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Aulonocara jacobfreibergi
| Scientific Name: Aulonocara jacobfreibergi |
| Common Name: Freibergi Peacock |
| Origin: Confined to Lake Malawi, Africa. |
| Water Conditions: As with most Malawi cichlids, the Aulonocara need medium to slightly hard water with a temperature of between 75 and 80F, and a pH of between 7.5 and 8.5. Frequent water changes are a must, about 30% to 40% every seven to ten days is ideal. |
| Diet: Aulonocara are micropreditors, and in their dimly illuminated natural environment, feed on aquatic insect larvae which are detected by using extra sensory pores located on their face. In an aquarium they will eat a variety of cichlid pellets and flakes. They will also readily accept frozen chironomid larvae (bloodworms) and chaoborid larvae (glassworms). |
| Mature Size: The Freibergi can grow somewhat larger than other Aulonocara, with the males sometimes getting as large as 6 1/2 inches. Females tend to be smaller growing 5 to 5 1/2 inches. |
| Sexual Dimorphism: Male Freibergi have broad, iridescent white dorsal and caudal fin margins. The females tend to be smaller than the males and will look just as they do when they are juveniles, displaying the dorsal markings and lateral banding characteristics of the genus. Sub-dominant males will look more like females to avoid dominant male aggression. |
| Breeding: The Freibergi is a polygamous harem breeder, which means they should be kept in groups consisting of one male and two to four females. They are mouthbrooders and usually yield between twenty-five and thirty fry per brood. The female will carry the fry in her mouth for about 21 days, usually without eating. The female will continue to care for the fry several days after their initial release. The mothers presence is not essential to their survival, so she can be separated from them as soon as they are released. |
| General Description: As long as they are maintained under optimal conditions, allowing the males to hold territory from which they can display actively to potential spawning partners, the Freibergi will live and breed quite well. In my personal experiences with this fish I have found that the Freibergi tend to be quite aggressive. The males are somewhat hard on the females, as well as the females towards each other, many hiding places would be a good idea. |
| Suitable Tankmates: It is never a good idea to house a colony of more than a single Aulonocara species in one aquarium, this can result in hybridization. They can be kept with a variety of Haplochromis without to many problems. If you plan to have males and females, you should try to make sure the male breeding dress of the species you house the Freibergi with does not look similar to the Freibergi breeding dress, other males will compete for the females even though they are a different species. Aulonocara should not be kept with mbuna, most mbuna are much to aggressive and would put the Aulonocara into a constant state of subordination. I do however house my Freibergi with a colony of Yellow Lab, which are some of the least aggressive mbuna. |
| Other Species In Genus: Aulonocara auditor, Aulonocara hueseri, Aulonocara hansbaenschi, Aulonocara stuartgranti, Aulonocara nyassae, Aulonocara steveni, Aulonocara rostratum, and Aulonocara baenschi. |
| Meaning Of Scientific Name: Aulonocara is derived from the greek word aulos = "pipe" plus kara = "head," in reference to the large sensory canals on their heads. |
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