TankBud

Günther's peacock

Aulonocara guentheri

Also known as Guentheri aulonocara

FreshwaterFish

Günther's peacock (Aulonocara guentheri)

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
7.5–8.5
Adult size
5.9 in
15 cm
Minimum tank
74 gal
280 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Mouthbrooder · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Lake Malawi, southeastern arm

Overview

Günther's peacock is one of the plainer Malawi peacocks, a calm cichlid that stays near the bottom over open sand. It takes a little more care than the easiest fish.

Did you know

Günther's peacock is named for Albert Günther, a nineteenth-century ichthyologist at the British Museum who cataloged thousands of the world's fishes. More than a century on, his name still rides on this Malawi sand sifter.

Caring for the Günther's peacock

A group of Günther's peacocks settles well in a tank of at least 74 gal (280 L). It feeds from the sand, so lay a broad, open bed of soft sand with only a few stones for structure.

Keep the water hard and alkaline, at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 7.5 to 8.5. Keep it clean and stable, since these rift lake fish do best with steady chemistry. Offer sinking pellets alongside frozen mysis, brine shrimp and bloodworm. Make sure enough food sinks to the sand where it feeds.

Keep one male to a group of females, which spreads his courting and keeps any one female from being harried. It is calm and suits a peaceful Malawi community of similar-sized peacocks and haps. It needs no species-only setup.

The male simply guards a spawning site on the sand. It broods maternally, with the female holding the developing eggs in her mouth. Breeding is of moderate difficulty.

Good to know

Aulonocara guentheri is a member of the family Cichlidae and one of the larger sand-dwelling peacocks. Like others in its genus, it cruises the sand and detects buried invertebrates through enlarged sensory pores on its head. It then takes a mouthful of substrate and sifts out the food.

In the wild

Günther's peacock lives over the muddy sand of Lake Malawi's southeastern arm, away from the rocks. It hunts invertebrates in the substrate there.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Günther's peacock is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a Günther's peacock need?

A Günther's peacock needs at least 74 gal (280 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Günther's peacock need?

A Günther's peacock is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 7.5–8.5.

What does a Günther's peacock eat?

A Günther's peacock eats sinking pellets alongside frozen mysis, brine shrimp and bloodworm. Make sure enough food sinks to the sand where it feeds.

How big does a Günther's peacock get?

An adult Günther's peacock reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm).

How does a Günther's peacock breed?

Günther's peacock broods maternally, with the female holding the developing eggs in her mouth. The male guards a spawning site on the sand, and breeding is of moderate difficulty.

Related species