Strawberry is the lighter, pinker counterpart of the dragon blood, and plenty of shops sell an albino version under the same name. The label is not standardized, so two stores can ship visibly different fish. Go by the photo rather than the word. Females color up as well, which makes sexing young fish harder than on wild type peacocks.
In the wild
Strawberry peacocks are a captive bred Aulonocara line with no counterpart in Lake Malawi. Listings give them as Aulonocara sp. with no species name, because the cross was never documented. Hobby accounts treat them as a lighter selection out of the same dragon blood stock. No breeder, country or decade is on record, so the origin is best left open.
Good to know
The pale pink comes from less dark pigment over the same red base. Albino strawberries drop melanin entirely and show pink or red eyes. Breeders report that they cross readily with pure Aulonocara and that the young are fertile, which is why anyone keeping wild species keeps the two apart.
Did you know
The sp. on the price tag is where a species name would normally go. It stays blank on this fish and on every other hybrid peacock, because there is no wild species anyone can name as the source.
Common questions
Is a Strawberry peacock a different species from the OB peacock cichlid?
No. A Strawberry peacock is a variety of the OB peacock cichlid, Aulonocara hybrid, and it wants the same tank, water and food as the species.
What size tank does a Strawberry peacock need?
A Strawberry peacock needs at least 63 gal (240 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
How big does a Strawberry peacock get?
An adult Strawberry peacock reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm).
5.9 in (15 cm)74 gal (280 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)
5.1 in (13 cm)74 gal (280 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)
5.1 in (13 cm)74 gal (280 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
4.3 in (11 cm)63 gal (240 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)
4.3 in (11 cm)66 gal (250 L)77–82°F (25–28°C)
4.1 in (10.5 cm)63 gal (240 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)