The Rubin Red Peacock comes from Lake Malawi. Peacock Cichlids are generally found living where the rocky shoreline transitions into the more sandy substrate of the lake bottom. Peacocks feed by sifting through sand substrate by pushing the sand through their gills and extracting small invertebrates hidden in the sand. However, they are also active hunters that will also actively prey on small prey items that it detects moving about the substrate or if it spots movement in the sand. Like most species of African Cichlid the Peacock lives in small groups of a single male and a small group of females. They will lay claim to small piece of territory that provides them adequate feeding opportunities. Once they have established their territory they will aggressively defend it from similarly sized and patterned fish species or anything that they determine to be competition for food. Peacocks make a good addition to most any community Lake Malawi aquarium, as they will generally get along with most other Lake Malawi species. However, they are peaceful enough to keep with similar species providing the aquarium is large enough to provide multiple territories for each group of fish. The Rubin Red Peacock Aulonocara stuartgranti is a favourite with its outstanding colours. It has bright oranges and reds strongly contrasted with bright blue markings on the face, tail, and fins. Both in its natural appearance and in color forms developed even further through captive breeding, these are some of the most sought after cichlids originating from Lake Malawi, Africa. The Rubin Red Peacock is one of several well known varieties of the Aulonocara stuartgranti. They are members of a very small group of fish that are known as the Peacock Cichlids, and they are very popular with aquarists. The Peacock Cichlids members of the Aulonocara genus which contains only about 23 species, but with many subspecies. It is the brilliant colourations of blues, reds and yellows that give this group the well deserved name of “Peacock”. The Rubin Red Peacock is a popular captive bred color morph. It has a more reddish coloration than the pure natural form. This variety was intentionally bred to enhance its red color. With extensive inbreeding carried out in Germany, in-line bred fish have been developed into two recognised color forms, today’s popular German Red Peacock as well as the ‘Rubin Red Peacock. The Aulonocara, along with the Utaka Cichlids Copadichromis and other non-Mbuna’s, are members of the Haplochromis group. Haplochromis is the type genus of free-roaming browsers. They live in more sandy areas and open waters, and are generally larger cichlids than their Mbuna “rock-dwelling” counterparts. They also are more peaceful cichlids and should not be housed with the highly active and aggressive Mbunas. This is a moderately sized Peacock reaching only about 13 cm in length. Along with its bright coloring and reasonable size it will quickly adapt to the aquarium. Provide open space for swimming and a lot of caves in which to hide, sleep, or breed. Water changes that are frequent also help in keeping this cichlid. They will eat a meaty diet and have an almost puppy like excitability when being fed, thus adding to their appeal.
 
Species – Aulonocara stuartgranti “Rubin Red”
Common Name – Rubin Red Peacock Cichlid
Origin – Lake Malawi Diet – Omnivore
PH Range – Alkaline 7.5 – 8.5
Water Type – Hard
Temperature – Tropical 24°c
Breed Type – Mouth brooder
Current Size – approximately 6cm (Grows to approximately 13cm)
Sex – Un-sexed