Red Shoulder Peacock

The term “Red Shoulder” comes from the red streak behind the gills. 

Males have a complete blue body with an orange-red band behind the gill plate that extends into the pelvic fins.

The Red Shoulder Peacock, Aulonocara stuartgranti, hansbaenschi (Chiloelo), is a popular species of peacock cichlid among African cichlid aficionados. 

This Aulonocara species are found in the waters of Lake Malawi, in the provinces of Chiloelo and Mozambique. Males grow a dark metallic blue coloration that covers their entire body, including their dorsal, anal, and tail fins.

They develop a dark red coloration behind their gills or in the “shoulder area,” which runs down to the tips of their pelvic fins. Males will grow to be around 6′′ long, while females will be a little shorter.

II. You would love the fish because…

These cichlids are ideal for beginning cichlid keepers and also appeal to experienced aquarists. 

They are low-maintenance aquarium inhabitants that are easy to care for and feed. 

They are also rather quiet, making them suitable for the community tank, and will rapidly reproduce. 

Regular water changes and proper filtration are required for the aquarium. 

If the tank is not maintained, they are prone to Malawi bloat as well as the common diseases that affect all freshwater fish.

Although the Blue Regal Peacock is an omnivore, it prefers meaty foods. It normally does not touch the plants in the aquarium. 

They feed on a range of live items in the wild, particularly small bottom-dwelling invertebrates. 

In the tank, feed them a meaty diet of cichlid pellets, frozen and freeze-dried daphnia, and brine shrimp. Avoid beef heart, tubifex, and bloodworms because they can cause “Malawi bloat.” Shrimp mixtures are also a good and healthful option. 

Unless they are breeding, feed once a day when they are young and 5 to 6 times a week when they are adults. 

Avoid the impulse to feed this fish more frequently than necessary since this will keep the fish from growing.

Peacocks are tough fish, but like all Malawi Cichlids, they suffer in adverse water conditions. 

Malawi fish are typically kept at a higher pH, which means ammonia is more harmful, hence frequent water changes are required. 

They are also dirty fish since they eat predominantly protein meals, which adds to the filtration system’s biological load. 

Depending on the bio load, the tank will require water changes of 20 to 50 percent once a week.

III. Is this fish species peaceful or hostile?

Peaceful pets.

IV. Species compatibility

Guppies, platies, mollies, swordtails and tetras

V. How to feed this species?

Snails primarily consume algae in your tank. They’re quite efficient at it, which is why they’re so popular in the aquarium industry. They can sometimes be so good that they hoover the entire tank clean and there aren’t enough algae left.