Beak peacock

Care at a glance

Overview

This is one of the larger peacock cichlids, a deepwater species that is slower and more deliberate than the rock-zone Malawi crowd. Keep it socially as a harem, one male with several females, which suits its breeding habits and eases aggression. It swims in the middle and lower water and is territorial for a peacock, so choose tankmates with caution: other medium to large Malawi cichlids of similar temperament, avoiding delicate or tiny fish. It hunts small invertebrates over sand, so feed sinking pellets and frozen foods such as mysis and brine shrimp. Give it a sandy tank of at least 265 liters with rock structure.

In the wild

It lives in the deeper waters of Lake Malawi, below the busy rock zone, hunting over open sand for small prey it detects through sensory pores on its head. Give it the standard rift-lake chemistry, hard and alkaline at about pH 7.6 to 8.6 and 24 to 28 C. A sand floor with scattered rock and subdued lighting suits a fish that naturally lives where light is low.

Good to know

A member of the cichlid family, it reaches around 20 cm, which makes it one of the largest peacocks in the genus Aulonocara. Its name rostratum refers to its drawn-out snout, or beak. Like other peacocks it is a maternal mouthbrooder, the female carrying eggs and fry, and it is of moderate breeding difficulty.

Did you know

Deepwater peacocks look drab in the lake, where there is little light to show off color. Males only develop their full brightness under aquarium lighting, which is why shops often sell plain-looking fish that color up strongly once settled and well lit.

Common questions

Related species

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• 

  Eureka red peacock

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• 

  Pale usisya aulonocara

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• 

  Sunshine peacock cichlid

  Aulonocara baenschi

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• Günther's peacock

  Aulonocara guentheri

  Freshwater

  5.9 in (15 cm)74 gal (280 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)
• OB peacock cichlid

  Aulonocara hybrid

  Freshwater

  5.9 in (15 cm)63 gal (240 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)