Emperor Peacock

About

Read the label twice on this one. Aulonocara nyassae is a validly described species - Regan named it in 1922, and its book name in English is emperor cichlid, a name the Lake Tanganyika giant cichlid also carries, so the English is no help either. What the species is not is well known. The description rested on a single holotype collected around the turn of the twentieth century, and no further specimens turned up until the 1990s; the records place it in the lake's south-eastern arm, possibly the south-western as well. The only size on file is 8 cm standard length, and the fish is recorded below 15 metres of water. Now look at the shelf. 'Aulonocara nyassae' is a working trade name: wholesalers announce aquacultured 'Peacock Blue' cichlids under it, and FishBase files African peacock, blue cichlid and peacock blue cichlid among its English names. Those fish are ordinary blue peacocks - 12 to 13 cm, sand-sifting, hard-water Malawi cichlids of the kind sold elsewhere as flavescent or blue peacock, Aulonocara stuartgranti - and they are what will actually swim in your tank, so the numbers on this page describe them rather than a museum specimen. That gap is not a scandal; it is how a genus of nineteen described species and countless line-bred forms behaves in commerce. It does have one practical consequence. A fish sold under this name arrives with an unknown pedigree, so treat it as an Aulonocara of unrecorded origin: never mix it with another peacock species, and never pass its fry on as a named species. If you want a peacock whose identity you can stand behind, buy one whose seller can name the population.

Care

Set it up as a blue peacock, because that is what arrives. 120 cm of length and 250 litres for a harem of one male and four or more females, with open sand to sift over and rockwork to break the female's line of sight. Hard, alkaline Malawi water: pH 7.8-8.4, 10-25 dGH, 24-26 C, in a mature filter - peacocks handle swings in chemistry badly. Males are territorial towards their own kind and towards anything wearing a similar colour, so keep one; company is best drawn from midwater haps such as Copadichromis, Cyrtocara and Placidochromis, or a mild mbuna like Labidochromis caeruleus. Plants are safe and optional, provided they tolerate hard water. The one hard rule: no other Aulonocara in the tank. Under a name this loose you cannot know what you already have, and breeding it on only passes the problem to the next keeper. Keep a lid on the tank.

Diet

Carnivore that sifts small invertebrates from sand. Cichlid pellets plus frozen brine shrimp, mysis and cyclops in several small meals a day; sand substrate so it can feed naturally, and moderate protein to avoid Malawi bloat.

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.

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 Emperor Peacock need?

A Emperor Peacock needs an aquarium of at least 250 litres (66 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 Emperor Peacock need?

Emperor Peacock does best at 22–28 °C (71.6–82.4 °F), pH 7.5–8.6 and a general hardness of 10–25 °dGH.

What group size does a Emperor Peacock need?

Emperor Peacock is a social species — keep a group of at least 5 so natural behaviour emerges and stress stays low.

Is the Emperor Peacock suitable for beginners?

Emperor 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.

Sources

• FishBase — Aulonocara nyassae (Emperor cichlid)
• FishBase — Common names of Aulonocara nyassae
• Wikipedia — Aulonocara nyassae
• Quality Marine (Aquatropic) — Aquacultured Peacock Blue Cichlid (Aulonocara nyassae)
• Maidenhead Aquatics (fishkeeper.co.uk) — Blue Peacock (Aulonocara stuartgranti)
• Seriously Fish — Aulonocara stuartgranti (Grant's Peacock)
• Wikipedia — Aulonocara