Blue Orchid Peacock
Aulonocara kandeense
Cichlidae
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About
The blue orchid peacock is a Kande Island fish and nothing else. One island on Lake Malawi's western shore is its entire world, and that is why the IUCN lists it as Critically Endangered - collectors worked the site hard enough that wild fish have become scarce there. That makes provenance the ethics of this page: ask the seller where the fish came from, and buy captive-bred. Males are near-black with a pale blue to white blaze running from the snout over the back and dorsal fin, bright yellow egg spots on a dark anal fin; females are silvery rather than the usual grey-brown, which is unusual for the genus. It sits close enough to the sulphurhead Aulonocara maylandi - same dark body, blaze mustard-yellow instead of white, same habit of laying many tiny eggs - that the Catalog of Fishes sank one into the other in 2012, a note FishBase still prints on its page while keeping kandeense valid; the decision was later reversed, and today's list holds them apart again. Two things set it apart from the peacocks beside it on the shelf. The first is diet: molar-like pharyngeal teeth and stomachs full of snails make this a shell-crusher as well as a sand-sifter, so a tank of ornamental snails will not stay a tank of ornamental snails. The second is size. In the lake males stop at about 10 cm; in an aquarium, on aquarium food, they reach 16, and the tank has to be bought for the second number.
Care
120 cm of length holds one harem if the fish stay lake-sized. They usually do not, so plan for 150 cm and 300 litres and a 16 cm male. Filter sand on the bottom - it goes in head first to feed, and sharp sand or gravel is the wrong surface for that - with rocks stacked firmly into caves and crevices along the back. Stack them on the base glass, not on the sand, because this fish digs underneath them. One male with two or three females; two males will fight until one is left, and several females split his attention so a tired or brooding one can slip away between the rocks. Hard, alkaline Malawi water: pH 7.8-8.3, 10-25 dGH, 24-26 C. It belongs with the calmer Malawi cichlids rather than with rock-dwelling mbuna, and it must be the only Aulonocara in the tank - the genus hybridises freely, and a Critically Endangered species is the last one whose fry should be of uncertain parentage. Plants are safe if they tolerate hard water. Keep a lid on the tank, and think twice before adding decorative snails.
Diet
Carnivore that sifts invertebrates from sand and crushes snails with molar-like pharyngeal teeth. Alternate a cichlid pellet with frozen brine shrimp, mysis, cyclops and mosquito larvae. Filter sand rather than gravel, modest portions, moderate protein.
Tankmate compatibility
Gets along with (43)
Possible with care (339)
Avoid (36)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.
Telling males from females
What works for this species, most reliable first.
- VentingStrong · only on a mature fish, easiest when she is in breeding condition
The method breeders use when the answer has to be right. Hold the fish upside down in a wet hand or soft net and look at the two openings ahead of the anal fin. The forward one is the anus; the one behind it is what you are reading.
- Egg spotsA hint only · from about 6 months
The yellow or orange ocelli on the anal fin of Malawi cichlids, traditionally explained as a lure that draws the female into mouthing them, fertilising the eggs she is already holding.
Also in these lists
Similar species
Same category and the closest water parameters — if this species isn't quite it, start here.
Health
Disease guide entries relevant to this species — worth a read before you reach for medicine.
The full disease guide →Sold in Lithuania
These Lithuanian shops listed this species in their public catalogue (checked August 8, 2026). Stock moves — ask before you travel.
These links are unpaid: we get nothing for them and ask for nothing.
Frequently asked questions
- What tank size does a Blue Orchid Peacock need?
- A Blue Orchid Peacock needs an aquarium of at least 300 litres (79.3 US gallons) with a footprint at least 150 cm (59.1 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
- What water parameters does a Blue Orchid Peacock need?
- Blue Orchid Peacock does best at 22–27 °C (71.6–80.6 °F), pH 7.5–8.5 and a general hardness of 10–25 °dGH.
- What group size does a Blue Orchid Peacock need?
- Blue Orchid Peacock is a social species — keep a group of at least 4 so natural behaviour emerges and stress stays low.
- Is the Blue Orchid Peacock suitable for beginners?
- Blue Orchid Peacock sits in the middle of the difficulty scale — manageable for a careful beginner who has done the reading, but it has specific needs worth researching first.