Grant's peacock

Aulonocara stuartgranti

Also known as Flavescent peacock, Blue neon peacock, Usisya peacock

FreshwaterFish

Grant's peacock (Aulonocara stuartgranti) — Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–82°F (24–28°C)
pH: 7.6–8.6
Adult size: 5.1 in (13 cm)
Minimum tank: 74 gal (280 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Easy
Rarity: Common
Origin: Rocky and sandy transition zones of Lake Malawi in East Africa, where it hunts over open sand near rock piles.
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

Keep a single male with several females in a tank of at least 280 liters with a sand bottom and rock piles for cover. Water should be hard and alkaline, 24 to 28 C with a pH near 7.6 to 8.6. They mix well with other peacocks and calmer haps but should not share a tank with rowdy mbuna. Feed sinking pellets and frozen foods like brine shrimp and mysis, and avoid heavy protein loads.

In the wild

Grant's peacock lives along the rocky and sandy borders of Lake Malawi at depths of a few meters. It hovers just above open sand and uses sensory pores on its face to detect small invertebrates buried in the substrate. Males hold territories around rocks while females and juveniles roam in loose groups.

Good to know

Aulonocara stuartgranti belongs to the peacock group of Malawi haplochromines. Many trade names such as Blue Neon, Ngara and Usisya are geographic color forms of this one species. Only dominant males show the bright blue and orange coloring, so subordinate males and females stay drab.

Did you know

Different collecting sites around the lake produce such different colors that hobbyists often keep them under trade names without realizing they are all the same fish.