Sunshine Peacock
Aulonocara baenschi
Cichlidae
About
The sunshine peacock is a brilliantly coloured haplochromine cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi, found over the sand-and-rock margins around Nkhomo and the Maleri Islands. Dominant males glow in canary yellow with an electric-blue face and fins, while females stay a plain silvery grey. Milder-mannered than most mbuna, males are nonetheless firmly territorial toward rivals and their own kind, so the fish is best kept as a harem in a hard-water, sand-and-rock Malawi aquarium rather than a soft-water community.
Care
Keep in hard, alkaline water (pH 7.7-8.4, high GH/KH) at 24-26 C in a tank of 200 L or more with open sand for sifting and rockwork for cover. Best as a harem of one male to three or more females in a dedicated Malawi setup, not a soft-water community.
Diet
Carnivore that sand-sifts small invertebrates in the wild; offer cichlid pellets plus frozen brine shrimp, mysis and cyclops, and avoid protein-heavy foods that cause bloat.
Tankmate compatibility
Possible with care (107)
Avoid (14)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.