Ok, from what I've been reading, what
Stephen St.Clair
was saying is very apt. Males will make their little circle pits. Females and juveniles will roam in groups, or occasionally solo, scouring the sand for tasty tidbits, and occasionally visiting a good looking male.
The males will make their pits, but just like the sunfish back home, the pits are often very close to each other. They will guard their little place vigorously, but they are used to having close neighbors. Some of the stuartgranti's like to nest in caves, but gentle slopes in the transition zone are very popular. Slopes that have good nutrients (crunchy bits) are best.
Where the slopes are can make a big difference in the population as well. A. "Usysia" and A. "Kande Island" are both sold as the Flavescent peacock, and they are both pretty much the same (part of the Stuartgranti complex where color and size are the biggest difference between them). The Usisya are bigger than the Kande's in the wild, by a few centimeters. Their location has a lot better nutrition. In the aquarium, with good feeding, they both grow to about the same size.
For a very fascinating read, try
https://www.malawi-guru.de/malawise...ight=WyJhdWxvbm9jYXJhIiwiYXVsb25vY2FyYSdzIl0=
You can switch the site to English.
What I still find confusing, however, is that Aulonocara are hunter-grazers. They scour the sand beds looking for - sensing - movement in the sand. They feed a lot on little invertebrates that they find. This works out just fine for the females and juveniles, but what do the males do? There can't be much to eat in their little pit.
They must leave to eat every day and then come back to reclaim their spot. I don't know. I haven't found an answer for that.
