Dimidiochromis compressiceps Breeding Guide

Breeding the Malawi Eyebiter, a laterally compressed ambush piscivore that broods its young for about three weeks and releases them into vegetation.

Overview

Dimidiochromis compressiceps, the Malawi Eyebiter, is found in Lake Malawi, Lake Malombe and the upper Shire River and reaches a length of about 23 cm (9.1 in). Its body is narrow and laterally compressed (hence the name compressiceps), with a large mouth and long jaws reaching about one-third of the body length. It is mainly piscivorous, hiding among aquatic plants and darting out to grasp prey, and it swallows prey tail-first. Its eye-biting reputation lacks wild support, as such behaviour has never been observed in the wild, although eyeballs have appeared in gut samples.

Sexing

The base colour is a whitish-silver body with a brown horizontal stripe along the sides. At sexual maturity males develop a dazzling metallic blue with reds and oranges on the fins, while females remain silvery, making mature males easy to distinguish.

Conditioning

As an ambush piscivore, broodstock should be conditioned on a meaty, protein-rich diet. Provide tall plants or vertical leaf-like structures to match the vallisneria-bed habitat in which the species hunts, along with stable, firm, alkaline rift-lake water.

Breeding Setup

House the species in a long tank that gives the compressed body room to manoeuvre, with vegetation or vertical cover. Its laterally compressed body is an adaptation that lets it hide among aquatic plants and dart out to grasp prey, so tall plants both suit its natural behaviour and provide cover into which fry can be released. Keep one male with several females so courtship pursuits are spread across the group, with open substrate among the plants for spawning.

Spawning Behaviour & Trigger

The species is a maternal mouthbrooder. After the male fertilises the eggs the female takes them into her mouth, holding the developing young as is universal for Lake Malawi haplochromines.

Egg & Fry Care

The female mouthbroods the eggs and larvae for around three weeks before releasing the young into vegetation. Because the adults are predatory, released fry are vulnerable and are best reared separately among plant cover on suitably sized foods.

Common Challenges

The main challenges are providing a long, well-planted tank for this specialised ambush predator and protecting released fry from predation. As with all maternal mouthbrooders, the holding female fasts while incubating, so condition broodstock well beforehand.