Strawberry Peacock Cichlid Care Guide - Setup, Diet & Breeding

Strawberry Peacock Cichlid is a trade name applied to vividly coloured peacock cichlids, usually associated with pink, red, orange and peach tones. Mature males are the most striking, with metallic blue or purple highlights sometimes appearing across the face, fins and body. Females are typically more subdued, often showing silver, grey or brown colouring with faint patterning.

These fish belong to the Aulonocara group, a collection of closely related Lake Malawi cichlids known for their relatively peaceful nature compared with many other Malawi species. They are active, observant fish that spend much of their time moving over the substrate and investigating rocks, crevices and open swimming areas.

In the wild, peacock cichlids live around the transition between rocky habitat and sandy lakebed. They use sensory pores in the lower jaw to detect small invertebrates hidden in the sand, then sift or mouth the substrate to uncover food. This feeding behaviour is reflected in their deliberate, searching movements in aquariums.

Because Strawberry Peacock Cichlids are commonly produced through selective breeding and may be sold under different trade names, their exact colour and lineage can vary. Responsible aquarists should avoid breeding them with unrelated peacock varieties if maintaining identifiable, healthy bloodlines is important.

The name Strawberry Peacock Cichlid is generally used in the aquarium trade for a selectively bred colour form or hybrid of Aulonocara peacock cichlids. Its ancestral stock comes from Lake Malawi in East Africa, where peacock cichlids inhabit rocky shorelines and sandy areas of the lake.

A group should have an aquarium of at least 200 litres, with a tank measuring about 120 cm long by 40 cm deep or larger preferred because floor space is important for territorial behaviour. Use fine, rounded sand or another smooth substrate, along with sturdy rockwork that creates caves and visual barriers while leaving generous open areas for swimming and foraging. Secure heavy rocks before adding the substrate, provide efficient filtration and strong oxygenation, and maintain stable, alkaline Lake Malawi water. A tightly fitting lid is advisable because these cichlids can jump.

Males can reach about 15 cm (6 in) in length, while females are usually smaller at around 10–12 cm (4–4.75 in). Exact adult size varies because Strawberry Peacock Cichlid is a trade name covering selectively bred forms and possible hybrids.

Feed a varied, primarily herbivore-safe cichlid diet based on quality spirulina or vegetable-containing pellets and flakes, supplemented with small portions of frozen or live foods such as brine shrimp, daphnia and mysis shrimp. Their natural diet includes small invertebrates sifted from sandy lakebeds. Offer modest meals once or twice daily and avoid making mammalian or fatty foods part of the diet, as these can contribute to digestive problems.

Suitable companions include other peaceful Aulonocara varieties, calm Lake Malawi haps of a similar size, and carefully selected peaceful Malawi cichlids with comparable water requirements. Avoid aggressive mbuna, highly territorial species, fin-nippers and fish that are much smaller or substantially more boisterous. Do not mix different peacock strains for breeding if you want to prevent hybrid offspring, and avoid keeping multiple similarly coloured males in a small aquarium.

Strawberry Peacock Cichlids are maternal mouthbrooders. Keep one male with several females and provide flat stones or open sand where the male can display and court. After spawning, the female carries the fertilised eggs and developing fry in her mouth for around three weeks, usually eating little during this period. The fry can be raised on finely crushed flake food or newly hatched brine shrimp once released, although separating the female into a suitable nursery aquarium helps protect the young.

Males are larger and develop the vivid strawberry, red, orange, pink and metallic blue colouring associated with this trade name, often with more pointed dorsal and anal fins. Females remain smaller and generally silver, grey or brown, with much less intense colour and more noticeable dark markings.