Buy Aulonocara and Malawi at Vegas Valley Cichlids

$9.99

$55
FLAT RATE SHIPPING

100% LIVE ARRIVAL
GUARANTEE

TALK TO A PERSON
SUPPORT 24/7

$55
FLAT RATE SHIPPING

100% LIVE ARRIVAL
GUARANTEE

TALK TO A PERSON
SUPPORT 24/7

Availability: Out Of Stock
Classification
Cichlidae. Subfamily: Pseudocrenilabrinae
Distribution
Endemic to Lake Malawi, where it’s widely distributed.
Habitat
Usually found in areas of shallow water in and around patches of submerged vegetation..
Maximum Standard Length
10″ (25cm).
Aquarium Size
60″ x 15″ x 18″ (150cm x 37.5cm x 45cm) – 250 litres.

Maintenance
Set up the aquarium with piles of rocks arranged to form caves, large areas of open water for swimming and preferably a sandy substrate. Planting with Vallisneria in dense patches would simulate the natural habitat of the species. There should be no strong current in the tank.

Water Conditions
Temperature: 73-82°F (23-28°C)
pH: 7.5-8.8
Hardness: 10-25°H

Diet
Will accept dried foods such as pellets but these should not form the basis of the diet. Although this fish is a piscivore by nature, it can easily be trained to accept dead foods in captivity. Prawns, mussel, cockle, lancefish etc. can all be offered.

Behaviour and Compatibility
A predatory species with a large mouth that should not be kept with fish under around 5″ in length, as these will be eaten. It’s peaceful enough with species too large to eat. The males only become territorial during spawning. Keep several females per male.

Sexual Dimorphism
Adult males are much more colorful than females, which are predominantly a plain silvery color.

Reproduction
Not easy. Polygamous maternal mouthbrooder.

The breeding aquarium should be at least 60″ in length. This should be furnished as suggested above with the addition of some large, flat rocks to provide potential spawning sites and areas of planting with Vallisneria. A pH of 8.0-8.5 and a temperature between 77-81°F are ideal.

A breeding group of one male and 3-6 females is recommended, as males can be quite hard on individual females. When ready the male will choose a spawning site, either on a flat rock surface or by digging a depression in the substrate. He will display around this, showing intense color, and attempt to entice females to mate with him. When a female is willing, she will approach the spawning site and lay her eggs there, after which she immediately picks them up in her mouth. The male fish has egg-shaped spots on his anal fin and the female is attracted to these. When she tries to add them to the brood in her mouth she actually receives sperm from the male, thus fertilizing the eggs.

She will carry the brood of up to 250 eggs (usually 40-100) for around 3 weeks before releasing the free swimming fry. She will not eat during this period and can be easily spotted by her distended mouth and brooding coloration of dark patterning. Female D. compressiceps are notorious for spitting out the brood early when stressed, so extreme care must be taken if you decide to move the fish. It is also worth noting that if a female is away from the colony for too long she may lose her position in the pecking order of the group. It’s best to wait as long as possible before moving a female unless she is being harassed by her tank mates.

Some breeders artificially strip the fry from the mother’s mouth at the 2 week stage and raise them artificially from that point. This usually results in a larger number of fry, but is an approach recommended only to those with previous experience handling fish. In either circumstance the fry are large enough to accept brine shrimp nauplii from the day they are free swimming/released by the mother.

Notes
D. compressiceps is an ambush predator in nature, its laterally compressed shape and head-down hunting position allowing it to remain hidden among Vallisneria beds and making it tricky to spot in open water. It has a dark stripe running from the snout along the back to the tail which serves to provide further camouflage.

Classification
Cichlidae. Subfamily: Pseudocrenilabrinae
Distribution
Endemic to Lake Malawi, where it’s widely distributed.
Habitat
Usually found in areas of shallow water in and around patches of submerged vegetation..
Maximum Standard Length
10″ (25cm).
Aquarium Size
60″ x 15″ x 18″ (150cm x 37.5cm x 45cm) – 250 litres.

Maintenance
Set up the aquarium with piles of rocks arranged to form caves, large areas of open water for swimming and preferably a sandy substrate. Planting with Vallisneria in dense patches would simulate the natural habitat of the species. There should be no strong current in the tank.

Water Conditions
Temperature: 73-82°F (23-28°C)
pH: 7.5-8.8
Hardness: 10-25°H

Diet
Will accept dried foods such as pellets but these should not form the basis of the diet. Although this fish is a piscivore by nature, it can easily be trained to accept dead foods in captivity. Prawns, mussel, cockle, lancefish etc. can all be offered.

Behaviour and Compatibility
A predatory species with a large mouth that should not be kept with fish under around 5″ in length, as these will be eaten. It’s peaceful enough with species too large to eat. The males only become territorial during spawning. Keep several females per male.

Sexual Dimorphism
Adult males are much more colorful than females, which are predominantly a plain silvery color.

Reproduction
Not easy. Polygamous maternal mouthbrooder.

The breeding aquarium should be at least 60″ in length. This should be furnished as suggested above with the addition of some large, flat rocks to provide potential spawning sites and areas of planting with Vallisneria. A pH of 8.0-8.5 and a temperature between 77-81°F are ideal.

A breeding group of one male and 3-6 females is recommended, as males can be quite hard on individual females. When ready the male will choose a spawning site, either on a flat rock surface or by digging a depression in the substrate. He will display around this, showing intense color, and attempt to entice females to mate with him. When a female is willing, she will approach the spawning site and lay her eggs there, after which she immediately picks them up in her mouth. The male fish has egg-shaped spots on his anal fin and the female is attracted to these. When she tries to add them to the brood in her mouth she actually receives sperm from the male, thus fertilizing the eggs.

She will carry the brood of up to 250 eggs (usually 40-100) for around 3 weeks before releasing the free swimming fry. She will not eat during this period and can be easily spotted by her distended mouth and brooding coloration of dark patterning. Female D. compressiceps are notorious for spitting out the brood early when stressed, so extreme care must be taken if you decide to move the fish. It is also worth noting that if a female is away from the colony for too long she may lose her position in the pecking order of the group. It’s best to wait as long as possible before moving a female unless she is being harassed by her tank mates.

Some breeders artificially strip the fry from the mother’s mouth at the 2 week stage and raise them artificially from that point. This usually results in a larger number of fry, but is an approach recommended only to those with previous experience handling fish. In either circumstance the fry are large enough to accept brine shrimp nauplii from the day they are free swimming/released by the mother.

Notes
D. compressiceps is an ambush predator in nature, its laterally compressed shape and head-down hunting position allowing it to remain hidden among Vallisneria beds and making it tricky to spot in open water. It has a dark stripe running from the snout along the back to the tail which serves to provide further camouflage.

Q: I just completed my order, what's next?
A: Before shipment, we quarantine all fish for at least 24-48 hours. During this period, we closely monitor the fish to make sure they are healthy. We also do not feed them during this time in order to 'clean out' their digestive system and limit their ability to soil the water.  This helps reduce the amount of waste in the bag and will keep the water clean.

Q: When can I expect my order to be ship?
A: Please see Chart below (No Shipping on Holiday)

Order Placed on:

Ship Date:

Arrival Date: UPS Overnight

Arrival Date: Southwest

Monday

Wednesday

Thursday

Wednesday

Tuesday

Thursday

Friday

Thursday

Wednesday

Monday

Tuesday

Friday

Thursday

Monday

Tuesday

Saturday

Friday

Monday

Tuesday

Sunday

Saturday

Monday

Tuesday

Monday

Sunday

Tuesday

Wed

Tuesday

Southwest: Depending on your location some cities have limited amount of flights per day. I will normally communicate this with you via email or text the arrival date and arrival time.

Note:  If the arrival date above don’t work for you please let me know on the note section upon check out on when you prefer to receive the package.

Q: Who delivers my order and how much?
A: UPS Next Day Air:
     For a low flat rate of $55 any where in the US with any size box.          

    Southwest:
    
For any order over $200 or order containing mostly large 4+ Males,
    we recommend Southwest Air Cargo for flat rate of $65.

Q: I just completed my order, what's next?
A: Before shipment, we quarantine all fish for at least 24-48 hours. During this period, we closely monitor the fish to make sure they are healthy. We also do not feed them during this time in order to 'clean out' their digestive system and limit their ability to soil the water.  This helps reduce the amount of waste in the bag and will keep the water clean.

Q: When can I expect my order to be ship?
A: Please see Chart below (No Shipping on Holiday)

Order Placed on:

Ship Date:

Arrival Date: UPS Overnight

Arrival Date: Southwest

Monday

Wednesday

Thursday

Wednesday

Tuesday

Thursday

Friday

Thursday

Wednesday

Monday

Tuesday

Friday

Thursday

Monday

Tuesday

Saturday

Friday

Monday

Tuesday

Sunday

Saturday

Monday

Tuesday

Monday

Sunday

Tuesday

Wed

Tuesday

Southwest: Depending on your location some cities have limited amount of flights per day. I will normally communicate this with you via email or text the arrival date and arrival time.

Note:  If the arrival date above don’t work for you please let me know on the note section upon check out on when you prefer to receive the package.

Q: Who delivers my order and how much?
A: UPS Next Day Air:
     For a low flat rate of $55 any where in the US with any size box.          

    Southwest:
    
For any order over $200 or order containing mostly large 4+ Males,
    we recommend Southwest Air Cargo for flat rate of $65.

Q: Some or all of my fish arrived dead - what do I do?
A: We offer a Live Arrival Guarantee service for four hours after door delivery. In the event that a fish arrives dead in the shipping bag, you must take clear digital pictures of the fish in an unopened bag and email it to vegasvalleycichlids@gmail.com within four hours of receiving your package. Live Arrival Guarantee is voided after the bags have been opened.

VegasValleyCichlids.com will also refund (Not Store Credit) on any DOA'S that involve carrier mishandling, which includes delays (Less than 48 hours), damaged boxes or water temperature extremes. DOA's must be reported the day of arrival and be accompanied by an emailed photo to ensure refund.

    25% DOA
    We will refund 25% of shipping and the price of the DOA fish. 

   50% DOA
  
We will refund 50% of shipping the and price of the DOA fish.

   75% DOA
   We will refund 100% of shipping and 100% of all the fish.
   You keep the fishes that made it for FREE.

 

Q: Some or all of my fish arrived dead - what do I do?
A: We offer a Live Arrival Guarantee service for four hours after door delivery. In the event that a fish arrives dead in the shipping bag, you must take clear digital pictures of the fish in an unopened bag and email it to vegasvalleycichlids@gmail.com within four hours of receiving your package. Live Arrival Guarantee is voided after the bags have been opened.

VegasValleyCichlids.com will also refund (Not Store Credit) on any DOA'S that involve carrier mishandling, which includes delays (Less than 48 hours), damaged boxes or water temperature extremes. DOA's must be reported the day of arrival and be accompanied by an emailed photo to ensure refund.

    25% DOA
    We will refund 25% of shipping and the price of the DOA fish. 

   50% DOA
  
We will refund 50% of shipping the and price of the DOA fish.

   75% DOA
   We will refund 100% of shipping and 100% of all the fish.
   You keep the fishes that made it for FREE.

 

Dimidiochromis Compressiceps Dimidiochromis Compressiceps

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