Information on Malawi Peacocks

mike dunagan

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Lets comply information on Malawi Peacocks a starter guide for members to seek general information about "Peacocks". Imagines are terrific, but please include information as well. Please include sources.

Peacock is the nickname given to Aulonocara species from Lake Malawi. The fish are so named peacocks beacause the males show amazing colors like the bird it is named for. The females are rather drab brown/gray.


We will start with general information about Lake Malawi.


Lake Malawi (also known as Lake Nyasa, Lake Nyassa, Lake Niassa, and Lago Niassa in Mozambique), is the most southerly lake in the East African Rift valley system. The lake, third largest in Africa and ninth largest in the world, is situated between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. It is also the second deepest lake in Africa but its placid nature at its northerly shore gives no hint of this feature. The lake's tropical waters teem with more fish species than any other lake on Earth.
Lake Malawi is between 560[1] and 579 km long[2] and is 75 km wide at its widest point; its total surface area is approximately 29,600 km².[1] The lake is bordered by western Mozambique, eastern Malawi, and southern Tanzania. Its largest tributary is the Ruhuhu and its outlet is the Shire River, a tributary of the Zambezi.[2]
Lake Malawi lies in the rift valley formed by the East African Rift where the African tectonic plate is splitting in two. This is called a divergent plate boundary. The lake itself is approximately 40,000 years old.[1]
It is approximately 350km south east of Lake Tanganyika.

[FONT=&quot]The water in [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Lake Malawi[/FONT][FONT=&quot] is typically alkaline with a pH of 7.7 – 8.6, a carbonate hardness of 107 – 142 mg L-1 and a conductivity of 210 – 285 µS cm-1. The lake water is generally warm, having a surface temperature that ranges from 24 – 29 °C (75 – 84 °F) and a deep level temperature of 22 °C (71.6 °F).[/FONT]

From Wikipedia
 

mike dunagan

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Peacocks are members of the genera Aulnocara. These fish were once part of the group of fish known as "Haps" or Haplochromis. Today they are considered by many a seperate group from the other "Haps". One reason this group of fish has gained so much popularity is the coloration shown by the males. Females are silvery or brownish in color, fry and subadults will show the coloration of the females. Many of the different species of peacocks are difficult to determine by looking at the females, males on the other hand are easier to tell apart. Crossbreeding is common in the home aquarium if females from another Aulonocara species is present. Aulonocara live along the cliffs between open water and rock fromations. Some may prefer one area over the other. One feature shared by all Aulonocara cichlids is a sensor system that makes them highly aware of even tiny movements. Peacocks are omnivorous. More information will be posted in the future over breeding, tank setup and feeding.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/peacocks.php

http://fish.mongabay.com/peacock_cichlids.htm

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/cichlid/aulonocara.php
 

mukundam123

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thanks for this mike. just what i was looking for. want to start adding peacocks to my setup. any tips one which ones to start with? am aoing for colour, n poss breeding in a seperate tank...cheers
 

mike dunagan

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Note: Feel free to comment, but non information post will be clean time to time to keep the information viewable for members. All are welcome to post. Please post sources.

Tank setup. When setting up a tank for the home a few things need to be taken into account.

1. Size
2. Rocks
3. Substrate
4. tankmates

1. Size of the tank makes a world of difference. One thing a keeper needs to think with planning a tank is the ultimate number of fish and the setup. If doing a species only tank, or an all male show tank changes the setup requirements. If one wishes to do a species tank then a smaller tank is just fine. A standard 55, 40L, and 40B are all great tanks for a species only tank. You can easily put a male with a group of females. Notice that these tanks are at least 4ft long or like a 40 breeder, deep. This allows females to escape males. Rock work and other factors will need to be looked at as well. If you wish to do an all male tank, I would not have a setup under 100 gal 5fter, or 120 4fter. In best case a 6ft tank is better. With a setup like this, it is important have places for the fish to break line of sight. We will again cover this topic in a later section. The bigger the tank the better!

2. Although these fish are not Mbuna, they do live near the rock cliffs and will often breed in caves. If you are doing a species tank, be sure to have rock work with caves for females to escape, as well as enough room to breed. If doing an all male tank rock work becomes more important. The rock work needs to set up to break up the line of site of the tank, and also allow for a place for a fish to escape from time to time.

The rocks that work best are Texas Holey Rock, Rock large river rock, and even lace rock. When picking rocks, try to get ones without sharp edges. In an all male tank you will have chasing and edges can cause eye loss or death. In a species tank this can also happen to females trying to escape. Be sure to have a few places fish can escape sight of the rest of the tank for peace, a cave or two will work great.

3. Substrate is key. Auloncara are not as big at digging, but if you add a few smaller haps then you will need the sand from them. It also allows them to pick through the top of the sand. They do eat from the sand in the wild, but it is not a must have. I will never have a peacock tank without it.

4. Tank mate- Many people keep peacocks with many different fish. I have found small rock dwelling tangs work well. I have also found that small haps make great mates. Be sure to not mix female peacocks with other males. They will crossbred. This makes it 100% unlikely to know if fry are from the right males. They will often sneak in and try to fertilize eggs while other fish are breeding. Often people put peacocks with mbuna. I have found that in the long run the peacocks color and health suffer. They often stress and die.

Source: Mike Dunagan
 

Marius

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Peacocks are Harem Brooders.

A little rough description of the term "harem brooders": males don't form permanent bonds with one females, and if one is interested in breeding them, then more females (3-4) per each male is what is generally recommended. Especially in species only tanks (33gal minimum, for Mbunas or small Aulonocara species) there should be only 1 male and 7-8 females. The more females the less individual aggression and one can imagine, the quality of fry produced and sold further to other hobbyists carry a larger variety of genes (even if there's only one father).


All the best,
Marius
 

mike dunagan

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[FONT=&quot]Aulonocara[/FONT]

Psammophilous (sandy Substrate) Aulonocara species [reviewed by Konings (1995)][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

  • Aulonocara aquilonium Konings, 1995
  • Aulonocara brevinidus Konings, 1995
  • Aulonocara gertrudae Konings, 1995
  • Aulonocara sp. "gold"
  • Aulonocara gurntheri Eccles, 1989
  • Aulonocara macrochir Trewavas, 1935
  • Aulonocara nyassae Regan, 1922
  • Aulonocara rostratum Trewavas, 1935
Lithophilous (rocky shore) & intermediate zone
Aulonocara species ("Peacocks"):

  • Aulonocara baenschi Meyer & Riehl, 1985
  • Aulonocara ethelwynnae Meyer, Riehl, & Zetzsche, 1987
  • Aulonocara hansbaenschi Meyer, Riehl, & Zetzsche, 1987 (author questions if they are the same as stuartgranti)
  • Aulonocara hueseri Meyer, Riehl & Zetzsche, 1987
  • Aulonocara jacobfreibergi (Johnson, 1974)
  • Aulonocara koningsi Tawil, 2003
  • Aulonocara korneliae Meyer, Riehl, & Zetzsche,1987
  • Aulonocara maylandi maylandi Trewavaw, 1984
  • Aulonocara maylandi kandeensis Tawil & Allga-yer, 1987
  • Aulonocara saulosi Meyer, Riehl, & Zetzsche, 1987
  • Aulonocara steveni Meyer, Riehl, & Zetzsche, 1987 (Author thinks may be same as A. stuartgranti)
  • Aulonocara stuartgranti Meyer & Riehl, 1985
  • Aulonocara sp "stuartgranti maleri"
Aulonocara species incertae sedis ( of uncertain position with in genus):

  • Aulonocara auditor Trewavas, 1935
  • Aulonocara brevirostre Trewavas, 1935
  • Aulonocara trematocephalum Boulenger 1901
Source: http://malawicichlids.com/mw05000.htm


Aulonocara
Aulonocara aquilonium
Aulonocara auditor
Aulonocara baenschi
Aulonocara brevinidus
Aulonocara ethelwynnae
Aulonocara gertrudae
Aulonocara guentheri
Aulonocara hueseri
Aulonocara jacobfreibergi
Aulonocara kandeense
Aulonocara koningsi
Aulonocara korneliae
Aulonocara masoni
Aulonocara maulana
Aulonocara maylandi
Aulonocara nyassae
Aulonocara rostratum
Aulonocara saulosi
Aulonocara stonemani
Aulonocara stuartgranti
Aulonocara trematocephala
Aulonocara cf. ''Macrochir''
Aulonocara sp. ''Chitande type Kande''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Chitande type Masinje''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Chitande type Mozambique''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Chitande type Nkhomo''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Chitande type North''​
Aulonocara sp. ''German Red''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Jalo''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Lwanda''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Nyassae Mumbo''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Rubescens''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Stuartgranti Maleri - Chidunga Rocks''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Stuartgranti Maleri - Chipoka''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Stuartgranti Maleri - Maleri Is.''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Stuartgranti Maleri - Nakantenga Is.''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Stuartgranti Maleri - Nankoma Is.''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Trematocranus Masinje''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Turkis''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Walteri''​
Aulonocara sp. ''Yellow Collar''


Source: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/species_list_malawi.php



As you can see there is a lot of different names used with many of the different types of Peacocks. Staying on top of what is what can be trying. Worse when buying fish people label them according to all kinds of lists (not to mention trade names). This can lead to a lot of problems for keepers. We are forced to remember many names, and the hopes are to help each other.


Lately, I have come across a number of hybrids that have been labeled under old trade names. Names that are similar to actually species names. So please try and double check your fish with other members. Also try to keep track of your fish. Meaning, know where they came from, what generation they are, and share this information with anyone you pass the fish or fry off too!


Source: Mike Dunagan
 

mike dunagan

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I have mentioned that peacocks eat pray that they never see in the sand.

One of my peacocks, German Red (line breed) lost his sight fighting with other males against some badly placed rocks. The eyes have healed, but he can not see at all. I feared he would die, but he has lived 5 months now without a problem. When I feed he runs his face just above the sand and strikes at food moving over the bottom in the current. It is amazing to watch. He can not see the food, but he uses the pits in his mouth to find it as peacocks do in the wild.

Mike Dunagan (observations)
 
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mike dunagan

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While growing out a few different peacocks over the years I have come to the conclusion that many people ask when will the male start to show colors. In that question is actually a ton of answers depending on a lot of things. I will list some of these below for people to consider.

Tankmates
species
Tank size
individual fish
food

I know this seems like a short list, but by combining a few of these it grows even more difficult. Worse is that often a male who shows color late can be stunners. So when thinking about peacocks and when males will show color the real answer is wait and see!
 
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