Aulonocara Tankmates ( Malawi Peacocks)

[faulty]

hello i recently got into malawi fishkeeping as i was given 2 male Roman red Peacocks.

they are in my community but i am slowly converting it to full malawi biotope, it already has anubis plants and loads of rocks with fine gravel and sand substrate.

i am interested in breading these guys and soon will have some females for the tank, but having a 300 litre tank with no fish is pretty boring, i need to know what other common name tankmates can join the peacocks so they can live in harmony and provide me with the suitable veiwing pleasure.

thanks any info would be appreciated here or in email

[Lisachromis]

Are you sure they were called Roman Red peacocks? The closest I can think of is Rubin red peacocks. I've heard it's a linebred form of Aulonocara sp. "Stuartgranti Chipoka". Just keep in mind that you have to keep only females of that particular species (and locale) if you plan on breeding these guys. No other species of Aulonocara should go into this tank.

[faulty]

yeah hi thanks for the reply i ment rubin sorry, yes i am only having those peacocks for breading but i would like to have some other malawi's too, i also have a small male ahli, cobue i think.

i am still trying to learn about them and i am finding loads of info on the internet but some is conflicting. i also have a pleco in there and a few cory cats, i hope they will be ok for now.

i had very low PH but have added about 5kgs coral sand to my 4 foot tank and the ph is comming up.

funny though the 2 male rubin's are very dark, what causes this they were not dark in the other tank they were in?

[Troy]

faulty :

i need to know what other common name tankmates can join the peacocks so they can live in harmony and provide me with the suitable veiwing pleasure.

Check out

Lodotropheus Sprengerae (Rusty cichlid)
Labidochromis Caeruleus (Electric Yellow)
Labidochromis sp. Perlmutt
Pseudotropheus sp. Red top Ndumbi.

These are just a few choices for a tank like yours. Please remember to keep these cichlids Harem style with 3 or 4 females for each male. I would start with groups of 7- 8 juveniles, You can remove any problem males as they mature and cause territorial problems.
Hope this helps

[Lisachromis]

yeah hi thanks for the reply i ment rubin sorry, yes i am only having those peacocks for breading but i would like to have some other malawi's too, i also have a small male ahli, cobue i think.

i am still trying to learn about them and i am finding loads of info on the internet but some is conflicting. i also have a pleco in there and a few cory cats, i hope they will be ok for now.

i had very low PH but have added about 5kgs coral sand to my 4 foot tank and the ph is comming up.

funny though the 2 male rubin's are very dark, what causes this they were not dark in the other tank they were in?

The ahli (which is really Sciaenochromis fryeri) should be removed as well if you plan on breeding the peacocks. They'll crossbreed with no problems. The cories should come out. Eventually they'll get their eyes bitten out and their fins picked on. It's not pretty. Do you have a dark background or a dark substrate? Fish will try to blend in with their environment and if it's darker than the other tank, they'll most likely be darker as well.

[faulty]

hey thanks for all the advice i really appreciate it, i am getting some more fish today but at this point i am unsure what they are but they are all juviniles, i wish i could show you all my tank but dont want to take any flashlight photos at the moment, substrate is coral crushed so it is like super white, the corys look very happy and spend all there time digging around in the ground. i will watch out for the ahli but he is super small at the moment and do think sexually active with no females in the tank i think things are still safe for the moment.

i will look at the above mentioned tank mates and try to follow those guidlines, i really want to get this right as there is nobody around who knows what they talkinga bout, i would like to be able to be a refrance point of what works with these Rubin's and try to bread them out, i am sure they will be worth something i dont want to make millions i just want to be able to support the hobby and buy bigger tanks with more exotic fish.

i can import to so if anyone wants to send me fish or sell me something good they should let me know

faulty

[MatsP]

I'm sure the cories are looking very happy, they should be happy as long as they still have all their eyes and fins intact. Unfortunately, I predict (as did Lisa) that this will not last for _VERY_ long. How long is a bit of a guess, and my plastic ball (cheaper than a crystal one, if not quite as clear! ) says that it will be a few months upto a year. It very much depends on which cory and how juvenile your fish are, but sooner or later, I can say with 99% certainty, the cory's will no longer be happy.

If you want some fish to go round and find food at the bottom, besided plecos, you'd better look at Synodontis or other african catfish species.

It's very unlikely that you'll be able to keep the cory's around for the lifetime of them (in good conditions, cory's will live for 12-15 years, so your cichlids will certainly be adult before the cory's have reached anywhere near their expected life-term).

Of course, if you want to be cruel to the inhabitants of your tank(s), then that's your business, but in my personal experience, there aren't many people who will keep fish together that aren't compatible ON PURPOSE.

--
Mats

[faulty]

i am cetainly not cruel and since the last post i have done some major changes. i have removed the corys and they are happily living in my community 3 ft at the office.

i have got some new additions to the tank including 3 yellow labs and an unknown albino juvinile.

i have raised my ph up and added some malawi plants. this tank is starting to look good and IMHO is in perfect balance, the smaller fish are all juvinile and dont seem to be getting big in a hurry, but certainly the tank is starting to look like a real biotope setup.

my fish all seem to be pretty shy but when the food comes out they know how to perform. thanks for the advice

[MatsP]

Hey, thanks for listening... It's nice to (sometimes) see that people don't just ignore what you say...

--
Mats

[faulty]

BIG NEWS UPDATE: my 4 ft is empty

i just went on some trvels and went to Zambia a modest but friendly country, this sparked me into a new tank idea.

i arrived back late on friday night and by saturday 1pm i had a new 6ft tank standing in my lounge.

the 6ft is setup as full malawi biotope and i am going for a natural river bottom look

currently i have about 10cm gravel and crushed coral sand ( for PH Buffer ) substrate, about 100 kg's natural river rocks built up, and am hoping to get some giant river vallisneria to go with my anubius and other local plants. the water is still a bit murky but should be clear tomorrow look back for updates and pics soon

[Troy]

faulty : sounds like you are planning a nice tank.
What species of cichlid are you going to put in this tank?

[faulty]

colin, i am trying to keep it as close to Malawi Biotope as possible, this way it will be close to my heart.

i have been told to cut my teath on a small group of suitable tank mates and this should get me into malawi's nicely.

i have found a bit of conflicting opinions on the internet but i am generaly going with information here and with what Nick james from rivendell says.

so tankmates will be as follows.

peacocks: rubin red 2 X males already in the tank, hence bigger tank
Blue Ahli: 1 small male
Yellow Lab: 1 male 2 female - harem style hoping for some results 1 day
Albino: unsure of species rescued from deserted tank
orange chromide: odd man out also rescued
Moorii: trying to aquire some
livingstoni: trying to aquire some
pleco: one common pleco at the moment

this is based on information i have recieved and an article by Grant Gussie titled the peacefull lake malawi community tank.

i hope this will work out as the tank is looking awesome and the water is strting to clear and look the business.

[polleni]

I think that MatsP offered you a much better combination. The fish you have selected are a mix of mbuna and haps with your peacock somewhere in the middle, and I mean in the middle of nowhere. Peacocks are peaceful in general and can be severely bullied by haps, especially when the latter reach breeding age and size. The N. livingstoni is a hunter.. and aggressive, especially during breeding. That apart it will become double in size and at least 10 times the mass of your peacocks when fully grown. The albino, could well be an Aulonocara albino (see Lisa's message about the presence of a second peacock species). C. moori is a fish with a strong fluctuation of behavior and could become a peaceful giant or the ruler of the tank.. It's your choice of course, but...

[faulty]

hey thanks for the latest advice, for sure the peacocks have to stay, but the others are all negotible. if you say i should not go for livingstoni and moori then perhaps some other suggestions for suitable tankmates can be advised.

[zenyfish]

I agree livingstoni and moori are too aggressive for peacocks.

I like the labidochromis idea. Especially yellow labs, as permutt are more aggressive.

Rustys and Pseudotropheus are herbivores and would not go well with peacocks (carnivore). They're likely to get bloat on a high protein diet.

Copadichromis, lethrinops, otopharynx lithobates, and placidochromis which do not have the same coloration as your peacocks would work.