Fire Fish Peacock
Aulonocara hybrid (no valid binomial)
Cichlidae
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About
This is a captive line, not a species, and the page is written that way. Aquarium Glaser's Frank Schäfer explains how it was made: peacocks and mbuna 'have common ancestors. And the amazing thing is: they can even be crossed! Of course, such crossbreeding is done artificially, i.e. eggs and sperm are mixed and incubated "in the test tube". Thereby the so called Fire Fish, Dragon Blood, O- and OB-Aulonocara were created, of which nowadays there are countless lines and at least as many imaginative names. All in all, hardly any animal is identical to the other, as it is to be expected due to the hybrid character.' LiveAquaria calls the Dragon Blood peacock 'a captive bred hybrid'; Imperial Tropicals, who breed one strain themselves, put it as 'the dragon blood peacock is a hybrid, but its origins are unknown'. Fire Fish, Dragon Blood and the O and OB lines beside them are trade names for overlapping lines out of that same programme, not distinct fish with distinct ranges. Three consequences follow, and none of them is a matter of taste. There is no binomial: Wikipedia's Aulonocara article lists the 19 recognised species in the genus and no Fire Fish is among them, so this entry carries no scientific name and invents none. There is no locality, so any 'Fire Fish, Lake Malawi' label on a bag is decoration. And the line cannot be told apart from a wild-type peacock by its fry: cross it into a tank of Aulonocara stuartgranti or A. baenschi and the offspring enter the hobby indistinguishable from the real thing, which is why it should not be sold, swapped, logged or bred as an Aulonocara species. Keep it in a tank of its own kind or with fish it cannot breed with. One visible marker of the line is worth knowing: Wikipedia notes that Aulonocara is 'strongly sexually dichromic, even by haplochromine standards' - wild-type females are plain - while LiveAquaria describes females of this line maturing 'to a reddish orange color with a pixelated pattern throughout is body and fins'. Colour in both sexes is one of the things the breeding produced. On temper, the sources push in one direction. LiveAquaria calls it 'semi-aggressive if housed with larger peaceful fish' but 'aggressive with others of its own species, as it is territorial'; Imperial Tropicals is blunter - 'like with most hybrid fish, this man-made strain tends to be particularly aggressive and territorial even for a peacock cichlid. This disposition allows them to hold their own against other, more aggressive cichlids, but also makes them a poor choice for more timid species such as Lethrinops sp.' Aquarium Glaser puts the size at 10-15 cm and warns that 'although these animals grow only 10-15 cm long, they can develop a lot of temperament'; LiveAquaria gives 6 inches. Plan for a 15 cm fish.
Care
Treat it as a slightly stroppy peacock. LiveAquaria asks for a minimum of 55 gallons - about 208 litres - and Aquarium Glaser for a tank 'as large as possible'; we gate at 150 cm and 300 litres, which suits a 15 cm territorial fish better than the retail minimum does. Sand substrate, because it sifts; caves and passages built from rock to break up sight lines and give losers somewhere to go. Hard, alkaline Malawi water at pH 7.8-8.4, 10-25 dH, 25-27 C. Keep one male with three or more females - LiveAquaria says groups of four to six with a single male - and expect it to hold its own against other robust Malawi cichlids while bullying timid ones. Feed a cichlid pellet plus frozen brine shrimp, mysis and cyclops, keep protein moderate, and keep a lid on the tank. The one rule that is not about husbandry: never put it with wild-type Aulonocara. It will breed with them, the fry are indistinguishable from the real species, and there is no way to undo that once the fish leave your house.
Diet
Peacock feeding: a quality cichlid pellet as the staple with frozen brine shrimp, mysis and cyclops. Sand to sift over. Moderate protein - no bloodworm or beef heart. Carotenoid foods deepen the red; they do not change what the fish is.
Tankmate compatibility
Gets along with (41)
Possible with care (342)
Avoid (35)
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 Fire Fish Peacock need?
- A Fire Fish 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 Fire Fish Peacock need?
- Fire Fish Peacock does best at 23–28 °C (73.4–82.4 °F), pH 7.5–8.6 and a general hardness of 10–25 °dGH.
- What group size does a Fire Fish Peacock need?
- Fire Fish Peacock is a social species — keep a group of at least 4 so natural behaviour emerges and stress stays low.
- Is the Fire Fish Peacock suitable for beginners?
- Fire Fish 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.