Aulonocara Sp?

[KayZ]

Anyone here keep peacock cichlids? I can't find any info on here about them, and I'd really like to know what they're like to keep from people who keep them

 

[Moby-Krib]

So what exactly would you like to know?
I could go on all day with how, what, which, how many I have and want, and all the mistakes I've made along the way.

If your familiar with lake Malawi Cichlids your most of the way there already..

Absolute Minimum tank size for most all Peacocks is 50gal but I strongly recommend a 75gal or larger.
Same basic tank set up but with less rock work and more open spaces.
If you plan to have any females at all you will have to stick to one type as the females almost all look alike and interbreeding is highly likely leaving you with unsaleable hybrids.

If you want an all male show tank then you can keep one of each type, keeping coloring's as different as you can up to stocking lvl of your tank. Malawi Peacock Profiles Some get along better than others but few are very aggressive towards any but a similarly colored or male of their own kind.
You don't stock Auloncara as heavily as Mbuna normally. But still want a high gph turnover from your filter as they are large and produce a fair amount of waste.

That's the short abridged version, they are a great, mostly active, colorful (except the drab females) fish, I Absolutely love em.

This picture has a German red, A Benga Yellow and just the tail of a Jacobfreibergi "Eureka" all juvenile in this picture, much more colored and finned out now.

 

[KayZ]

Thanks Moby, do they tear up plants alot? How aggressive are they? Do they need to be in more of a species tank rather than a community tank?
Oh and how big do they get?

 

[nmonks]

Moby-Krib covered the key stuff there. Couple things I'd add. The first is they shouldn't normally be mixed with Mbuna because they aren't as aggressive and have different requirements, needing fewer rocks and more open water. Mbuna are more pushy (they're hard-wired to do well in intense competition for space and food) and likely to bully or at least scare the less pushy Aulonocara, making it harder for the Aulonocara to settle down and feed properly.

I strongly agree with Moby-Krib about keeping only a single species in your aquarium if you plan on mixing males and females. Be on the lookout for hybrids in the shops too, because hybrids are very commonly sold, usually as "Peacock Cichlids" without a Latin name, but even when a Latin name is given, it may not be appropriate. Expect to pay a premium for good quality stock, and go shopping for quality rather than price. If you get a good quality group of males and females they'll soon breed, and selling on pure-bred offspring isn't difficult and should eventually offset any additional expense.

As for tankmates, they mix quite well with non-Mbuna Malawian cichlids, particularly the haplochromines. You often see them mixed with Mbuna but it isn't a good idea unless the tank is huge and you've carefully chosen less aggressive Mbuna varieties (not Dwarf Mbuna, but rather species like Labidochromis caeruleus and Iodotropheus sprengerae that tend not to be pushy or nippy). Still, unless the tank is very large and there's both rockwork and open water in abundance, it's best to avoid mixing Peacocks and Mbuna completely.

A while back I edited a piece by Mary Bailey on Aulonocara that I think you'll find very useful. You will doubtless have come across Mary before in the cichlid press.

Cheers, Neale

 

[rifty]

this is a good page to Id Aulonocara http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/category.php?cat=3

 

[Moby-Krib]

Thanks Moby, do they tear up plants alot? How aggressive are they? Do they need to be in more of a species tank rather than a community tank?
Oh and how big do they get?

nmonks had some great info there all accurate.

Although you wont see many in their natural habitat they tend to be better with plants than Mbuna but they will sift the sand a bit so stick to hardy or cheap plants if you must have some.
They are on the low end of aggression unless kept with females or other colored males of their own variety, they then become much more aggressive.
nmonks covered the species versus community tank.

As for tankmates, they mix quite well with non-Mbuna Malawian cichlids, particularly the haplochromines. You often see them mixed with Mbuna but it isn't a good idea unless the tank is huge and you've carefully chosen less aggressive Mbuna varieties (not Dwarf Mbuna, but rather species like Labidochromis caeruleus and Iodotropheus sprengerae that tend not to be pushy or nippy). Still, unless the tank is very large and there's both rockwork and open water in abundance, it's best to avoid mixing Peacocks and Mbuna completely.

I'd say in my experience Labidochromis caeruleus do fine but most other mbuna are to be avoided as tank mates.
Stick to African rift lake tank mates , I personally stick to Lake Malawi species exclusively but some lake Tanganyika or lake Victoria species could be considered.
Stick to synodontis cats for your bottom feeders as well, BN pleco are sometimes housed but I have first hand horror stories with that.
Most peacocks get to about 6" give or take.