(Please note that the fish shown in the photo is only a representative of what an adult specimen would look like. The color may vary based on the age and sex of the fish you receive.)
Scientific Name: Aulonocara nyassae
Common Name: Blue Peacock
Adult Size: 6 inches
Life Expectancy: 10 - 12 years
Habitat: Lake Malawi, Africa
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Ideal Tank Conditions:
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Temperature Range:78°F
- pH Range: 7.0 - 8.0
- Water Hardness: 5 - 18
Temperament: Mildly Aggressive
Diet & Nutrition: Peacocks are omnivores – in the wild they feed on small crustaceans, algae and cichlid fry. In the aquarium provide them a high quality cichlid pellet or flake (this should contain an adequate amount of yellow carotene pigments.) Most of their natural diet is meat based so ensure you also feed peacocks some frozen brine shrimp or frozen bloodworms periodically.
Breeding & Spawning: Not very difficult. Maternal mouthbrooder. Ideally it should be spawned in a species tank in a harem of one male and at least 3 females, although it will often spawn in the community aquarium.
Gender: Males are more colorful while females are silver and brown). But if in doubt look to the fins of these fish to determine its sex.
Males feature a “pointed” and slightly longer dorsal fin and anal fin. Females will have more rounded fins. The male may have bright egg spots on his anal fin, whilst a small percentage of females will also have egg spots.