Malawi Peacock Stocking Tips

[BobbyBray]

So I've got an empty 55 gallon (roughly 200 liter) tank that I would love to fill with cichlids. I was up until this last week looking at doing Tangs, and even had my whole shopping list ready to go, but recently thought about doing a peacock tank instead.

I can't seem to find a lot of info on this website regarding peacocks, or general stocking tips. If anyone has any advice to offer, that would be great.

I've got a 55 gallon tank, with at the moment 50 pounds of general sandbox sand slowly settling to the bottom. I think I'll either get some more sand to build the base up even more, or mix it with some crushed coral to help buffer the PH. That being said my PH is already 8.5 straight out of the tap. For decoration I was going to go for a hike in some of the nearby mountains and pick up some slate rock to build caves and hiding spots. I'll probably boil, or bleach and then very thoroughly rinse / clean them off.

I've got a canister filter that's rated for a 100+ gallon tank, so I'm not worried about the filtration. I've also got a power head to keep the water moving and introduce some more oxygen into the system. But I'm curious if you would recommend also getting an air rock to pump even more air into the water?

So here's the fish that interest me, I'm not sure on quantities yet, but would like to aim for 10-12 total fish. I'm planning to get all males (my lfs says he can order those for me), in order to avoid any potential fights over females, and of course because they're the colorful ones!

Aulonocara stuartgranti (Chiwindi) - Blue Neon

Aulonocara sp. "Stuartgranti Maleri" (Maleri Is.) - Yellow Regal

Aulonocara maulana - Bi-Color 500
or
Aulonocara masoni - Mason's Peacock

Aulonocara (Rubescens) - Ruby Red Peacock

Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Eureka" - Eureka Peacock

Aulonocara sp. "Lwanda" - Red Top Peacock

Aulonocara maylandi - Sulfur Head Peacock

Aulonocara korneliae - Blue Gold Cichlid

 

[BobbyBray]

No feedback on this post? Are peacocks not popular or widely kept by users in this forum?

 

[james41683]

i have a mostly all male peacock tank, with a few of the more peaceful mbuna. what youll want to do is get all males and get none that look similar to each other, this will cause aggression. females are also avoided due to the drab color and the fact that peacocks will cross breed with each other. you may have to remove a certain fish because its either to aggressive or it gets picked on by everyone else, it trail and error to see what will work together. i prefer to buy full grown fish, but others like to by juvi's and let the grow and keep whatever looks best from a group. as for rock work, you dont need as much for peacocks since they like open water alittle more. if your tank is a standard 4ft tank, i would go with maybe 10 peacocks and a small group of synodontis catfish for the bottom. also you can look around in the link below:

peacock corner

 

[BobbyBray]

i have a mostly all male peacock tank, with a few of the more peaceful mbuna. what youll want to do is get all males and get none that look similar to each other, this will cause aggression. females are also avoided due to the drab color and the fact that peacocks will cross breed with each other. you may have to remove a certain fish because its either to aggressive or it gets picked on by everyone else, it trail and error to see what will work together. i prefer to buy full grown fish, but others like to by juvi's and let the grow and keep whatever looks best from a group. as for rock work, you dont need as much for peacocks since they like open water alittle more. if your tank is a standard 4ft tank, i would go with maybe 10 peacocks and a small group of synodontis catfish for the bottom. also you can look around in the link below:

peacock corner

Thanks for the comment James, I suppose I'll just have to experiment a bit. I'll also read through some of the articles in that link you provided.

 

[reignofcheese]

Aulonocara jacobfreibergi is not a good candidate for a peacock tank, they are pretty aggressive. Otherwise it's just about throwing them together and seeing what works. Male peacocks by nature are solitary, so the all-male peacock tank isn't a natural setup, so aggression may need to be juggled.

I prefer to keep just one male peacock in my 75 gallon and let him rule his roost. The rest of the fish with him are groups mild mbuna; Caeruleus, Acei, and Sprengeri.

 

[BobbyBray]

Thanks Cheese, I'll keep that in mind as an option as well. I've seen people keeping all male peacock tanks, but didn't realize it involved so much trial and error to get it right. Perhaps if I can get all juvies they may be better growing up with each other rather than introducing full grown mature males into a tank.

 

[Always Learning]

They like a lot of swimming space too, so bear that in mind when considering your stock and scaping.

All male tanks can and do work, but just like in every case, it's a bit of trial and error. They all have their own personalities, so what works for one, might not work for another. Be prepared that you may have to re-home some and become friendly with your supplier, as he may offer you the option to change your purchases if they just don't work out. Give them a week for things to settle, unless it's all getting a bit too serious beforehand..

There's a nice looking 6ft all male peacock tank on youtube. Quite an attractive sight and peacocks aren't really my thing.

Sure youtube links work. Try this http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjSstP-CbZM

 

[BobbyBray]

hmmm, the link doesn't seem to work.

 

[Always Learning]

Ahh, I see. I guess the rules say I can't link then, as it filters out the forum name

Search for 100g malawi on google, it should throw up some examples on there..

 

[BobbyBray]

Found it. That's an awesome tank, too bad I'm working with one that is almost half that size. But that at least gets me thinking about possibilities.