TankBud

One species · 2 varieties

OB peacock cichlid

Aulonocara hybrid

Also known as OB peacock, Orange blotch peacock

FreshwaterFish

OB peacock cichlid (Aulonocara hybrid)

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
7.5–8.5
Adult size
5.9 in
15 cm
Minimum tank
63 gal
240 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Easy
Rarity
Common
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
no natural occurrence

Pick a variety

One setup covers every line on this page: care is the species' care.

Overview

The OB peacock cichlid is a hardy, boldly patterned hybrid for hap and peacock communities. It is easy to keep.

Did you know

OB peacock cichlids are fully fertile, unlike blood parrots.

Caring for the OB peacock cichlid

Give the OB peacock cichlid at least 63 gal (240 L), with plenty of swimming room over sand and scattered rock. Keep the water hard, alkaline, warm and stable, at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) and a pH of 7.5 to 8.5.

Keep one male with several females, or mix it with other robust Malawi fish. It is mostly peaceful and stays near the bottom. Leave fin-nippers out of its tank.

It crosses readily with any pure peacock species in the tank, so skip it entirely if you keep pure Aulonocara lines. Breeding it is easy.

Good to know

The OB in OB peacock cichlid stands for orange blotch, a mottled pattern carried by female mbuna of several Malawi genera. Crossing those females with Aulonocara males put the pattern onto brightly blotched, peacock-shaped males. The dragon blood and strawberry lines were bred out of the same programs.

In the wild

The OB peacock cichlid does not occur in Lake Malawi or anywhere else in the wild. It is an aquarium-made hybrid of Malawi peacocks.

Other named lines

OB, dragon blood and strawberry peacocks are man-made lines of mixed Aulonocara ancestry; none occurs in Lake Malawi. They share one setup, and all of them cross freely with pure peacock species.

Albino OB
red-eyed, pale take on either line

Common questions

What size tank does an OB peacock cichlid need?

An OB peacock cichlid needs at least 63 gal (240 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does an OB peacock cichlid need?

An OB peacock cichlid is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 7.5–8.5.

How big does an OB peacock cichlid get?

An adult OB peacock cichlid reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm).

How does an OB peacock cichlid breed?

OB peacock cichlids breed easily, and they cross readily with any pure peacock species in the same tank.

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