed
in aquaria.
Difficulty of care: 5.
A hardy fish that requires a large tank.
Be aware that this species is piscivorous.
Live
foods are required in the diet of this fish.
Recent articles about fish
Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.
Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.
Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.
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