Peacock Cichlid Care Guide - Aquarium Setup, Diet & Breeding

Peacock Cichlid is a general aquarium name for colourful members or forms of the Aulonocara group, a collection of haplochromine cichlids from Lake Malawi. Males are especially admired for their electric blue, yellow, orange, red or metallic colouration, while the precise pattern varies considerably between strains and trade names.

These fish have a streamlined, moderately deep body and large eyes adapted to life around the lake bed. Aulonocara use sensitive pores in the lower jaw to detect small movements in the sand, helping them locate invertebrate prey hidden beneath the surface.

In the aquarium, males establish small territories around rocks and display to females, but they are generally less relentlessly aggressive than many mbuna. Females and immature fish are usually much less colourful, often showing silver, grey or brown tones with subdued vertical markings.

Their natural habitat combines open sandy areas with scattered rocks, where the fish can forage, shelter and retreat from rivals. Peacock Cichlids are active, intelligent fish that spend much of their time inspecting the substrate and moving between cover and open water.

Because “Aulonocara sp.” can represent an unidentified species, locality form or selectively bred strain, adult colour, temperament and size can differ. Keeping identifiable forms separate is also important when breeding, as different peacock varieties can hybridise readily.

Peacock Cichlids are native to Lake Malawi in East Africa. The name Aulonocara sp. is used for an aquarium-trade peacock whose exact natural population or hybrid origin may not always be documented, but the group is associated with the sandy and rocky margins of the lake.

A small group or harem should be kept in an aquarium of at least 200 litres, with a footprint of roughly 120 × 45 cm; a larger tank is preferable for multiple males or mixed Malawi communities. Use fine sand or another smooth substrate that allows natural foraging, together with piles of rounded rocks that create caves, visual barriers and retreat spaces. Leave open swimming and feeding areas, maintain strong biological filtration and provide well-oxygenated, stable alkaline water. Hardy plants are optional, although many specimens are kept in a rock-and-sand aquascape because Lake Malawi conditions and digging behaviour can make planting difficult.

Males can reach about 15 cm (6 in) in length, while females are usually smaller at around 10–12 cm (4–4.7 in). Size varies between the many forms sold as Aulonocara sp.

Offer a varied diet based on high-quality cichlid pellets or granules, supplemented with spirulina-based foods and occasional frozen or live treats such as brine shrimp, mysis shrimp and daphnia. Their natural feeding style involves searching sand for small invertebrates, so sinking foods are useful. Feed modest portions once or twice daily and avoid making fatty, mammal-based foods or excessive meaty foods a regular part of the diet.

Good companions include other peaceful Lake Malawi haplochromines and suitably calm peacock varieties, provided the aquarium is spacious and the fish are carefully selected. Avoid mixing them with highly aggressive mbuna, very boisterous cichlids, tiny community fish or slow, delicate species. Keeping different Aulonocara forms together may result in hybrid offspring, so separate varieties if maintaining pure lines is important. A single male with several females is usually more harmonious than multiple males in a modest aquarium.

Peacock Cichlids are maternal mouthbrooders. Use one colourful male with several females, provide caves or flat stones for spawning, and condition the fish with a varied, nutritious diet. After courtship and fertilisation, the female carries the eggs and fry in her mouth for around three weeks, during which she may hide and eat very little. She can release free-swimming fry among rocks, where they may be raised separately and fed newly hatched brine shrimp or finely powdered fry food.

Males are usually larger and develop much brighter blue, yellow, orange or red colouration, often with stronger fin markings. Females remain comparatively drab, commonly silver, beige or brown with faint vertical bars, and their fins are generally less elaborate.