Compressed Cichlid Red (Lamprologus compressiceps - red) - Cichlid Fish for Sale UK

Red colouration on a compressiceps-type body is an unusual combination, and that is exactly what the Compressed Cichlid Red (Lamprologus compressiceps red) offers: the strain's red tones over the narrow body shape the Compressed Cichlid name refers to. At about 4.5 cm when grown, it is a small fish that reads as anything but ordinary in a Tanganyika display.

The care record asks for committed hard-water conditions — 24–27 °C, pH 7.8–9.0 and 10–20 dGH — and a slightly larger footprint than its size might suggest, with 100 litres the recorded minimum. The extra room matters because this bottom-dweller is semi-aggressive and territorial by inclination; its compatibility notes specify tankmates only in a suitably large tank with territories, so generous rockwork with clear boundaries is part of the specification, not a styling choice. Diet is carnivorous, care is moderate, and lifespan is recorded at eight years.

Compare our two compressiceps listings and the differences are instructive. The red form's record asks for 100 litres against the standard form's 80, reflecting compatibility notes that lean harder on space and structure. If your rockwork budget runs to one large pile in a modest tank, take the standard fish; if you can build several distinct territories, the red strain repays the effort every time the light catches it. Either way the water spec is identical, so nothing is lost by upgrading the plan later.

Red compressiceps care summary

• ~4.5 cm adult; ~8-year recorded lifespan
• 100-litre minimum with structured territories
• 24–27 °C, pH 7.8–9.0, 10–20 dGH
• Carnivore living at the bottom of the tank
• Semi-aggressive and inclined to hold ground

Compatible company includes other Lake Tanganyika cichlids of similar size and temperament — given space and defined territories — and rock-dwelling Tanganyikan species under the same conditions. Avoid small peaceful fish that could be bullied or eaten, slow long-finned fish, aggressive species larger than this cichlid, soft-water community fish, and tiny invertebrates such as shrimp and small snails.

A note before ordering

Plan the rockwork before the fish arrives; this strain settles fastest where boundaries already exist on day one. We deliver across the UK by licensed live-animal courier, and live arrival is guaranteed.