OB Peacock Cichlid Care Guide - Aquarium Setup, Diet & Breeding

The OB Peacock Cichlid is a striking colour form of Aulonocara, recognised for irregular orange, red, cream or dark blotches scattered across the body and fins. Individual patterns vary considerably, making every fish appear slightly different. Mature males may develop vivid blue, yellow or red tones beneath the blotching, while females are usually less intensely coloured.

Peacock cichlids have an elongated, laterally compressed body and a pointed, attractive profile. Like other Aulonocara, they possess specialised sensory pores in the lower jaw that help them detect small invertebrates moving beneath the sandy lake floor.

In nature, peacock cichlids inhabit the clear, alkaline waters of Lake Malawi, particularly areas where sandy bottoms meet scattered rocks. They are generally less boisterous than many mbuna, spending much of their time moving over open substrate while searching for food.

OB Peacock Cichlids are active, intelligent and often relatively peaceful for Malawi cichlids, although males become territorial around spawning sites. The OB pattern is a domestically maintained aquarium strain, and its appearance can vary widely between breeding lines.

OB Peacock Cichlids are orange-blotched colour forms developed from peacock cichlids of the genus Aulonocara. Their wild ancestry comes from Lake Malawi in East Africa, although the OB pattern itself is generally associated with selective aquarium breeding rather than one single wild locality.

A group should have at least a 200-litre aquarium, with a footprint of approximately 120 by 40 cm; a larger tank is preferable for multiple males or a mixed Malawi community. Use fine sand or another smooth substrate so the fish can sift naturally, together with limestone or other inert rockwork arranged into caves and clearly separated territories. Leave generous open swimming and foraging areas, provide strong filtration and good oxygenation, and use a secure cover because these cichlids can jump.

Males can reach approximately 15 cm (6 inches) in length, while females are usually smaller at around 10–12 cm (4–4.7 inches). Size varies between Aulonocara strains and individual breeding lines.

Feed a varied, mainly carnivorous diet based on high-quality cichlid pellets or granules, supplemented with frozen or live foods such as mysis shrimp, daphnia and brine shrimp. Small portions offered once or twice daily are preferable to one large feeding. Avoid making mammal meat or other fatty foods a regular part of the diet, and do not rely heavily on spirulina-based foods intended primarily for herbivorous mbuna.

Suitable companions include other similarly sized, relatively peaceful Lake Malawi peacocks and calm haplochromine cichlids with comparable water requirements. Avoid mixing them with aggressive mbuna, very large predatory cichlids or timid fish that cannot compete for space and food. Keeping different Aulonocara varieties together can result in hybrid fry, so separate species or colour lines if maintaining pure breeding stock.

OB Peacock Cichlids are maternal mouthbrooders. Encourage breeding with clean, stable, alkaline water and a group containing one male with several females. The male displays around a suitable flat rock or open spawning site, where the female lays eggs and picks them up in her mouth after fertilisation. She carries the eggs and fry for around three weeks, usually eating little during this period. The female can be left to release the fry naturally or carefully moved to a separate aquarium near the end of incubation.

Males are typically larger and much more colourful, often developing blue, yellow or red body tones beneath the orange-blotched pattern, with longer, more pointed fins. Females are smaller and generally display a duller grey, brown or orange-blotched appearance. Mature males may also show stronger egg-spot markings on the anal fin.