OB peacock cichlid
Aulonocara hybrid
Also known as OB peacock, Orange blotch peacock
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
- Origin
- no natural occurrence
- Family
- Cichlidae
Overview
A hardy, boldly patterned cichlid for hap and peacock communities: one male with several females or other robust Malawi fish, plenty of swimming room, and no fin-nippers. Skip it entirely if you keep pure Aulonocara lines.
In the wild
The OB peacock does not occur in Lake Malawi or anywhere else in the wild; it is an aquarium-made hybrid of Malawi peacocks. Its ancestry points to what it wants: hard, alkaline water over sand and scattered rock, kept warm and stable.
Good to know
OB 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, and the dragon blood and strawberry lines were bred out of the same programs.
Did you know
Unlike blood parrots, OB peacocks are fully fertile, and they cross readily with any pure peacock species in the tank, which is exactly why breeders of wild-type Aulonocara keep them out.
Varieties
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.
- Dragon blood
- solid pink-red, no blotches; also sold as firefish
- Strawberry
- lighter, brighter pink-red
- 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 do OB peacock cichlid need?
OB peacock cichlid are comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 7.5–8.5.
How big do OB peacock cichlid get?
An adult OB peacock cichlid reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm).
Appears in
Freshwater fish · Cichlids · Beginner fish · Bottom dwellers
Keeping OB peacock cichlid?
Track water tests, reminders and stocking fit.
Planning tankmates
See how OB peacock cichlid fits a stocking plan. Open the stocking calculator
Add to your site
Show this species on your own site: a shortcode for WordPress, or an HTML embed for anywhere else.
Related species
Günther's peacock
Aulonocara guentheriFreshwater5.9 in (15 cm)74 gal (280 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)
Grant's peacock
Aulonocara stuartgrantiFreshwater5.1 in (13 cm)74 gal (280 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Gertrude's peacock
Aulonocara gertrudaeFreshwater5.1 in (13 cm)74 gal (280 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)
Konings' peacock
Aulonocara koningsiFreshwater4.3 in (11 cm)63 gal (240 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)
Sulfurhead peacock
Aulonocara maylandiFreshwater4.3 in (11 cm)66 gal (250 L)77–82°F (25–28°C)Red shoulder peacock
Aulonocara hansbaenschiFreshwater4.1 in (10.5 cm)63 gal (240 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)