Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Cichlids - Malawi Types > Malawi Eyebiter

Malawi Eyebiter

Compressiceps ~ Eyebiter Family: Cichlidae

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Dimidiochromis compressiceps Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Frank Schneidewind

  The Malawi Eyebiter is a real eye-catcher with its metallic sheen and compressed body!

   With its very unique shape, the Malawi Eyebiter adds to the diversity of an appropriately stocked Lake Malawi tank. Other common names or different spellings these fish are known by are the Eyebiter and Compressiceps. The name “eyebiter” is an action that will probably not been seen in captivity if they are fed. This action is generally used toward smaller Mbunas, but in general it is not a common habit.

   The Malawi Eyebiter is moderately difficult to keep due to the fact they need very large systems and very clean water. They will eat well and are only a threat to fish smaller than themselves. Bright tanks without plants will stress the Malawi Eyebiter into disease, they need a lot of hideouts. Using denser bunches of real or fake plants in several areas of the tank will help with the stress. Be careful with tank mates as these fish are highly predatory and they will kill any fish smaller than themselves. No fry from any other species will make it to adulthood with a Malawi Eyebiter in the tank.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Dream Aquarium Build your own aquarium The Coolest and Funnest Screensaver in the World.

Distribution:
   The Malawi Eyebiter was described by Boulenger in 1908. They are found in many areas of Lake Malawi, Africa; the upper Shire River, Lake Malombe, and Mozambique. They are found in shallow waters in open areas that have a lot of vegetation. They prey on small fish, especially shoaling species and juvenile Utaka and smaller Mbuna.

Status:
   This species is listed on the IUCN Red List, but with the status of 'LC', meaning 'Least Concern'.

Description:
   The unique physical aspects of the Malawi Eyebiter makes it a favorite to some cichlid admirers. With a compressed, thin, yet deep body, these guys are adapted to very quick bursts of speed to catch their prey. The male is an almost metallic blue and sometimes green coloring, with an orange anal fin that has the typical egg pattern. The females are basically silver and the juveniles are light in color. All Malawi Eyebiters have a dark horizontal line down the middle of the body, extending from behind the eye to the base of the tail fin. Lake Malawi fish live an average of 7 to 10 years.
   All cichlids share a common feature that some saltwater fish such as wrasses and parrotfish have and that is a well-developed pharyngeal set of teeth that are in the throat, along with their regular teeth. Cichlids have spiny rays in the back parts of the anal, dorsal, pectoral, and pelvic fins to help discourage predators. The front part of these fins are soft and perfect for precise positions and effortless movements in the water as opposed to fast swimming.
   Cichlids have one nostril on each side while other fish have 2 sets. To sense “smells” in the water, they suck water in and expel the water right back out after being “sampled” for a short or longer time, depending on how much the cichlid needs to “smell” the water. This feature is shared by saltwater damselfish and cichlids are thought to be closely related.

Size - Weight:
   These fish grow to a length of 10” (25 cm), sometimes larger in home aquaria.

Care and feeding:
   The Malawi Eyebiter is an omnivore / piscivore with a large portion of their diet being small bony fish. They will kill and eat any fish that is smaller, and 1/2 its size for sure. It is not necessary to feed live feeder fish, which as with any cichlid will heighten aggression. They may be fed shellfish, shrimp, beefheart and some green veggies. They do need some vegetable matter to help prevent Malawi bloat. The babies can be fed mosquito larvae (blood worms), but need larger foods as they grow. They can also be given high quality protein based frozen cichlid food or pellets. A good diet along with vitamins will keep your Malawi Eyebiter in peek condition. Vary their diet and they will reward you with beautiful coloring. Some cichlids cannot eat beefheart, so keep this in mind when housing these with the Malawi Eyebiter.
   A minimum 125 gallons, or larger if kept with other cichlids. They need a tank large enough for their quick bursts of speed. They do fine in either freshwater or brackish freshwater but need good water movement along with very strong and efficient filtration. Provide open swimming areas in the middle and bottom areas of the aquarium to mimic their natural environment. They enjoy a sand substrate or fine gravel. Sand used for saltwater fish or freshwater can be used, and can help keep the PH up. Bunches of live or artificial plants that reach to the surface will help reduce stress, as will hiding areas in the rock work. Live plants can be used because these fish are not big diggers, and for the most part will not bother them. You will need to watch PH levels since decaying plants can lower the PH. The Malawi Eyebiter will use large, flat rocks to spawn.
   Malawi Cichlids will deteriorate under poor water conditions. As these are messy fish, do water changes of 20 to 50% a week depending on bio load. Malawi bloat is a typical disease especially if their dietary needs are not met with quality foods. They can contract other diseases that ail all freshwater fish.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in the middle and bottom areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   The streams that flow into Lake Malawi have a high mineral content. This along with evaporation has resulted in alkaline water that is highly mineralized. Lake Malawi is known for its clarity and stability as far as PH and other water chemistries. It is easy to see why it is important to watch tank parameters with all Lake Malawi fish. A higher PH means that ammonia is more lethal, so water changes are a must for these fishes.
   These numbers are based on Lake Malawi’s statistics. A very slow acclimation to different PH levels can sometimes be achieved.
   Hardness: 6 - 10° dH
   Ph: 7.7 to 8.6
   Temp: 73 - 82° F (23 -28° C)

Social Behaviors:
   This fish is not considered to be a community fish. It is a predator but only moderately aggressive. However the Malawi Eyebiter is not considered a Mbuna, and will generally attack and kill the smaller Mbunas. They should not be kept with any Mbunas, but they can be kept with larger Peacock cichlids without incident. As long as the tankmates are the same size or larger and not overly aggressive, they should be fine with the Malawi Eyebiter.
   The Malawi Eyebiter is best kept in groups of one male and several females. They will attack and kill any other males of the same species in the tank unless the tank is hundreds of gallons. If overstocking is used as a form of aggression reduction, care should be taken to do several partial water changes a week. Do not put this fish with smaller cichlids. They are natural hunters and will attack anything small enough to eat.

Sexual Differences:
   Males are colorful and typically larger. Females are smaller and mostly silver in color.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The Malawi Eyebiter has been bred in captivity. Group one male with several females since the males can be quite aggressive towards the females during spawning time. They like a flat stone or slate to lay their eggs. Make sure this breeding site is not near a strong water flow since the eggs are externally fertilized.
   Being a mouthbrooder, the female will pick up the eggs into her mouth for incubation. She will carry up to 250 eggs for about 21 to 28 days. It is evident she is brooding if she stops eating and has an enlarged mouth. When females are under stress or netted they have been known to spit out their eggs too soon. Some females like their spawning rock near the surface, but this is just a personal preference of an individual fish. This is being mentioned so that if your Malawi Eyebiter is not spawning, you can try relocating the flat rock. Some aquarists will keep the female separate, but prolonged separation from the main tank may affect her “social” status, resulting in fighting. You will have to test the personalities of your Malawi Eyebiters to determine the best course of action.
  Once the fry have been released take them out of the tank as the male has no qualms about eating his children. Juveniles will eat mosquito larvae and brine shrimp until they get a little larger. Crushed spirulina for their veggie needs is suggested once or twice a week. See the description of how cichlids breed in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Buy Malawi Eyebiters From LiveAquaria.com

Availability:
   The Malawi Eyebiter is often found online for around $7.00-$15.00 USD. Prices vary depending on whether they are male, female, or juvenile. They are usually found in fish stores, though may be special ordered if you are willing to wait for them if they are out of season..
   When acquiring a Malawi Eyebiter, with all the different hybrids that have formed in captivity, there is no way to tell exactly what you are getting unless it is from a reputable dealer.

Author: Carrie McBirney

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Latest Comments
Hi, I just bought one. It has a ton of pearsonallity and color but I'd like to know what it can live with. If you know, post what it can live with. thanks. jeff 2008-11-24

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