Appearance: This fish has a narrow, laterally compressed body, which allows it to conceal itself among aquatic plants.

• • Male: Mature males display a dazzling metallic blue body with fins that can show splashes of red, orange, or black.
  • Female: Females are less colorful, typically a more muted silvery-brown.

Size: The Malawi eye-biter is a large cichlid, with males growing up to 10 inches (25 cm) and females being somewhat smaller.

Behavior: It is a territorial and predatory species that thrives in open water. Though it will not target the eyes of other fish in captivity, it is aggressive towards smaller fish that it can eat.