Chitande aulonocara

Aulonocara ethelwynnae

Also known as Northern aulonocara, Chitande peacock

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–81°F (24–27°C)
pH: 7.5–8.5
Adult size: 3.5 in (9 cm)
Minimum tank: 63 gal (240 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Lake Malawi, Chitande
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

This is a dwarf peacock cichlid kept as a harem, one male with several females, which keeps his attention spread and lets him show his best bronze-blue color. It hangs just above the sand and rock, hunting small invertebrates it detects buried in the substrate, so give it a sand floor and feed small sinking foods, frozen bloodworm, and brineshrimp. It is peaceful for a Malawi cichlid and mixes with other calm, hard-water species, though males will defend a small patch of sand when breeding. A group is comfortable in around 240 liters with sand and scattered stone.

In the wild

Aulonocara ethelwynnae comes from the northwestern shore of Lake Malawi near Chitande, where it hunts along the transition between open sand and broken rock. This is hard, alkaline water, so keep the pH between 7.5 and 8.5 and the temperature around 24 to 27 C. Set up an open floor of fine sand, which the fish needs for feeding, with some scattered rocks and low caves at the edges for the females and for shelter.

Good to know

Aulonocara ethelwynnae is one of the smallest of the peacock cichlids, in the family Cichlidae, reaching only about 9 centimeters. It is named for Ethelwynn Trewavas, the British ichthyologist who described many Lake Malawi cichlids. Like all peacocks it is a maternal mouthbrooder, the female incubating eggs and fry in her mouth, and males take on iridescent blue color to court over their patch of sand.

Did you know

Peacock cichlids hunt by feel as much as by sight. They hover over open sand and read the tiny vibrations of insect larvae and other prey moving under the surface through enlarged sensory pores on the head, then dart down to snatch them.

Tank mates

Chitande aulonocara is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.