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Practical Fishkeeping piblished an article in their December 2003 issue, covering a range of Rift Lake Cichlid species that, all too often, end up being kept in Mbuna tanks, and consequently fare badly alongside what are well-known ruffians and reprobates with highly developed competitive instincts and combative natures even in spacious aquaria.

The principal Genus covered in this article is Aulonocara, the so-called "Malawi Peacocks", many of which are stunningly beautiful fish, but which have stikingly different requirements to the Mbuna, upon account of their habitats, and which have also evolved to be much more peaceful. It is this latter aspect of these fishes that leads to an early demise when kept alongside Mbuna, stressed-out and possibly mauled into the bargain. However, be advised that there are other Genera, from both Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika, that have evolved similar behaviour patterns, frequently a similar appearance, and even a similar (and unique) adaptation of the lateral line system that equips them to hunt for prey buried in sand. The article notes that this adaptation, consisting of enlarged sensory pores about the head that are linked to the lateral line system and function in a similar manner, has evolved independently on four different occasions in the four Genera, as there are considerable taxonomic differences between them all, meaning that they have convergently evolved into the same basic form of Cichlid from differing ancestors. The Malawian Genera are Aulonocara and Trematocranus, while the Tangnayikan Genera are (somewhat anagrammatically) Aulonocranus and Trematocara. Take note of these anagrammatic Genera, because separating them by inspection of the live fishes alone is frequently difficult, and even the professionals are sometimes sufficiently confused to have to resort to dissection to resolve anomalies!

Aulonocara, the most important of the Genera from the aquarist's standpoint (if the number of imported species is an indication) consists of some utterly gorgeous fishes, rivalling marine coral reef fishes in brilliance. However, an aquarium for these fishes should be set up somewhat differently than that for Mbuna, because the Genus comprises fishes that live in a diverse range of lake habitats.

The article describes three fundamental habitat groups - [1] the cave-dwellers, [2] species associated with scattered rocks of various sizes littering otherwise open sand beds, and [3] what could be described as 'prairie dwellers', fishes that live over open sand with no rocks. In the wild, the species in groups [2] and [3] never encounter Mbuna, and the cave-dwellers in group [1] dwell in caves at sand level, while most of the Mbuna live around the rocks at higher altitiudes. The few Mbuna that group [1] Aulonocara encounter tend to be the less aggressive species that cannot compete for the true rock habitats amid the ruffians, and so, if the aquarist wants to mix other fishes with Aulonocara from group [1], the principal choices should be these less aggressive species that the group [1] Aulonocara encounter in the wild. Suitable choices cited in the magazine include Labidochromis caeruleus and Metriaclima livingstonii. Much better companions would be open-water dwellers such as Utaka (Genus Copadichromis), and other smallish and peaceful open water dwellers.

The reason why the Aulonocara are much more peaceful than the Mbuna is this: they have far more space, and far more freedom of movement. They can cross large areas of open sand beds that Mbuna would never, in the wild at least, dream of venturing out over, and therefore do not suffer the 'real estate' pressure that the Mbuna experience. Consequently, the need to develop highly competitive territorial instincts has not arisen. The situation parallels that of the aggressive Central American Guapotes, living in rivers and lakes where 'real estate' competition is literally cut-throat, and the more peaceful Amazonians that venture out into flooded forest during the rainy season and therefore have a vast amount of space in comparison. As a result, Aulonocara do NOT mix with the tougher Mbuna at all, and if thus juxtaposed in an aquarium, will suffer badly.

The other big "don't" with Aulonocara is mixing different species in the same aquarium. The reason? Females (with very few exceptions) look alike. So much so that even the males can't always differentiate between the correct species, and hybrids are likely to result. Hybrids lack the strong colour definition of the true species, are commercially worthless, and the true nature of the hybrids only manifests itself once they have been grown to a considerable size, by which time the aquarist has wasted a lot of effort on unsaleable fish. Likewise, do NOT mix variants of a species, as 'pure' regional variants command high prices and have an additional conservation value if a population is suddenly wiped out in the wild by some catastrophe, while crosses have neither commercial nor conservation value.

Group [1] cave dwellers require some rock in the aquarium, arranged so that the caves are at sand level, while group [2] and [3] open sand dwellers require, as might be expected, more open-plan aquaria with fewer rocks. All, however, require fine, soft sand into which they can dive after food morsels, and must NEVER be kept over a gravel substrate or a substrate that contains sharp edged particles. (The magazine advises against using coral sand, not only because it can contain sharp particles, but because it is too white, and poses aggregation problems). Another important difference with the Mbuna is that Aulonocara are principally carnivorous - and particularly appreciate live food organisms that bury themselves in the sand. Aulonocara will hover over the sand, adopting a head-down posture, using those extra head sensors to detect the prey before striking like lightning. Given an aquarium set up with attention to their needs, Aulonocara species display, in the case of the males at least, breathtaking colouration, sometimes looking as if they have been painted with day-glo paints, and in other cases mixing acrylic-style primary hues with vivid iridescent spangles.

The recommended setup described in the magazine article is a spacious, open-plan aquarium with a few rocks at the ends, a fairly deep bed of soft sand, and the usual Malawi water chemistry. Note that Aulonocara are especially sensitive to acidity! Temperature should be around 25C or 26C, with little variation (after all, they are relatively deep water dwellers in the wild, and deeper waters tend to be more thermally stable than surface waters), with good oxygenation levels, and good filtration that keeps the water clean without creating strong turbulent currents.

Now, it's time to list some species, along with some additional remarks.

Group [1] Aulonocara - Cave Dwellers

A. jacobfreibergi - originally classified along with the other cave dwellers in Trematocranus prior to a revision of these Cichlids, when that Genus proved to contain important fishes in their own right. A species with numerous regional variants, known as "Trevori", "Carolae", "Reginae" and so on.
A. trematocephalum - this species has never been kept in the aquarium, and is known ONLY from the holotype!
PLUS - an assortment of as yet underscribed species that appear under trade names such as "Walteri", "Lwanda" and "Masinje".


Group [2] Aulonocara - Intermediate Zone Dwellers

A. baenschi - formerly known as the "Yellow Regal" or "Benga".
A. ethelwynnae - the only described species in the "Chitande Group", named after the late Dr Ethelwynn Trewavas.
A. hansbaenschi - "Red Flush" (possibly considered a synonym of stuartgranti).
A. hueseri - the "Night" or "White Top" Aulonocara.
A. kandeense - the "Blue Orchid".
A. korneliae - the "Blue Gold".
A. maylandi - the "Sulphurhead".
A. saulosi - the "GReenface" or "Green metallic".
A. stevensi - the "Usisya Aulonocara", again possibly a synonym of stuartgranti.
A. stuartgranti - this species appears in a confusing array of regional variants, some radically differing in colour from others, and some of these may actually be new, undescribed species. Many of these are found in one isolated island or reef community within the lake, for example, Mbenji "Blue Regal", the assorted Maleris or "Yellow Regals", and the Chidunga Rocks variants ("Sunshine". Apparently a taxonomist can find a lifetime's work just separating this little lot!
PLUS - an assortment of undescribed species, including almost all of the "Chitande Group", considered at the moment to comprise an assortment of distinct species, but again, likely to provide taxonomists with secure employment for decades!


Group [3] Aulonocara - Open Sand Dwellers

A. aquilinum - this species has been exported and mislabelled as A. auditor.
A. auditor - known only from the female holotype!
A. brevinidus - the "Blue Gold Sand"
A. gertrudae - the "Multi-Spot" or "Jumbo Blue"
A. guentheri
A. macrochir - this may be a synonym of A. rostratum.
A. nyassae - originally, A. stuartgranti was mislabelled as this species, and there exists doubts as to whether the true A. nyassae has ever been imported.
A. rostratum

To make matters worse, there are also selectively bred varieties not found in the wild, such as Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Eureka", and no doubt quite a few other man-made morphs will add to the confusion surrounding an already convoluted Genus. Taxonomists are likely to find this Genus a fruitful area for study, one which (as I have already stated above) will probably guarantee them employment for decades! Indeed, given the appearance of new man-made morphs, we may soon arrive at a point where one may almost acquire an Aulonocara to match the wallpaper - as it is, the natural colour morphs alone run into dozens!

So, remember the "don'ts" with Aulonocara before branching out into these gorgeous and frequently misunderstood Cichlids - DON'T mix them with Mbuna, DON'T mix species or regional variants to avoid crosses and hybrids, and DON'T keep them above coarse or sharp substrates! Other than that, if you already have some experience with Rift Lake Cichlids such as the more common Mbuna, and want to branch out into something a little different, give the gorgeously coloured sand dwelling Aulonocara a try - and prepare to be amazed at the brilliance of their colours when they are kept correctly!

Enjoy!




Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Hi
I have a peacock in my tank and they get on fine so all they rules realy are guide lines and don't necessarily true as my fish get on ok they have a squable now and then but its never ripped fins or any thing so hope this is ok !
Darryle

They are not guidelines in any way. They are the laws of Nature. If you choose to break them, then God help you.

KIDDING!

Seriously, though. It is a sucky idea to mix the two, as they are genuinely incompatable fish. I would never personally mix them, nor would anyone else who seriously considered what Calilasseia'S post says.

P.S.: Great topic, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

i agree, it is not good to mix them. sometimes you can get lucky and find some peacocks and mbunas that get along, but it is rare and should be avoided.