Live fish · WA only

Lyretail Checkerboard Cichlid (Dicrossus filamentosus)

A delicate checkerboard cichlid with a lyre tail, for soft water keepers.

Care levelExpert

EasyModerateExpert

Water temperature26 to 30°C

18°C32°C

Group sizeKeep 2 or more

Adult size9cm

LivesBottom to middle

DietCarnivore

SuitsPlanted tanksExperienced keepers

Lyretail Checkerboard Cichlid

Dicrossus filamentosus4.7(26)

Expert carePeacefulKeep 2+

$49.95each, incl. GST

Live fish delivery, WA only$35 Perth metro and Mandurah, $65 rest of WA. One fee covers your whole order, plants and dry goods included. Sent overnight on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to a street address (no PO Boxes).

Free pickup in KenwickOpen Tue to Sat, 12pm to 6pm

A delicate checkerboard cichlid with a lyre tail, for soft water keepers.

Care levelExpert

EasyModerateExpert

Water temperature26 to 30°C

18°C32°C

Group sizeKeep 2 or more

Adult size9cm

LivesBottom to middle

DietCarnivore

SuitsPlanted tanksExperienced keepers

Pairs well with this fish

Picked by our team to go with this.

About this fish

Dicrossus filamentosus is a delicate dwarf cichlid prized for its intricate checkerboard pattern and elegant finnage.

Why you will love it

Unique checkerboard body pattern
Graceful, elongated finnage
Approx size: 5–7 cm
Interesting dwarf cichlid behavior
Best kept in pairs or small groups

Care requirements

Care level: Moderate
Adult size: 5–7 cm
Temperature: 24 to 28 °C
pH: 5.0 to 6.5
Swimming level: Bottom/Mid
Minimum group size: Pair or 4+

Feeding: Small live and frozen foods preferred.
Compatibility: Peaceful but best with soft-water species.
School of Scape quality: Sensitive, thrives in stable conditions.

How your fish arrive

Packed in oxygen filled bags inside an insulated box and sent overnight by air express on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Live arrival

8 hour live arrival guarantee. If a fish arrives dead or clearly stressed from transit, contact us within 8 hours of delivery with photos of the fish in the original sealed bag, and we will replace or refund it. Freight is not refundable, and someone needs to be home to accept the delivery. Remote far north WA (Gascoyne, Pilbara and Kimberley) is sent at your own risk.

Read the full policy

Delivery and returns

Free delivery over $100 in WA and $150 elsewhere in Australia. Free pickup from our Kenwick store, Tue to Sat, 12pm to 6pm.

Returns policy

5 stars: 18 (69%)
4 stars: 7 (27%)
3 stars: 1 (4%)
2 stars: 0 (0%)
1 star: 0 (0%)

Excellent service

Had a small concern about timing and the team responded quickly and sorted it out. Fish arrived perfect. Great customer service makes all the difference.

Very happy

Came packed beautifully with heat pack and plenty of oxygen. Acclimated over an hour and they're thriving. Highly recommend.

Great little fish

Bright, active and curious. They explore the whole tank and are always interested in feeding time.

Thriving

A few weeks in now and they've grown and coloured up beautifully. Eating everything I offer and very active.

All survived transit

Every single one made it through delivery to Melbourne in great shape. Carefully bagged and double boxed. Couldn't ask for more.

Stunning fish

Wow. Just wow. These settled into my planted tank straight away and are constantly out and about. Packaging was spot on too.

Great seller

Communicative and clearly cares about the animals. The fish reflect that.

Settled in fast

Honestly impressed. Within two days they were schooling and showing off their best colours. The kids love watching them.

Healthy, hardy and gorgeous.

Recommend

Quality fish at a fair price. Will buy again.

Healthy and active

Arrived in great condition, all swimming happily within an hour of acclimating. Colours are even better than the photos. Really happy with the whole experience.

Will order again

Second time buying and just as good as the first. Reliable seller, good communication, healthy livestock.

Very pleased

These are exactly what I was after for my aquascape. Active, colourful and clearly healthy. Acclimation was easy with no losses.

Lovely temperament

Peaceful and a great fit for my community setup. They get along with everything else in there.

Bigger than expected

Pleasantly surprised at the size when they arrived. Strong, alert and eating within the day. Will definitely order from School of Scape again.

Impressed

Better than my local store by a mile. Quality you can see straight away.

Good size and health

Decent size on arrival, no signs of stress and acclimated without any issues. Recommend to anyone.

Beautiful colouring

Love them

Such characters. Always out the front of the glass.

Perfect addition

Added these to my community tank and they fit right in. No aggression, great colour, and the delivery was quicker than I thought it would be living regionally.

Good experience

Smooth ordering and the fish were healthy on arrival. Took a couple of days to come out of hiding but totally normal.

Beautiful fish, fast post

Couldn't be happier. Packed well, posted quickly and arrived looking fantastic. They've become the centrepiece of my tank.

Schooling beautifully

Got a group of them and they shoal together constantly. Such a great look in my display tank.

Top quality stock

You can really tell these are well looked after before shipping. No stress marks, no clamped fins, just healthy fish. This is my third order and the quality is consistent every time.

Quality stock

Clearly bred and raised properly. No deformities, great finnage and they ate flake straight away.

Happy customer

Arrived safe and sound interstate. The heat pack was a nice touch given the cold snap we've had.