Peacock Bass
Cichla ocellaris
Cichlidae
About
The peacock bass is a huge, torpedo-shaped predatory cichlid from the warm lowland rivers, lagoons and flooded forests of the Amazon basin and the Guianas in tropical South America. Marked with dark vertical bars and a bright eye-spot on the tail, it is a fast, powerful ambush hunter that reaches around 74 cm long and will eat any tankmate small enough to swallow. Frequently mis-sold as a cute juvenile, it is emphatically not a normal aquarium fish: it demands pond-scale volume, pristine warm water and expert long-term commitment.
Care
Only for experienced keepers with pond-scale housing: give a single adult at least 1800 L on a 300 cm base, with strong oversized filtration, warm soft-to-neutral water and a tight lid. House alone or only with similarly huge, robust tankmates, and expect it to hunt anything smaller.
Diet
Voracious piscivore that eats smaller fish in the wild. Base the diet on quality carnivore pellets plus whole frozen lancefish, whitebait, silversides, prawn and mussel; avoid live feeder fish and fatty meats, and keep portions measured to protect water quality.
Tankmate compatibility
Avoid (271)
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.
- Extended finsStrong · from about 8 months, and later in a suppressed male
On many cichlids and killifish the male's dorsal and anal fins draw out into trailing points as he matures, while the female's stay rounded.
- VentingA hint only · 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.
- Adult sizeA hint only · only across animals of the same age
In many cichlids, catfish and loaches one sex simply grows larger — usually the male, though there are well-known reversals.
Frequently asked questions
- What tank size does a Peacock Bass need?
- A Peacock Bass needs an aquarium of at least 1800 litres (475.5 US gallons) with a footprint at least 300 cm (118.1 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
- What water parameters does a Peacock Bass need?
- Peacock Bass does best at 23–30 °C (73.4–86 °F), pH 6–7.5 and a general hardness of 2–18 °dGH.
- Is the Peacock Bass suitable for beginners?
- Peacock Bass is a demanding species best attempted with some experience — it needs stable, closely watched conditions to thrive.