Flavescent peacock
A sand-sifting hunter that finds invertebrates by sensing their movement through enlarged pits on its face, then strikes down into the substrate. Males carry the blue and gold most people mean by 'peacock cichlid'; females are a plain barred brown and are almost never sold.
Quick profile
- Scientific name
- Aulonocara stuartgranti
- Adult size
- 11–15 cm (4.3–5.9 in)
- Lifespan
- 6–10 years
- Temperature
- 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
- pH
- 7.6–8.6
- Hardness
- 10–20 °dGH
- Minimum tank
- 250 L (66 US gal)
- Minimum length
- 120 cm
- Swimming zone
- Bottom
- Social
- Harem — at least 4
- Diet
- Insectivore
- Overall confidence
- moderate confidence
What keeping this species involves
Water chemistry is easy to provide and easy to keep steady. The difficulty is entirely social: the tank has to be stocked as a harem, and the sexes cannot be told apart in the size the shop sells.
The intermediate zone where rock gives way to open sand, at depths of five to forty metres. Hard alkaline water with very little seasonal variation.
Identity and names
- Common name
- Flavescent peacock
- Scientific name
- Aulonocara stuartgranti
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Also sold as
- Aulonocara stuartgranti, Grant's peacock, Ngara flametail, Usisya peacock
Adult size and growth
11–15 cm (4.3–5.9 in)
Typical lifespan in an aquarium: 6–10 years. Almost every animal sold in a shop is a juvenile, so the tank has to suit the size in the first line rather than the size in the bag.
Shape, which is what the compatibility engine reads instead of length alone: deep-bodied with a moderate. Assigned from what is typical of Cichlidae, not examined for this species.
Water and tank requirements
A male holds a display territory on open sand and needs females able to leave it. Length and floor area decide whether that is possible; height contributes nothing.
Temperature (°C)
Scale: 0 to 36 °C.
pH (pH)
Scale: 4 to 9.5 pH.
Hardness (°dGH)
Scale: 0 to 30 °dGH.
Why these ranges: Lake Malawi is a large, old, chemically stable body of hard alkaline water, and the band published here is the lake's own rather than a compromise assembled from care sheets. The stability matters more than the exact figure: these fish tolerate a wide range and respond badly to it moving.
Where these figures come from
Habitat class
Lake Malawi
A large rift lake — alkaline and well buffered, but considerably softer and less mineral-rich than Tanganyika.
Alkaline but not hard. The widespread advice to add large quantities of salt mix for Malawi cichlids overshoots the lake, and the pH matters more than the hardness does.
- Conductivity
- 200–280 µS/cm
- Flow
- low
- Dissolved oxygen
- near saturation
- Seasonality
- weak
These are figures for the KIND of water body, not measurements of this species. They are AquariumHQ’s summary of the general limnology and are given wide because the water is.
- TemperatureReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
- pHReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
- General hardnessReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
| Requirement | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 24–27 °C (75–81 °F) | Stability matters more than hitting an exact figure. |
| pH | 7.6–8.6 | A stable pH outside the ideal band is usually better than an unstable one inside it. |
| General hardness | 10–20 °dGH | Check your supplier's published figure before choosing species. |
| Carbonate hardness | 10–18 °dKH | Buffering capacity — what stops the pH moving. |
| Minimum volume | 250 L (66 US gal) | A floor, not a recommendation. |
| Minimum footprint | 120 cm long × 40 cm deep | A male holds a display territory on open sand and needs females able to leave it. Length and floor area decide whether that is possible; height contributes nothing. |
| Water flow | moderate | Match the outflow to this rather than to the filter's rating. |
| Lid required | Recommended | Reduces evaporation and prevents accidents. |
| Structure | Open sand with rock at the margins rather than filling the tank. The hunting behaviour needs bare substrate and the females need rock to break the male's sight lines. |
Behaviour
- Hovers a few centimetres above the sand, tilts down and holds still, then drives its snout into the substrate at whatever it has sensed moving.
- Males dig a shallow spawning pit and defend the sand around it rather than a cave, which is why they need floor area rather than structure.
Telling males from females
Males are blue-headed with a yellow or orange body depending on the collection point. Females are a barred grey-brown throughout life and are frequently mistaken for a different species.
Feeding
A hunter of small invertebrates, not a grazer. It is the mbuna sharing its tank that need vegetable food, and feeding this fish their diet is one of the commonest reasons a peacock stops thriving in a mixed Malawi tank.
- Diet type
- Insectivore
- Staples
- Sinking cichlid pellets, Frozen mysis, Frozen cyclops, Frozen brine shrimp, Live daphnia
- Avoid
- Bloodworm as a staple, Beef heart
Breeding
- Strategy
- Maternal mouthbrooding, with the female holding for around three weeks
- Difficulty
- straightforward
- Parental care
- mouthbrooding
Holding females stop eating entirely. A female stripped of a brood too often loses condition faster than she regains it.
Tankmates and compatibility
Assessments are derived from stored traits by the compatibility engine, with the reasoning shown. A verdict is a statement about probability, not a guarantee — individual temperament can override it.
| Towards | Risk | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Small fish | moderate | Anything that fits in the mouth is at risk once this species reaches adult size. |
| Adult dwarf shrimp | high | Cover reduces losses but rarely prevents them where the risk is high. |
| Shrimplets | near-certain | Determines whether a shrimp colony can grow rather than merely persist. |
| Snails | moderate | Applies to snails you wanted as well as snails you did not. |
| Long or trailing fins | occasional | Fin damage is an entry point for secondary infection. |
| Plants | uproots | Tough species such as Anubias and Java fern survive most grazers. |
Assessed pairings
Any pair in the catalogue can be assessed with the compatibility checker.
Welfare considerations
Points where the way this species is commonly sold or kept differs from what it actually needs.
- Almost all shop stock is male, because unsexed juveniles are unsellable and females never colour up. Buying three of them produces three males and a fight, and this is the single most frequent way the species is stocked badly.
- Hybridisation between Aulonocara collection points is rife in the trade. A fish with mixed parentage is not a welfare problem for the individual, but it is why a 'peacock' sometimes turns out to behave nothing like this record.
Problems to watch for
Most problems in a tank containing this species are general rather than species-specific. Start with the troubleshooting index and work from the observation rather than from a guess at the cause.
What AquariumHQ does not yet hold
Species-level disease susceptibility is modelled in the graph and is not yet populated. Health pages will not be published until each condition has veterinary sourcing, because health content written without evidence is the most harmful thing this product could publish. The gap is recorded in the coverage report.
Where it comes from
- Native range
- Lake Malawi — the western and north-western shore, from Ngara to Usisya
- Habitat
- The intermediate zone where rock gives way to open sand, at depths of five to forty metres. Hard alkaline water with very little seasonal variation.
What the checklists say
3 distribution statements retrieved from GBIF checklists. Establishment means is reproduced from the source where it states one, and left unstated where it does not — a record of presence is not a record of origin.
| Status | Places | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| Introduced | 1 | A checklist states the species arrived here with human help. That is not a statement that it is established, harmful or illegal. |
| Recorded as present, establishment means not stated | 2 | The source records the species as present and does not say whether it is native or introduced. AquariumHQ does not fill that in. |
No checklist AquariumHQ holds positively calls this species native anywhere, so the native range above rests on AquariumHQ’s own reading of the literature rather than on a cited checklist.
Evidence
Every stored value with the kind of support behind it and where to check it. Evidence type and confidence are separate axes: an editorial position held confidently and a measurement held tentatively are different things.
| Claim | Value | Evidence type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scientific name | Aulonocara stuartgranti | Observed / measured | high confidence | Catalogue of Life; GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| native range | Lake Malawi — the western and north-western shore, from Ngara to Usisya | Observed / measured | moderate confidence | GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| adult size | 11–15 cm | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| lifespan | 6–10 years | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| temperature | 24–27 °C | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| ph | 7.6–8.6 pH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| general hardness | 10–20 °dGH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank volume | ≥ 250 L | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank length | ≥ 120 cm | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| carbonate hardness | 10–18 °dKH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum group size | ≥ 4 | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
Last reviewed 2026-08-10. Values labelled as an aquarium-literature consensus are AquariumHQ editorial positions rather than measurements — see how evidence is handled.
Why we say this
What each figure on this page rests on, and how far that is from being independently established.
Every figure on this page has a provenance. Open any claim to see what AquariumHQ holds for it, which sources say what, and what a claim of that kind actually needs. Different claims need different evidence: an accepted scientific name is settled by one authority, while a legal restriction needs a current primary instrument. A single source is often the right answer rather than a thin one.
scientific nameAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: accepted scientific name and classification — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. Checked against gbif on 2026-08-29. One authoritative backbone is what this class requires.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
native rangeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: where the species occurs — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. 3 distribution statements held from GBIF checklists — introduced in 1 country. Establishment means is reproduced from the source, never inferred from occurrence.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
adult sizeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: size a well-kept specimen reaches — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
lifespanAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
temperatureAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
phAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
general hardnessAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
minimum tank volumeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
minimum tank lengthAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
carbonate hardnessAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
minimum group sizeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: group size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
Guides relevant to this species
Chosen from this record's own traits rather than listed on every page.
- Predator and prey sizeIt takes adult dwarf shrimp, which decides what can share the tank.
- Territorial behaviourIt defends ground, and the shape of what it defends decides the tank more than the volume does.
- Wild conditions and aquarium recommendationsThe water band on this page is an AquariumHQ position with a stated reason, not a measurement of a river.
- How to read a compatibility verdictThis animal is recorded as nipping fins, which is one of the few compatibility factors with real reports behind it.
Group size and social behaviour
A single male with several females is the arrangement this genus is built for. Two males in a tank of this size produces one fish holding the whole floor and another hiding behind the heater, and the second one dies slowly.