Feb18
The Peacock Cichlid
Cichlids are a branch of ichthyology and fish keeping that is has been studied to exhaustion, and then some. They are so varied, that one may have eaten or kept a cichlid at some point in their lives, and not even known it. For example, Tilapia is a type of Cichlid. So are common freshwater Angelfish and Discus. With hundreds to thousands of different species, all related and yet morphologically and physiologically different, it can be hard to keep track! This can be said also for those of us in the world of aquaria. If you’ve ever looked into getting a Cichlid, you might have come across biotopes. This is essential when dealing with Cichlids, as they come from many different regions, and many different lakes, for that matter. So it’s important to keep biotopes in mind when pairing Ciclids.
The Peacock Cichlid is one of these species, although not bearing the same infamous aggression as most Cichlids do. The Peacock Cichlid is becoming more popular in the aquarium trade. Depending on the species, a peacock cichlid can grow somewhere between 4 to 6 inches, and most need around 50 to 55 gallon tanks to accommodate their size. Most Cichlids aren’t meant for beginners, and that can be said for the Peacock Cichlid as well. Their set up is rather specific, needing a rocky set up with a hiding spot for every cichlid in the tank, a sandy bottom, a low flow filter, and hard water alkalinity.
If you’ve had fish before, however, and wanted to start with African Cichlids, the Peacock Cichlid is a nice start. Unlike many other species of Cichlid, the peacock cichlid is not a particularly aggressive towards other species. The only time you will see them being aggressive is when a fish enters their area, or when they’re fighting for territory. They can be housed with other cichlids of similar size in a community tank, as well as bottom dwellers of similar size.
There are several different species of Peacock Cichlid available now a days, and each has specific requirements for food or male to female ratio, as well as some being hardier than others. A good hardy species is the Yellow Peacock Cichlid (Aulonocara baenschi). These fish often do best in a harem setting, i.e. one male to several female. The ratio is different for each fish, but often one male to three or four females. Generally with Peacock Cichlids, you can tell them apart by the males being brightly colored and with spots on the anal fins, as compared to the female, that is dull in color. When immature, it’s hard to tell.