This species was regarded as a specialist feeding on eyes of other fishes, hence the name Eyebiter, but such behaviour has never been observed in the wild or aquarium.
This predatory cichlid can reach a length of about 23 centimetres. The females are considerably smaller than the males. The mouth is quite large and jaws are relatively long, reaching about one-third of the body length.
This impressive cichlid normally shows a whitish-silver body with a brown horizontal stripe along the sides, from the snout to the tail. Sexually mature males put on a dazzling metallic blue with reds and oranges on their fins