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Compressed CichlidCompressiceps ~ Lamp CompressicepsFamily: Cichlidae Altolamprologus compressicepsPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David BroughLatest Reader Comment - See More To tell the males and the females of this species (Lamprologus compressiceps) apart... the anal fins of the males extend beyond the begining of the tail fin, and... (more) tamara berg Not only is the Compressed Cichlid a very beautiful and graceful fish, it has a distinctive body shape!Compressed Cichlid Contents The species name "compressiceps" is derived from some distinguishing features of this fish. It is high backed and has a very laterally compressed head and body. Thus it is known as Compressed Cichlid, Compressiceps, or Lamp Compressiceps. Its unusual body shape allows it to to slip through narrow cracks and crevices in rocks to catch small fish. It is closely related to its very similar looking relative, the White Pearly Calvus Altolamprologus calvus. However the spots on the White Pearly Calvus are much more distinctive. Almost all Compressed Cichlid specimens are wild caught, and this fish is as fragile as it is handsome. It can be a somewhat picky eater and is susceptible to disease. Usually quiet and peaceful with other fish, it can be kept in a community aquarium as long as the tank mates are not too small. It can get territorial with its own species so make sure there is lots of room if you keep more than one. An aquarium best suited to this fish would be at least 40-50 gallons with a sandy bottom and lots of rock formations for hiding places. Though plants are not essential, they do not burrow and will not harm them. Just a word of caution, despite the quiet fragile nature of the Compressed Cichlid it does have some defenses. Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod cautions handling this fish carefully. In his book, Starting Your Tropical Aquarium, he says, "its dorsal fin spines are very sharp and cause an unpleasant itching if the skin is pierced". So if you do handle it, do so with care! For more Information on keeping this fish see: |
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Distribution: The Compressed Cichlid was described by Boulenger in 1898. Also called the Compressiceps or Lamp Compressiceps, they are found in Lake Tanganyika, Africa. They are widely spread, living close to shore in the littoral regions of the lake.
Status: This species is listed on the IUCN Red List with the status of 'LC', meaning 'Least Concern'.
Description: The Compressed Cichlid is high backed and has a very laterally compressed head and body. The forehead slopes down to a large mouth that is somewhat upturned. The body is patterned with between 8 to 12 dark vertical bars and white to bluish spots.
There are several geographic color variations of this cichlid ranging in a variety of hues from dark browns, to reds, yellows or rusty oranges
Size - Weight: The Compressed Cichlid grows to a length of 4 - 6 inches (10 - 15 cm), but are very slow growing.
Care and feeding: Since they are carnivores, the Compressed Cichlid needs protein foods. Although they are a picky eater, once established, they will eat live foods such as shrimp, guppies, and earthworms. Another good food source for them is freeze dried marine plankton. They may also eat frozen foods (such as brine shrimp or blood worms) as well as protein flakes or tablets.
CichlidWFCiaf_P41_med.jpg) Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough |
Do normal water changes of only 10% to 20% a week, or more frequent depending on the nitrite/ammonia levels and stocking numbers. The Lake Tanganyikan cichlids cannot handle large water changes very well unless the new water chemistry closely matches the water they are in. This inability to tolerate large water changes is due to Lake Tanganyika being very deep and the water tends to stay stable.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom: These fish will swim in the bottom and middle of the aquarium.
Acceptable Water Conditions: Hardness: 12-15° dGH
Ph: 8.0 to 8.5, wild caught specimens prefer the higher Ph.
Temp: 74-79° F (24-26° C)
Lake Tanganyika is the second to largest lake in the world, thus contributing to a low fluctuation in Ph and temperature. Several things all Lake Tanganyikan cichlids need are:
- Stable temperatures kept within acceptable limits. Anything under 72° F and over 86° F for too long is not tolerated by many of these fish (for ich, a few days at 86° F is acceptable according to one author).
- Lots of oxygen to survive. Lake Tanganyika is a very oxygen rich lake. Bubblers need to be going day and night, even if there are plants.
- Avoid overfeeding and overstocking.
- Do a 10-20% water change weekly.
- Regularly check nitrates (no more than 25 ppm), Ph (less than 7 is not tolerated), total hardness and carbonate hardness.
Social Behaviors: The Compressed Cichlid is a fairly non-aggressive community fish. They can be kept in a species only tank or in a larger aquarium with other durable fish. They don't burrow or disturb plants. If kept in a community type environment, the tank mates need to be pretty good size in relation to the Compressed Cichlid as this fish is a predator and will eat smaller fishes.
They can be kept with other Tanganyikan cichlids that are not overly aggressive, such as those of the Neolamprologus genera or Julidochromis genera. It is best to avoid housing them with the African cichlids from Lake Malawi or Lake Victoria.
Sexual Differences: The males are larger and become more high bodied than the female. Males also have longer fins.
Breeding/Reproduction: The Compressed Cichlid, Compressiceps, or Lamp Compressiceps are egg layers. They are sheltered substrate spawners. The female will pick a crevice too small for the male to enter to lay her eggs. The male will lie over the opening and release his sperm to fertilize the eggs. The female will lay more than 300 eggs.
See a general description of how these fish breed in Breeding Freshwater Fish.
Availability: The Compressed Cichlid, also called the Compressiceps or Lamp Compressiceps, is more rare and fairly expensive. As almost all available specimens are wild caught. Juveniles will run about $18 - $25 USD.
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