Lake Malawi Species • starting a peacock male only tank

[lambretta]

looking at buying groups of juvs 1 type at a time so that i can pass on the extra knowing what they are
is it the same as mbuna where its only 1 male per tank per species and look alike

[DJRansome]

Yes one male/species and with peacocks, one species/tank.

[lambretta]

would i get away with a blue peacock and a blue hap or would they just see the colour and not the different species

[DJRansome]

You can mix haps and peacocks if the hap is not fryeri and if the hap females are VERY different looking than the peacock females. But...the topic was peacocks.

If you raise one species at a time and you ultimately need 12 males this would take you 12 years. Males may not be identifiable after 6 months.

[lambretta]

should have added i have found a local breeder that will sell me male only hence the question of blue peacock and blue hap

[DJRansome]

Yes many of the haps are blue. They seem to be OK together as long as they are different genus and different shape at least.

Peacocks are more one blue one yellow one red IME. With some exceptions: maleri and usisya both yellow and work together. But blue neon (yellow peacock) would not color with these for me.

Ngara or red shoulder and a solid blue often work.

[lambretta]

thanks for the help
this is a list of the fish she has listed as juvs
i know some will not be suitable for my 4 foot tank just hope she has others i can chose from and that i like her prices as much as the fish (the juvs are £45 for ten )

Aulonocara Red Rubin Peacock 4 - 5 cm
Aulonacara Orange Blotch Peacock, stunning colours 4 - 5 cm
Aulonocara Regal blue stuartgranti mbenji peacock 4 - 5 cm
Aulonocara Peacock Dragon blood The males are very red 4 - 5 cm
Aulonocara Baenschi 4 - 5 cm
Aulonocara Maylandi Sulphur Head 4 - 5 cm
Aulonocara Jacobfriebergi 4 - 5 cm
Aulonocara Pink Albino fire fish. 4 - 5 cm
Aulonocara Fire fish. 1.5inch
Aulonocara Peacock-Gold Red Eye 4 - 5 cm
Cyrtocara moori Dolphins. 1.5inch
Nimbochromis livingstoni 1.5inch
Nimbochromus Venustus 1.5inch
Copadichromis borleyi red fin 4 - 5 cm
Protomelas fenestratus "steveni tiger" 1.5inch
Haplochromis milomo Super VC-10 hap 4 - 5 cm
Sciaenochromis fryeri/ahli 4 - 5 cm

[DJRansome]

Juveniles cannot be sexed. You would buy one adult male. So are you going back to raising one species at a time and selling off females? Or stocking adult males?

Look up these fish in the profiles and eliminate any that mature > six inches.

Choose one must have species and we can make suggestions around that.

Example for a more timid tank (my favorites).

Aulonocara Red Rubin Peacock 4 - 5 cm
Aulonocara Regal blue stuartgranti mbenji peacock 4 - 5 cm
Aulonocara Baenschi 4 - 5 cm

Not much in the way of haps <= six inches. If you go with fryeri, you may want more aggressive peacocks like these. Which jacobfriebergi? Lemon jake?

Aulonacara Orange Blotch Peacock, stunning colours 4 - 5 cm
Aulonocara Peacock Dragon blood The males are very red 4 - 5 cm
Aulonocara Jacobfriebergi 4 - 5 cm

[lambretta]

she is going to supply me males only i assume they are unsold from her juv stock will find out in a week or two

[lambretta]

get the fish now

Orange Blotch Peacock
Peacock Dragon blood
thee will go if they give me too much grief

Aulonocara Maylandi Sulphur Head
Copadichromis borleyi red fin
Aulonocara Jacobfriebergi eureka
all showing faint signs of colour when compared to many of the others in the tank so most likely male

Cyrtocara moori Dolphins
only for a couple of years until i can sneak a bigger tank past the wife,which looks hopeful as she is now sitting to watch the fish and wanting to do the feedng



Sciaenochromis fryeri/ahli
she wasnt positive about the sex on this one but in my tank under lights there seems to be a blue tinge when it turns unless thats just wishful thinking


she was out of stock on others i wanted so will have to go back again in the future

[DJRansome]

The Sulphur heads usually don't color in an all-male tank.

The Borleyi will have to go with the moori since they are 8 inch fish.

Enjoy!