This week I discuss my experiences in keeping Aulonocara stuartgranti (Ngara), a species of peacock found near Mdoka in Lake Malawi that is commonly called the flamtail peacock. This is perhaps the best looking peacock species of Lake Malawi. Good male specimens sport a bright blue and orange body, where each color slowly fades into the other. The male seen below was the first male of this species that I ever had, and he was also the best in terms of color.
The peacocks of Lake Malawi, unlike mbuna, are mild mannered and peaceful. They rarely show aggression towards fish of any species, including their own. Because of this, several males can attain full color in the same tank, which is a sight to see. Imagine a tank full of fish like the one above!
Females of this species are a dull brown color, and are nothing to look at. But the males more than make up for this. Males can grow to a size of just over 5″, females tend to stay smaller, reaching 4.5″ in my experience, but usually staying around 3.5-4″ because of how often they breed. Spawns usually produce 20-30 fry in my experience. Juvenile males can begin to show color as small as 1.75″. The young male pictured below was only 1.5″ at the time of the photo.
As can be seen by my pictures, Aulonocara stuartgranti (Ngara) have some of the most beautiful males of any species of African cichlids. They are easy to keep and rarely display any form of aggression. If you are looking at keeping African cichlids, take a look at the flametail peacock, or any peacock for that matter, they are not high maintenance and each species displays a unique color pattern!
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