Yellow Peacock

Give Your Fish Friend a Happier Home!

Your fish deserves more than just a bowl! Explore our collection of aquariums designed to create a healthier, more vibrant habitat for your aquatic friends. Easy to maintain, visually stunning, and perfect for every home.

Click image to enlarge

Looking for easy to maintain tropical fish combinations?

Scientific Name

Aulonocara baenschi

Min. Tank Size

65 gallons

Personality

Peaceful

Temperature

74-82°F

pH

7.5-8.5/10-25°dGH

Size

6"

Diet

Carnivore

Breeding

Egglayer

Compatibility

Best kept in a Lake Malawi biotype tank with other peaceful, non-conspecific Mbuna Cichlids; best kept in groups with 4 to 6 females for every male in the tank.

Yellow Peacock

This species is named for the bright yellow coloration exhibited by male specimens. Males of this species are usually yellowish orange in color and may also exhibit some blue or lilac coloration around the jaw area. Females of this species are usually less colorful and somewhat smaller than the males. Yellow Peacocks may also exhibit vertical banding on their bodies and males of the species often have yellow fins edged in white or light blue. These fish are endemic to Lake Malawi and they are usually found in the Nkhomo reef and in the area around Kande Island. This species tends to inhabit the intermediate zones of the lake – the areas where the rocky shoreline meets the sandy lake bottom.

Tank Set-Up

Yellow Peacocks are sometimes sold under the names Baensch’s Peacock, Sunshine Peacock and Nkhomo-Benga Peacock. These fish do best in a Lake Malawi biotype setup decorated with plenty of rocks. Sandy substrate is recommended for this species because it feeds primarily from the substrate, picking up mouthfuls of it and filtering out the food particles.

Feeding

Because these fish feed from the substrate, they should be fed a variety of sinking foods. Spirulina wafers and sinking Cichlid pellets are recommended for Yellow Peacocks, but these fish may also accept live and frozen foods if they sink to the bottom of the tank.

Breeding

Breeding Yellow Peacocks is best accomplished by keeping three females for every male in the breeding tank. The tank itself should be decorated with plenty of rocks and the water should be fairly alkaline and kept at a temperature between 77 and 80 degrees Fahrenehit. These fish are maternal mouthbrooders so, once spawning occurs, the female will take the eggs into her mouth to brood them. The average brood size of this species is between 25 and 50 eggs and brooding may take as long as 4 weeks.