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Aulonocara Baenschi
| Scientific Name: Aulonocara baenschi |
| Common Name: Sunshine Peacock |
| Origin: Confined to Lake Malawi, Africa. Found near the Maleri Islands in the southwestern part of the lake, and around the Likoma Islands in the east central region of the lake. |
| 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: In comparison with other Aulonocara the Sunshine is relatively small, with the males rarely reaching more than 5 inches. Females tend to be smaller growing 4 to 4 1/2 inches. |
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| Sexual Dimorphism: Sunshine males will have longer, more pointed dorsal fins than the females, and will begin to show color around 2 inches. The males are a magnificent combination of yellow and metallic blue. The females tend to be smaller than the males and will look just as they do when they are juveniles. They display the dorsal markings and lateral banding characteristics of the genus, however they have a yellowish sheen, which makes them fairly distinctive in appearance and unlikely to be confused with other female Aulonocara. Sub-dominant males will look more like females to avoid dominant male aggression, however they do tend to show a bit more yellow than the females. |
| Breeding: The Sunshine 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 Sunshine will live and breed quite well. |
| 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 Sunshine with does not look similar to the Sunshine 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. |
| Other Species In Genus: Aulonocara auditor, Aulonocara hueseri, Aulonocara hansbaenschi, Aulonocara stuartgranti, Aulonocara nyassae, Aulonocara steveni, Aulonocara rostratum, Aulonocara saulosi and Aulonocara jacobfreibergi. |
| 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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