Eureka Red Peacock Breeding Guide

Breeding Aulonocara jacobfreibergi: maternal mouthbrooding, sexing by colour, a cave-and-rock hard-water spawning setup and rearing the brood.

Overview

Aulonocara jacobfreibergi, the fairy cichlid, is a peacock endemic to Lake Malawi, recorded at sites such as Nkudzi, Monkey Bay, Nankumba, Domwe Islands and Otter Point. The Eureka Red is a selectively bred colour form. Like all Aulonocara it is a maternal mouthbrooder and strongly sexually dichromatic.

Sexing

Sexing is by colour. Males develop a vivid red-orange body with a metallic blue face, while females remain drab brown. The species occurs in several colour morphs including red or yellow. Full male colour appears only as males mature and establish dominance.

Conditioning

An omnivore, A. jacobfreibergi grows to around 15 cm and is one of the more assertive peacocks. Condition broodstock on varied, balanced foods in clean, stable hard water within Lake Malawi parameters.

Breeding Setup

In the wild this species associates with caves and rocky overhangs, so the tank should offer caves and crevices alongside open sand. Lake Malawi cichlids thrive at pH 7.5-8.4 and 25-29 °C (77-84 °F). A male-to-several-females harem reduces aggression and supports spawning.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

The male courts a female near his cave; she lays a small batch of eggs, takes them into her mouth, and fertilisation follows in the haplochromine manner. A settled dominant male and stable warm, hard water trigger spawning.

Egg & Fry Care

The female incubates the brood in her mouth and does not feed meanwhile. Released free-swimming fry take finely powdered foods and newly hatched brine shrimp; rearing them apart from larger tankmates limits predation.