Red shoulder peacock

Aulonocara hansbaenschi

Also known as Hansbaenschi peacock, Fort Maguire peacock

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–81°F (24–27°C)
pH: 7.5–8.5
Adult size: 4.1 in (10.5 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, southeastern coast
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

This is a classic Malawi peacock cichlid, kept in a harem of one male with several females to spread his courting and reduce squabbling. Males are territorial when breeding but generally mild for a lake cichlid, mixing well with other peaceful to semi-aggressive haplochromines while doing poorly against boisterous mbuna that outcompete them for food. It feeds low over the bottom, sensing small invertebrates in the sand, so offer sinking pellets and frozen foods such as brine shrimp and mysis, but go easy on rich, fatty foods to avoid bloat. Give a harem around 240 liters with sand and rocky caves.

In the wild

It lives along the southeastern coast of Lake Malawi where rock meets sand, favoring rocky caves more than the open sand many other peacocks prefer. Set up a tank with a sand floor, generous rockwork with caves, and open swimming lanes between. Keep the water hard and alkaline, around pH 7.5 to 8.5, and warm at about 24 to 27 C, with the clean, stable, mineral-rich conditions of the rift lake.

Good to know

Aulonocara hansbaenschi is a cichlid of the family Cichlidae, reaching about 10.5 centimeters, the males setting a crimson shoulder patch against royal blue. It is a maternal mouthbrooder of moderate difficulty, the female holding eggs and fry in her mouth. The species honors Hans Baensch, whose aquarium atlases helped a generation of hobbyists tell one fish from another.

Did you know

Like other peacocks it hunts by feel: it hovers over the sand and uses sensory pits along its lower jaw to detect small invertebrates moving below the surface, then darts down to snap them up.

Tank mates

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