TankBud

Red shoulder peacock

Aulonocara hansbaenschi

Also known as Hansbaenschi peacock, Fort Maguire peacock

FreshwaterFish

Red shoulder peacock (Aulonocara hansbaenschi)

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
Mouthbrooder · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Lake Malawi, southeastern coast

Overview

The red shoulder peacock is a classic Malawi peacock, generally mild for a lake cichlid. It is a fair step up from a first fish.

Did you know

The red shoulder peacock hunts by feel, like other peacocks. It hovers over the sand and uses sensory pits along its lower jaw to detect small invertebrates moving below the surface. Then it darts down to snap them up.

Caring for the red shoulder peacock

Give a harem of red shoulder peacocks at least 63 gal (240 L), with a sand floor and generous rockwork with caves. Leave open swimming lanes between the rocks.

Keep the water hard and alkaline, at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 7.5 to 8.5. Aim for the clean, stable, mineral-rich conditions of the rift lake. Offer sinking pellets and frozen foods such as brine shrimp and mysis, but go easy on rich, fatty foods to avoid bloat.

Keep one male with several females, to spread his courting and reduce squabbling. Males are territorial when breeding. They mix well with other peaceful to semi-aggressive haplochromines, but do poorly against boisterous mbuna that outcompete them for food.

Males set a crimson shoulder patch against royal blue. The red shoulder peacock is a maternal mouthbrooder of moderate difficulty, and the female holds the eggs and fry in her mouth.

Good to know

Aulonocara hansbaenschi is a cichlid of the family Cichlidae. The species honors Hans Baensch, whose aquarium atlases helped a generation of hobbyists tell one fish from another. It also goes by Hansbaenschi peacock and Fort Maguire peacock.

In the wild

The red shoulder peacock lives along the southeastern coast of Lake Malawi, where rock meets sand. It favors rocky caves more than the open sand many other peacocks prefer.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The red shoulder 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 red shoulder peacock need?

A red shoulder peacock needs at least 63 gal (240 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a red shoulder peacock need?

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

What does a red shoulder peacock eat?

A red shoulder peacock eats sinking pellets and frozen foods such as brine shrimp and mysis. Go easy on rich, fatty foods to avoid bloat.

How big does a red shoulder peacock get?

An adult red shoulder peacock reaches about 4.1 in (10.5 cm).

How can you tell a male red shoulder peacock from a female?

Males set a crimson shoulder patch against royal blue.

How does a red shoulder peacock breed?

The red shoulder peacock is a maternal mouthbrooder, and the female holds the eggs and fry in her mouth. Breeding it takes moderate effort.

Related species