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Chilumba Peacock – Aulonocara Stuartgranti sp. Chilumba

chilumba_peacock

Common name: Chilumba, Chilumba Peacock

Scientific name: Aulonocara stuartgranti sp. Chilumba

Average Adult Fish Size: 13cm / 5 Inches

Place of Origin: Lake Malawi

Typical Tank setup: Rocky Malawi tank with plenty of open swimming space.

Recommended Minimum Aquarium Capacity: 160 Litres

Compatibility: Other less aggressive african cichlids such as haps and peacocks

Temperature: 23-28 Deg C / 73-82 Deg F

Water chemistry:  pH 7.6-8.6

Feeding: Omnivorous but does better with vegetables. Should not have too much protein and should have no fat. African cichlid flake or pellt foods are good as a staple, but the diet should be supplimented with fresh green vegetables such as spinach, romaine lettuce, peas or zucchini.

Sexing: Males are bright blue and females are grey or silver in color.

Breeding: Like most malawi cichlids, the chilumba is a mouth brooder. As such, it is easier to breed this cichlid than many other types of fish. It takes about 3 weeks for fry to emerge once the mother starts holding eggs in her mouth. Fry should be fed crushed cichlid flake fod or newly hatched brine shrimp.

Additional Information: Located at Chilumba, Malawi. Found in the intermediate zone. Diet in the wild consists of microinvertebrates taken from the rocks and in the sand. The aquarium should have some rockwork but still provide open swimming space both along the bottom and mid-tank region. Feed a quality cichlid flake/pellet food, supplement occasionally with frozen brine, krill or mysis.