Aulonocara hueseri Breeding Guide

Breeding the Husseri Peacock (Aulonocara hueseri): sand-dwelling peacock with harem spawning, egg-spot fertilisation and three-week mouthbrooding.

Overview

Aulonocara hueseri is a peacock cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi, originally known from Likoma Island and also recorded from Domwe, Thumbi West, Monkey Bay and Nkhata Bay. Like all Aulonocara it is a maternal mouthbrooder. It is a sand-dwelling benthophage that hovers above the sand, sifting substrate through the gills and using sensory grooves on the head to detect invertebrates buried in it.

Sexing

Dominant males are bright blue with vertical stripes and a yellow belly, and the dorsal fin turns dark when fully mature; females and subordinate males are much less colourful, grey to brown with some barring and at most a hint of male colour. Males grow larger, to about 14 cm, while females reach around 10 cm. Male colour begins to develop at around 5 cm and breeding from roughly 6-7.5 cm.

Conditioning

Provide a varied diet suited to a sand-sifting micropredator: fine prepared foods plus small live and frozen invertebrates keep breeding fish in condition. A sandy bottom lets the fish feed naturally and supports spawning behaviour.

Breeding Setup

A ratio of one male to two or three females is ideal to reduce stress and improve the chance of spawning. Give a sandy substrate with rocks containing holes as hiding places, and keep the fish away from mbuna, which harass peacocks.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

The female deposits eggs and takes them directly into her mouth, where fertilisation occurs. As in other Aulonocara, the male's anal-fin egg spots draw the female to attempt to collect them, prompting the male to release milt.

Egg & Fry Care

Broods typically number under 35 eggs and hatch after about three weeks of oral incubation before the female releases free-swimming fry. Because most Aulonocara hybridise readily, avoid mixing other peacock species in a breeding tank.