The Compressicep is an interesting cichlid, which is found in the Lake Tanganyike.
It has tiny tweezer like teeth which enables it to pick small invertebrates from almost any crevice in the rocks. It stays around the rocks and is hardly seen in the open waters.
They are seen often in schools of about a dozen young about 1 inch long. This cichlid looks and acts like the leaf fish from Brazil, Monocirrhus Polyacanthus. The eys can roll almost 90 degrees. Boulenger described this cichlid in 1898.
Size: adults are usually from 2 inches - 4 inches in the aquarium
Sex: Males are usually larger then females both look the same in color, Fully mature males have noticeably more elongated finnage and are higher bodied.
Food: They accept most foods; flakes, freeze-dried,frozen and live. You realy see them eat other fish.
This cichlid can be kept in pairs or in colonies. They are very good at fending for themselves without being orverly aggressive to tankmates. There very good for a Tanganyikan tank and they can also be kept with many cichlids from Lake Malawi and Lake Victoria. There are many diferent species and color morphs of Compressiceps from all part's of the lake, the most common is the Chaitika Compressicep Which is from Cape Chaitika and there an Orange color but they seem to have a larger amount of a gold coloration.
Spawning: They are very hard to get to spond in the aquarium but it can be done. The female will find a spawining site, a cave or crevice or a shell, which will be too small for the male to enter. Sometimes the male will do the chosseing the site, and will coerce the female to it. Females can spawn every 25-35 days when kept in good condition. The cichlid may spawn on the substrate or in the elevated areas. This cichlid is very secretive spawner.
This is one of my favorite Tangangyikan cichlids and hope one day to spawn them.
|
