Chitande Peacock
Aulonocara ethelwynnae
Cichlidae
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About
The chitande peacock is a northern fish and a small one. At 9 to 11 cm it is the smallest peacock in this catalogue - two centimetres under the sunshine peacock and the peacock cichlid, six under the Malawi butterfly - and that size is the whole practical case for it: a 120 cm tank holds its harem with room to spare. It lives on Lake Malawi's north-western shore - Chitande Island and a short run of coast between Ngara and Chilumba - over the intermediate zone, where rock lies scattered across sand. Its habitat splits by sex, and that is worth knowing before you build the aquascape: females and immature males form loose schools in shallow water around three metres down, while territory-holding males go deep, reported at six or seven metres by one account and below fifteen by another. So the females want open water and cover to retreat into, and the male wants a patch of bottom he can call his. Mature males carry a yellow glow along the flanks with seven dark bars under the dorsal, a violet-blue dorsal fin with black lappets and orange in the soft rays; nuptial males add blue between the bars and on the lower head. Females are the quiet brown-grey of every peacock female. It is genuinely uncommon in the hobby, and that is the reason to be careful with it rather than a reason to feel clever: rare peacocks are exactly the ones whose lines get quietly diluted, because this genus interbreeds at the first opportunity and the fry give nothing away. The IUCN rates it Near Threatened.
Care
A 90 x 45 cm base, roughly 180 litres, holds the fish; a harem does better with 120 cm, and we gate at 200 litres. Fine sand across the floor so it can feed the way it is built to, rocks along the edges for the females to slip behind, and open water in between - this is not a cave species like the Malawi butterfly, but a female under pressure still needs somewhere to be. Hard, alkaline Malawi water: pH 7.8-8.3, 10-25 dGH, 24-26 C, kept steady with small frequent changes; peacocks take chemistry swings badly and should never go into an immature filter. One male to two or three females, so a single female does not absorb all of his courtship. Tankmates: differently patterned Copadichromis, Placidochromis, Otopharynx lithobates and quiet mbuna such as Labidochromis caeruleus - males go for anything coloured like themselves. Never a second Aulonocara species. Plants are optional and safe, this fish leaves them alone, so hard-water-tolerant Vallisneria, Anubias or Java fern are all fine. Keep a lid on the tank.
Diet
Carnivore that sifts crustaceans and insect larvae out of sand, locating them by movement with the sensory pores on its head. Cichlid pellets plus frozen brine shrimp, mysis, cyclops and daphnia in several small meals a day. Sand is part of feeding, not decoration; keep protein moderate to avoid Malawi bloat.
Tankmate compatibility
Gets along with (75)
Possible with care (302)
Avoid (41)
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 Chitande Peacock need?
- A Chitande Peacock needs an aquarium of at least 200 litres (52.8 US gallons) with a footprint at least 120 cm (47.2 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
- What water parameters does a Chitande Peacock need?
- Chitande Peacock does best at 22–27 °C (71.6–80.6 °F), pH 7.4–8.6 and a general hardness of 10–25 °dGH.
- What group size does a Chitande Peacock need?
- Chitande Peacock is a social species — keep a group of at least 4 so natural behaviour emerges and stress stays low.
- Is the Chitande Peacock suitable for beginners?
- Chitande 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.