Quick stats:
Listed tank sizes are the minimum
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| Size: | Maximum of 5 inches (12.7 cm) |
| Tank: | 60 gallons. |
| Strata: | Mostly middle, but will go to all levels |
| PH: | 7.5 to 8.5 |
| Hardness: | Hard to very hard. 10 - 18 dGH |
| Temperature: | 71°F to 79°F (22°-26° C) |
Classification:
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Subfamily: | Pseudocrenilabrinae |
| Genera: | Aulonocara |
| Species: | baenschi |
Common name:
- Sunshine Peacock, Benga Peacock, Baensch's Peacock, Yellow Peacock
Cichlid, Yellow Regal Cichlid.
The Sunshine Peacock Aulonocara stuartgranti
"Maleri" is a relatively small sized Peacock cichlid from Lake Malawi,
Africa. It only reaches about 5 inches (13 cm) in length. It is a
striking yellow in color highlighted with icy blues, especially on the
dorsal fin. Captive bred color morphs can also be orange.
This cichlid is a member of a very
small group of fish from Lake Malawi, Africa known as the Peacock
Cichlids, and they are very popular with aquarists. The Peacock Cichlids
are placed in the Aulonocara
genus which contains only about 28 species, but with many subspecies.
It is the brilliant colorations of blues, reds and yellows that give
this group the well deserved name of "Peacock".
The Sunshine Peacock is one of the well known varieties of the Flavescent Peacock Aulonocara stuartgranti. This bright sunny variety is also commonly known as Aulonocara stuartgranti
"Maleri", Orange Peacock, and Yellow Regal Peacock. It is widely
distributed in Lake Malawi and there are a number of natural color
forms.
The color forms of this variety are distinguished
from one another by the place where they are found, and then named
accordingly. They include the Aulonocara Stuartgranti "Maleri" (Chidunga
Rocks), Aulonocara Stuartgranti "Maleri" (Chipoka), Aulonocara
Stuartgranti "Maleri" (Maleri Island), Aulonocara Stuartgranti "Maleri"
(Nakantenga Island), and Aulonocara Stuartgranti "Maleri" (Nankoma
Island). Captive bred varieties have also been developed for particular
colors. These will often be called by descriptive names such as
Aulonocara stuartgranti "Marleri Gold" and Aulonocara stuartgranti
"Marleri Red Flash".
The Aulonocara Peacock cichlids, along with the Utaka Cichlids Copadichromis
and other non-Mbuna's, are members of the Haplochromis group.
Haplochromis is a type genus of free-roaming browsers sometimes call
"haps" or "happies". They live in more sandy areas and open waters, and
are generally larger cichlids than their Mbuna "rock-dwelling"
counterparts. They also are more peaceful cichlids and should not be
housed with the highly active and aggressive Mbunas.
Along with their beautiful colors these cichlids
will quickly adapt to the aquarium, thus making them a desirable pet.
They will eat a meaty diet and have an almost puppy like excitability
when being fed, thus adding to their appeal. Provide open space for
swimming and a lot of caves for them to hide and sleep in, and for
breeding. Frequent water changes will help in keeping this cichlid.
The fish pictured above is captive bred and has a
more orangish coloration than wild caught varieties. Due extensive
inbreeding, captive bred fish also tend to have more blue than the pure
species. The fish shown here has lots of blue in its dorsal fin while
pure breeds just have an ice blue edging on the top of that fin. This
variety was also intentionally bred to enhance its orange color.
Like all Peacocks cichlids, the
Sunshine Peacock may be so inbred that true strains can be hard to find
unless the specimen is wild caught (and they are not currently being
collected) or from a reputable dealer. Be careful not to confused this
fish with the Nkhomo-benga Peacock Aulonocara baenschi,
which is also sometimes called the Sunshine Peacock. Although both
these peacocks have a strong yellow body coloring, the Nkhono-benga
Peacock can be distinguished by the solid bright blue coloring on its
head.
Food and feeding
Sunshine Peacocks prefer live foods like brine shrimp and blood worms but will accept quality flakes and pellets.
Origin
Aquarium Care
Peacocks are hardy fish, but like all Malawi Cichlids, they will deteriorate under poor water conditions. The Malawi fish
are usually kept at a higher pH, which means that ammonia is more
lethal, so regular water changes are a must. They are also a messy fish
because they eat mostly protein foods, which puts an additional
biological load on the filtration system. The tank will need water
changes of between 20 - 50% a week, depending on the bio load.
- Water Changes: Weekly - Suggested water changes of 20-50% a week, as these are messy fish producing a heavy bio load.
The
streams that flow into Lake Malawi have a high mineral content. This
along with evaporation has resulted in alkaline water that is highly
mineralized. Lake Malawi is known for its clarity and stability as far
as pH and other water chemistries. It is easy to see why it is important
to watch tank parameters with all Lake Malawi fish.
Rift lake cichlids need hard alkaline water but are
not found in brackish waters. Still salt is sometimes used as a
buffering agent to increase the water's carbonate hardness. Forturnately
this cichlid has some salt tolerance. It can be kept in slightly
brackish water conditions, however it not suited to a full brackish
water tank. It can tolerate a low salinity that is about 10% of a normal
saltwater tank, which means a specific gravity of less than 1.0002.
A 55 gallon aquarium is okay a single fish, but 100
gallons is suggested when keeping more than one. They do fine in either
freshwater or slightly brackish freshwater but need good water movement
along with very strong and efficient filtration. Gravel makes a good
substate and the addition of crushed coral can help keep the pH up.
Crushed coral or aragonite sands do tend to dissolves easier than salts.
Keeping a higher pH however, means that ammonia is more lethal, so
regular water changes are a must for these fish.
Some rock decor is good to create hiding places and
areas of retreat, just be sure to leave open spaces along the bottom of
the tank as well. These fish need plenty of swimming room on the bottom
and in the mid portions of the tank. A nice thing about these guys is
they do not damage plants as much as other cichlids, so you can add some
to your decor if desired. They prefer subdued lighting.
- Minimum Tank Size: 55 gal (208 L) - A 55 gallon tank minimum is suggested for a single fish, with 100 gallons or more for a group.
- Suitable for Nano Tank: No
- Substrate Type: Any
- Lighting Needs: Low - subdued lighting - They prefer subdued lighting.
- Temperature: 73.0 to 84.0° F (22.8 to 28.9° C)
- Range ph: 7.7-8.6
- Hardness Range: 6 - 10 dGH
- Brackish: Sometimes - Salt is not found in their natural environment, but they do have a slight tolerance, keep levels below 10% - a specific gravity of less than 1.0002.
- Water Movement: Moderate
- Water Region: Bottom - These fish will tend to swim in the bottom areas of the aquarium.
The
Sunshine Peacock are much more peaceful than other Malawi cichlids so
are best kept with their own kind. Mbunas are not good tankmates for the
Sunshine Peacock. If they are kept with unsuitable tankmates they may
be eaten, especially the small females, or they will not get enough to
eat.
This cichlid is best kept alone, or as a group of
one male and two females. They are peaceful toward those of the same
species as long as there are not two males. More than one male works
only in a tank that is very large and can support different territories.
Try to not house with other Aulonocara
species to prevent hybridization. This cichlid can be kept with Utakas
that are similar in size, but avoid female Utakas that are similar in
appearance to the Aulonocaras as they will cross breed. You can use
dither fish such as Rainbowfish Melanotaenia sp. and/or Congo Tetras Phenacogrammus interruptus, because sometimes they can be very shy fish.
- Temperament: Semi-aggressive
- Compatible with:
- Same species - conspecifics: Yes - One male can be kept with 2 females in a large (100 gallon+) tank. Two males will fight.
- Peaceful fish (): Monitor
- Semi-Aggressive (): Monitor
- Aggressive (): Threat
- Large Semi-Aggressive (): Threat
- Large Aggressive, Predatory (): Threat
- Slow Swimmers & Eaters (): Threat
- Shrimps, Crabs, Snails: Threat - is aggressive
- Plants: Monitor
Sexing
Males tend to be larger than the females with more coloration.
Breeding
Peacock cichlids are mouth brooders. The female will lay her eggs on a rocky surface but collect them in her mouth after fertilization. The female will mouth brood for about 4 weeks and when the fry are released they can be fed on newly hatched brine shrimp or crushed flake foods.
Lifespan
Expected life span of Sunshine Peacock is 10 years.
Fish Diseases
Malawi
bloat is a typical disease for African cichlids, especially if their
dietary needs are not met with quality foods. They are susceptible to
other typical fish ailments, especially if water is stale and of poor
quality and oxygenation. One common problem is Ich.
It can be treated with the elevation of the tank temperature to 86° F
(30° C) for 3 days. If that does not cure the Ich, then the fish needs
to be treated with copper (remove any water conditioners). Several
copper based fish medications are available for Ich. Copper use must be
kept within the proper levels, so be sure to follow the manufacturers
suggestions. A copper test also can be used to keep the proper levels.
You can also combine increasing the temperature with an Ich medication
treatment.
Credits
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cichlid/SunshinePeacock.php
http://www.badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile168.html
http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?h=sunshinepeacock
http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?h=sunshinepeacock2
http://www.aquariumlife.net/profile-images/sunshine-peacock.jpg
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