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African Butterfly PeacockFairy Cichlid ~ Lake Malawi Butterfly CichlidFamily: CichlidaeWFCiaf_C1442.jpg) Aulonocara jacobfreibergiPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David BroughBe the first to add a comment! The African Butterfly Peacock is variable in color, but all are bright and breath taking!African Butterfly Peacock Contents The African Butterfly Peacock is one of the most colorful and "finny" of the Peacocks. Also they are some of the largest in the Peacock family, though size depends on the location they are from. They are easy to care for, thus making them a desirable pet! Provide open space for swimming and a lot of caves to which to hide, sleep, or breed. Water changes that are frequent also help in keeping this cichlid. They will eat a meaty diet and are one of the most carnivorous of the cichlids. They almost have a puppy like excitability when being fed, thus adding to their appeal. Besides being called the African Butterfly Peacock, other common names or different spellings these fish are known by are the Fairy Cichlid and the Lake Malawi Butterfly Cichlid. Some of the varieties are also known by different names. Below are descriptions of these varieties. They are all males that were wild caught in Lake Malawi and categorized by location. For more Information on keeping this fish see: |
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Distribution: The African Butterfly Peacocks were described by Johnson in 1974 and are found in Lake Malawi, Africa. Besides inhabiting Otter Point in Lake Malawi, the African Butterfly Peacock is also found in other water areas of Africa including Nkudzi, Monkey Bay, Nankumba, the Domwe Islands.
Depending on location, the African Butterfly Peacock prefers rocky habitats where there are large boulders (Northern inhabitants) or in areas mixed with rocky areas, though the males live in small caves. (Southern inhabitants). In general the African Butterfly Peacock inhabit deeper waters than other Malawi cichlids and have special sensory pores on the jaws that help them to find crustaceans in the sand.
There are 23 Aulonocara species, though other subspecies exist.
Status: The species is listed on the IUCN Red List, but with the status of 'LC', meaning 'Least Concern'.
Description: The African Butterfly Peacock has a distinct feature that separates them from other butterfly peacocks, which is a deeply forked tail fin. All females are quite drab having a white to grayish-brown coloring with vertical bands in gray/brown to beige on the body and they have a rounded anal and dorsal fin which can be faintly colored. This fish may live 8 to 10 years.
All cichlids share a common feature that some saltwater fish such as wrasses and parrotfish have and that is a well-developed pharyngeal set of teeth that are in the throat, along with their regular teeth. Cichlids have spiny rays in the back parts of the anal, dorsal, pectoral, and pelvic fins to help discourage predators. The front part of these fins are soft and perfect for precise positions and effortless movements in the water as opposed to fast swimming.
Cichlids have one nostril on each side while other fish have 2 sets. To sense "smells" in the water, they suck water in and expel the water right back out after being "sampled" for a short or longer time, depending on how much the cichlid needs to "smell" the water. This feature is shared by saltwater damselfish and cichlids are thought to be closely related.
Only a few of the variations of African Butterfly Peacock are described below. These are all males that were wild caught in Lake Malawi and categorized by location, and some have female descriptions as well:
- Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Eureka" (Eureda Red is a captive bred colorform): This African Butterfly Peacock is a naturally occurring strain and gets to 6". It is a combination of orange/yellow and metallic blue. Most of the body is blue with a "dusting" of orange behind and at the top of the head and along the back. The anal and pelvic fins are orange/yellow with ice blue trimming on the front edge. The anal fin on this one has few in any egg spots. The top fin and caudal fins are light blue. The female is very drab in white with dull gray/brown vertical bands and clear fins. The anal fin is rounded with a light gold coloring in the front 2/3rds and white/clear near the back, closest to the tail fin. The pelvic fins are also light gold with the tips being white/clear as well.
- Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Otter Point": This African Butterfly Peacock is a naturally occurring color, but there are hybrids and/or captive bred colorforms that are also sold under the same name. This fish is a combination of electric blue and orange/red. and gets up to 6". The body is electric blue with faint dark blue vertical bands. The top of the head and part way at the top back of the body is orange/red with the tail fin having a mix of the two colors near the body with the rest (2 nd 1/2) being blue. The anal fin has more of an orange with ice blue trimming. The dorsal fin is blue with the very bottom near the back having a smidgen of gold along the fin. The chin is the only area (below the eye) that has an almost blue-turquoise color. The pelvic fins are burnt red/brown with the front edges trimmed in orange/red. There are no egg spots on this male. The female has alternating vertical bars of a beige coloring that is a little thicker and white. The eye is yellow and the fins are clear except the pelvic and anal fins. The anal fin is orange/yellow and rounded and the pelvic fin is also orange/yellow with a little trim in blue at the tip.
- Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Undu Reef" "Mamela" or "Lemon Jake": This African Butterfly Peacock is a naturally occurring coloring and has a basic blue/lavender coloring in the body with a vertical band of yellow (mixed with the base color) just behind the gill area. The dorsal, anal and pelvic fins are all yellow with the anal fin not having egg spots. The tail fin is a mix of the base color and yellow.
- Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Hongi Island": This African Butterfly Peacock is a naturally occurring strain and gets to 6". This African Butterfly Peacock has orange fins (except the pectoral) and a metallic blue face. The body has several vertical bands that alternate between light blue and dark blue/black. The tail fin, near the body has a little of this darker color. This fish is found near Hongi Island.
- Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Cape Kaiser": This African Butterfly Peacock is a naturally occurring color and gets to about 7". This fish has longer fins and all are yellow with ice blue at the tips or edges. The forehead is dusted in yellow as well. The rest of the body alters from ice blue to dark blue/black vertical bans. This fish also has an electric blue chin.
- Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Cape Maclear": This African Butterfly Peacock has almost identical coloring as the Tsano rock, except there is a little orange where the back and dorsal meet, as well as the anal fin's egg spots being orange.
- Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Eureka albino": This African Butterfly Peacock has a tangerine colored back, anal fin (no egg spots) and pectoral fin (white trim on front ray). The forehead, face, and bottom part of this fish is white. The dorsal fin has a little tangerine in the bottom part close to the body, but the rest is a very light blue ice color. The tips of the tail fin also have this blue ice color. Females are basically white and both have yellow eyes with tangerine pupils. These get between 4 to 6 inches.
- Aulonocara jacobfreiberi "Nkudzi": This African Butterfly Peacock is a naturally occurring strain. The body behind the head has light blue and dark blue/black alternating vertical bands. The head has an electric blue and is a yellow/gold below the eye and above the eye, forehead and along the back extending to only to the first third of the dorsal. It is also this yellow/gold in the pelvic and anal fins with both having a trimming of light blue on the edges. The dorsal fin is ice blue on the top part and yellow/gold as it gets closer to the body. The tail fin is a mix but the tips are ice blue with the rest being mottled with yellow/gold and dark blue/black.
- Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Tsano rock": This African Butterfly Peacock is a naturally occurring color. The body has alternating colors of light blue and black, but they are faded in areas under the gold coloring that runs along the top 2/3rds of the body. The dorsal fin has blue ice edging on the very top and yellow the rest of the way down to the back. The tail fin blue with some yellow. The area under the eye and the chin are electric blue. The pelvic and anal fins are lighter blue with yellow egg spots on the anal fin. Females are light with brown/gray vertical bars and fins are light blue with the anal fin having egg spots.
Size - Weight: The African Butterfly Peacock grows to a length from 4 - 6 inches (10 - 15 cm) up to about 8 - 9 inches (20 - 23 cm) and have some of the largest in the Peacock family (size depends on location).
Care and feeding: The African Butterfly Peacock is one of the most carnivorous of the cichlids. In the wild they feed on zooplankton, specifically larvae and will also eat crustaceans. Provide them with a meaty diet; pellets, frozen and freeze-dried daphnia, bloodworms and brine shrimp are excellent choices. Avoid tubifex worms as they contribute to a disease called "Malawi bloat." You can also use shrimp mixes (the European Shrimp Mix is cheaper than prepared foods and just as nutritious). Feed once a day when young and 5 to 6 times a week when adults unless they are breeding. Avoid the desire to feed this fish more often than it needs, as this will keep the water quality higher over a longer time.
A 55 gallon aquarium is okay for these fish, but 75 gallons is suggested. They do fine in either freshwater or brackish freshwater but need good water movement along with very strong and efficient filtration. Provide open space for swimming and a lot of caves to which to hide, sleep, or breed. They prefer subdued lighting.
Malawi Cichlids will deteriorate under poor water conditions. As these are messy fish, do water changes of 20 to 50% a week depending on bio load. Malawi bloat is a typical disease, along with other diseases that ail all freshwater fish.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom: These fish will swim in the bottom and middle areas of the aquarium.
Acceptable Water Conditions: Crushed coral can help keep the PH up. However a higher PH means that ammonia is more lethal, so water changes are a must for these fish.
Hardness: 6 - 10° dH
Ph: 7.7 to 8.6
Temp: 73 - 82° F (23 - 28° C)
Social Behaviors: The African Butterfly Peacock is best kept alone in a small tank, or as a group of one male and 4 - 6 females in a large tank. They are peaceful toward those of the same species as long as it is not 2 males, unless tank is very large and can support different territories. The African Butterfly Peacock will tolerate those of a different genus as long as they are peaceful, similarly sized, though different in shape. They will get along with all other Peacock Cichlids of the same genus.
This fish is best kept with other medium sized Malawi cichlids that are not overly aggressive. Aggressive Mbunas are not good tank mates for the African Butterfly Peacock.
Sexual Differences: Males are more colorful with the back part of their dorsal and anal fins being longer and sharper. Females are drabber in color with rounded anal and dorsal fins.
Breeding/Reproduction: The African Butterfly Peacock has been bred in captivity. They reach sexual maturity around 4", which is 1/2 the adult size. Keep 4 - 6 females with one male for the best breeding success. The male will display an intense coloration to attract the females.
All Cichlid parents tend to their young, making them easy to breed. They should have their own breeding tank as a couple guarding their babies can be a force to reckon with and this aggression is acted out on other tank mates. A 55 to 75 gallon tank is suggested.
It is difficult to witness a spawning of African Butterfly Peacock because it is done secretly in a cave. They are mouthbrooders. This is where the females will lay their eggs and then pick them up in their mouths, after which, they pick at the male's anal fin to get him to produce "milt" or sperm. The female will then take this milt into her mouth and the eggs are fertilized at that time. She will carry them in her mouth until the fry are old enough to be able to feed on their own. This takes around 21 days and the size of the clutch is up to 50 eggs. She will nibble and eat next to nothing during this time
Try and keep the different species blood lines pure. To prevent cross breeding, make sure if you have more than one type of Cichlid and that they are very different in shape. See more information on breeding cichlids in Breeding Freshwater Fish.
Availability: The African Butterfly Cichlid (pure breed) are sometimes found online between $20.00 to $60.00 USD. They are always found in fish stores as long as you know what you are looking for, because they may be just listed under "peacock" to the uneducated eye. They may be special ordered if you are willing to wait for them if they are out of season.
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