DRAGON’S BLOOD PEACOCK, AULONOCARA SP. (FIRE)

The Dragon Blood Peacock Cichlid is a hybrid from the Aulonocara Species (Peacock Cichlid) from Lake Malawi. Peacock Cichlids are generally found living where the rocky shoreline transitions into the more sandy substrate of the lake bottom. Dragon Blood Peacock Cichlids 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 Dragon Blood Peacock Cichlid lives in small groups of a single male and a small group of females. They will lay claim to a 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.

Dragon Blood Peacock Cichlids 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.

• Species – Aulonocara sp. “Dragon Blood”
• Common Name – Dragon Blood 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 5cm (Grows to approximately 13cm)