Family: Cichlidae
Distribution: Aulonocara maylandi cichlids are distributed throughout Eccles Reef and West Reef, Lake Malawi, Africa.
PH: 7.5 – 8.5
Temperature: 22 – 26°C (72 – 79°F)
Hardness: 10 – 30 dH
Description: Aulonocara maylandi, also known as the Sulphurhead Peacock, reaches up to 15 cm in length. Males have a brilliant sulphur yellow blaze similar to that of the Otopharanyx lithobates.
Diet: Provide Aulonocara maylandi with plenty of live and frozen foods. Some good ideas may include a good quality fish flake, standard fish pellets, bloodworms, brine shrimp and earthworms.
Breeding: The male will choose a spawning site and display an intense colour in attempt to mate with the females around him. Spawn this species in a harem to curb this aggression. The female is a mouthbrooder and will carry a large brood of 60 – 100 eggs in its mouth for three weeks. Be careful if moving the fish during this period.
Comments: Provide some flat stones and sand for spawning sites. This species likes to take in sand and blow it out its gills when eating in order to remove any food items it may find. A 108 litre tank will house a single male Aulonocara maylandi with a group of females. Be vigilant in keeping the water – and tank – clean to optimise this species’ health.
Article/Books:
Recommended Compatible Species: Male Sulphurhead Peacocks will fight with any fish with a similar colour and pattern, so avoid this when selecting tankmates. Possible tank mates may include Copadichromis and Placidochromis species of a different colour and pattern. An alternative would be to house this Peacock in a one-species tank; this species’ unique, vibrant yellow colouration can easily stand alone in a tank of its own.
Originally posted 2009-11-09 07:06:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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