Sunshine Peacock Cichlid

Care at a glance

Temperature

77–84°F

pH

7.5–8.5

Adult size

4.3 in

It is calmer than most rift-lake cichlids but males get territorial when breeding, so give it at least 240 liters and keep one male with several females. It works the lower and middle water, cruising the sand for food. Keep water hard and alkaline, pH 7.5 to 8.5, at 25 to 29 C. Feed quality cichlid pellets and flakes with occasional frozen brine shrimp, and skip foods heavy in mammal protein. House it with other peaceful-leaning peacocks rather than aggressive mbuna.

In the wild

The sunshine peacock comes from Lake Malawi in East Africa, where it lives over sand and rubble near rocky outcrops in fairly shallow water. The lake is hard and alkaline, and that's what your tank needs to match. Use a sand bottom it can dig in, some rock piles for structure, and open swimming space. Keep the water hard with a high pH, in the mid to high 20s C.

Good to know

This is a Malawi cichlid in the family Cichlidae, one of the smaller Aulonocara peacocks at around 11 cm. Males show strong yellow and blue color while females stay plain brown. It is a maternal mouthbrooder: the female holds fertilized eggs and fry in her mouth for a few weeks until they can fend for themselves. Wild populations are considered stable.

Did you know

Aulonocara peacocks hunt by holding still over the sand and reading vibrations through sensory pores on the lower jaw and head, then darting down to grab small invertebrates buried just under the surface. That sensing system is why they spend so much time hovering low over open sand.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

Sunshine peacock cichlid is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.