Benga Peacock Cichlid (Aulonocara baenschi) – 3–9cm & XL Sizes

The Benga Peacock Cichlid is a yellow-and-blue Lake Malawi peacock sold under the accepted scientific name Aulonocara baenschi. It is also called the Nkhomo-Benga Peacock or Yellow Regal Peacock. This is a medium-sized, sand-foraging cichlid for a planned hard-water aquarium, not a peaceful all-purpose community fish. FishBase records a maximum length of about 13 cm and a natural range in Lake Malawi, where it occurs around sandy areas broken by scattered rock.

This listing is deliberately precise about what the size selector means. Each quantity is one unsexed fish in the selected supplier size. A purchase is not a bonded pair, a sexed pair, a guaranteed male or a guaranteed breeding group. Juveniles and females can be much plainer than a mature displaying male, so the bright adult-colour gallery must be read as representative rather than as a promise of the exact fish you will receive.

Choose this species when you can provide stable warm, alkaline, hard water; a mature filter; open sand; secure rockwork; and enough room to manage cichlid territories. For a broader introduction to these requirements, read our cichlid care guide and compare the live Aulonocara selection before deciding on a final stocking plan.

What exactly are you buying?

The product title identifies one species. The Shopify size menu contains five supplier variants, but size does not establish sex or maturity. A 7-9 cm fish may still be immature or not show the yellow-and-blue colour associated with a dominant adult male. The XL option is the supplier's own label and should not be converted into an invented length.

Select a size for the physical dispatch size you prefer, then select quantity separately. A quantity of two means two unsexed fish. They may mature as any sex combination, may not form a compatible pair and may need separating if aggression develops. This distinction matters because peacock-cichlid social planning depends on mature sex, individual temperament, aquarium footprint and the other fish already present.

Size option	What the label confirms	What it does not confirm
3-4 cm	One small unsexed fish in this dispatch-size band	Sex, final colour, locality or adult rank
4-5 cm	One unsexed fish in this dispatch-size band	A guaranteed male or compatible female
6-7 cm	One unsexed fish in this dispatch-size band	Full maturity or permanent colour
7-9 cm	One larger unsexed fish in this dispatch-size band	Breeding readiness or pair formation
XL	One fish supplied in Petra's XL grade	An exact centimetre range, sex or adult colour

Benga Peacock Cichlid care at a glance

Care point	Evidence-led guidance	Why it matters
Adult size	Up to about 13 cm total length	Plan for the adult, not the dispatch size
Temperature	23-26°C is a practical overlap; supplier range 22-26°C	Stable warmth supports normal feeding and activity
pH	Supplier range 7.2-8.2; a stable 8.0-8.2 sits within supplier and OATA guidance	Sudden change is more dangerous than a stable value within range
Hardness	Supplier range 10-30 dGH; OATA's general Malawi guide gives 12-18 dGH	Soft, acidic community water is the wrong default
Tank size	At least 200 litres for a reasonable Malawi community; larger when stocking or aggression requires it	Footprint, territory and filtration capacity all matter
Habitat	Open fine sand with stable rock structures and broken sight lines	Reflects sand-rock transition habitat and helps territory management
Diet	Quality sinking Malawi or cichlid pellets plus measured invertebrate-based variety	The wild diet includes bottom-dwelling invertebrates
Temperament	Territorial and semi-aggressive; often less relentless than many mbuna but never guaranteed peaceful	Individual behaviour and tank design change outcomes

These numbers are planning boundaries rather than an instruction to adjust water every day. Use our water chemistry guide to understand pH, GH and KH, and use the water matcher to compare your source water with the needs of a hard-water Lake Malawi setup.

Scientific name, common names and stock identity

Aulonocara baenschi Meyer & Riehl, 1985 is an accepted species in the family Cichlidae. Current records from GBIF and NCBI use Nkhomo-benga peacock as the English common name. Benga Peacock, Nkhomo-Benga Peacock, Yellow Regal Peacock and yellow peacock are established aquarium names for the same species, although sellers may apply sunshine or yellow-peacock language loosely to other fish.

The Petra record for this product says Aulonocara / baenschi and gives the common name “Baenghae Peacock Cichlid”. “Baenghae” is not the primary spelling used by current taxonomy databases or UK searchers, so the customer title uses Benga. That correction does not create a collection-locality guarantee. The supplier also has a separate row labelled “baenschi benga”; this listing is not silently merged with that other product.

The most defensible identity statement is therefore simple: this is supplier-labelled A. baenschi, sold under the established Benga Peacock trade name. The stock record does not provide breeder, lineage, collection locality, wild/captive provenance or genetic certification. Those unknowns stay unknown rather than being filled with persuasive copy.

Colour, sex and what changes with maturity

Mature displaying males are known for a bright yellow body with blue around the face and gill covers. Females are typically much more subdued, and juveniles of either sex may be grey, brownish or only partly coloured. Social rank, stress, lighting, substrate, health and maturity can all change how intense a fish looks from one week to the next.

This sexual difference is important for online buying. A representative photo of a mature-coloured fish cannot tell you the sex of a 3-4 cm juvenile. Even a larger individual should not be sold as male unless the selected variant explicitly says so and the supplier has sexed that animal. None of the variants on this listing does that. The scientifically useful way to answer “Will mine be yellow?” is: a mature male may develop the classic yellow-and-blue display, while females and juveniles can remain much plainer.

The fish you receive may also carry natural individual differences in bars, fin edging, body depth and colour balance. Those differences are not defects. They are one reason not to choose a live animal solely by a polished hero image.

Natural habitat and behaviour

FishBase records the species as endemic to Lake Malawi, with reports from Chipoka, the Maleri Islands, Nkhomo and Usisya. It lives near the bottom where scattered rock meets sand. A peer-reviewed field study likewise places it in the sand-rock transition habitat and describes predominantly small-invertebrate foraging.

That habitat explains several practical choices. Fine sand gives the fish a natural surface to investigate. Rock structures provide boundaries and retreat areas, but a solid wall of rock removes useful open space. Broken lines of sight help a subordinate fish move out of view, while open foreground lets the peacock search and display. The layout should be secure because cichlids dig and can undermine unstable stones.

Do not interpret “sand forager” as “aquarium cleaner”. This fish needs a complete diet and routine maintenance. It will not replace gravel cleaning, water changes or deliberate feeding, and it is not a safe solution for shrimp, fry or small snails.

Wild conservation status and responsible wording

FishBase, using IUCN Red List version 2025-2, records the wild species as Critically Endangered from an assessment dated 22 May 2018. Peer-reviewed pigmentation research also discusses the serious decline of wild populations. That status deserves clear treatment, but it does not by itself tell us where an individual sold by this supplier was bred or collected.

Petra's product row does not state captive-bred, wild-caught, collection locality or breeder. We therefore do not claim any of those things. If documented provenance is essential to your purchase, contact us before ordering so the current supplier information can be checked rather than assumed.

Responsible aquarium keeping also means never releasing fish, plants, water or substrate into the wild. Rehome unwanted livestock through a retailer, rescue or experienced keeper. A Lake Malawi cichlid is not adapted to British waterways, and release can harm both the animal and native ecosystems.

Tank size: use 200 litres as a community planning floor

OATA's African Malawi cichlid care sheet recommends an aquarium of at least 200 litres for a reasonable-sized community, while also warning that the correct size depends on the species and number of fish. For this page, 200 litres is the honest community planning floor, not a promise that every proposed mix will work.

Length and usable footprint matter as much as the litre figure. A long aquarium offers more horizontal distance, more territory boundaries and more escape routes than a tall tank of equal volume. Rock displacement also reduces real water volume. Check internal dimensions with our tank volume calculator, then allow for substrate, stone and equipment rather than relying only on the manufacturer's headline size.

Use a larger aquarium when keeping multiple males, several cichlid species or a dense Malawi community. Have a divider, spare mature aquarium or agreed rehoming route available before aggression becomes an emergency. No calculator can see every territory or personality, but our stocking calculator can help structure the first conversation.

Water parameters without number chasing

Two reputable evidence sets describe slightly different ranges. Petra and FishBase give 22-26°C, pH 7.2-8.2 and 10-30 dGH for the species. OATA's general Malawi cichlid sheet gives 23-27°C, pH 8.0-8.6 and 12-18 dGH. A practical overlap is 23-26°C, around pH 8.0-8.2 and hard water around 12-18 dGH.

Parameter	Species/supplier range	OATA general Malawi range	Practical approach
Temperature	22-26°C	23-27°C	Keep a stable 23-26°C
pH	7.2-8.2	8.0-8.6	A stable 8.0-8.2 fits both
General hardness	10-30 dGH	12-18 dGH	Hard, buffered water around 12-18 dGH is a useful target
Ammonia	No safe chronic level stated	0 mg/L	Always zero
Nitrite	No safe chronic level stated	0 mg/L	Always zero

Do not repeatedly add chemicals to force a perfect reading. First test your tap water, aquarium water, GH and KH. Stable hard water within the supported range is generally safer than daily swings caused by reactive adjustment. Any change in mineral content should be gradual and reproducible at water-change time.

Temperature should be checked with a separate thermometer, not only the heater dial. Provide strong surface movement or aeration because warm, heavily stocked cichlid aquariums have high oxygen demand. Match replacement water temperature closely and always use a suitable conditioner for chlorine or chloramine.

Cycling, filtration and maintenance

Add this fish only to a biologically mature aquarium that can process its current waste load. Ammonia and nitrite must read zero before introduction. If those compounds appear after adding livestock, the aquarium is overloaded, under-cycled or experiencing filter disruption. Our fishless nitrogen-cycle guide explains the process without using a live fish as the ammonia source.

OATA recommends an oversized filter for crowded Malawi communities. Prioritise dependable biological capacity, mechanical capture of solid waste and good oxygen exchange. Flow should keep waste moving toward the intake without forcing every fish to fight a jet all day. Protect heater and intake positions from shifting rock and persistent digging.

Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and hardness at least weekly during the early months and after any stocking change. A weekly partial water change of about 25% is a sensible baseline, adjusted according to measured nitrate and waste. Rinse filter media gently in removed aquarium water, not untreated tap water, and never clean all biological media at once.

Sand, rockwork, plants and lighting

Use fine, smooth sand across at least part of the floor. Avoid sharp gravel that can damage a fish investigating or mouthing the substrate. Build stable rock groups directly on a secure base before adding deep sand around them, so digging cannot topple the structure. Leave open patches between groups and create visual barriers rather than one continuous cave wall.

This is not a species that requires a lush planted aquascape. OATA notes that Malawi cichlids often dig and uproot plants. Tough epiphytes attached to stone may survive, but their soft-water or lighting requirements should never drive the aquarium away from the fish's needs. The gallery's planted scenes are illustrative, not a prescription for dense planting.

Moderate lighting on a timer is sufficient. Provide a regular day-night rhythm and shaded retreats. Bright light can make a fish feel exposed, while a completely dark rock pile makes observation difficult. Aim for a layout where you can see every fish well enough to notice weight loss, damaged fins or abnormal breathing.

Feeding an invertebrate-foraging peacock cichlid

Wild records describe feeding on bottom-dwelling invertebrates. In the aquarium, use a reputable sinking or slow-sinking Malawi/peacock pellet as the measured staple. Add modest variety such as mysis, brine shrimp or another suitable frozen invertebrate food. Choose food size for the fish you receive; a 3-4 cm juvenile cannot handle the same pellet as an XL fish.

Feed only what the fish can finish within a few minutes, usually once or twice daily. Spread small amounts across the open area so a dominant individual cannot take everything. Remove uneaten food and reduce portions if waste reaches the floor. Persistent begging is normal cichlid behaviour and is not evidence that another full meal is needed.

Food	Role	How to use it	Avoid
Quality sinking cichlid pellet	Measured staple	Choose an appropriate pellet diameter and feed small portions	Large hard pellets for small juveniles
Frozen mysis or brine shrimp	Invertebrate-based variety	Offer a modest portion, thawed and drained where appropriate	Making rich frozen food every meal
Balanced Malawi food	Useful rotation	Check ingredients and match to a non-mbuna peacock	Assuming every Malawi species has the same diet
Generic flake	Occasional convenience	Use only if nutritionally suitable and eaten cleanly	Relying on low-quality flake as the only food
Feeder fish or mammalian meat	No routine role	Do not use	Parasite risk and unsuitable fat profiles

Browse the fish-food range by ingredient and pellet size rather than by colour claims. A food can support normal condition, but no food can guarantee a juvenile will become a brightly coloured male.

Temperament and social planning

Peacock cichlids are often described as calmer than mbuna, but “calmer” is comparative. A mature male can defend a display area, chase rivals and focus repeated attention on a female. OATA treats Malawi cichlids as an aggressive specialist group and warns that small groups can fight. Individual behaviour varies, so a label such as semi-aggressive is a prompt to plan, not a guarantee.

A commonly discussed group structure is one mature male with several females, but unsexed juveniles cannot be ordered as that structure. Buying four fish does not guarantee one male and three females. If the developing ratio becomes unsuitable, you may need to separate or rehome individuals. Do not add a lone new juvenile into an established adult territory without careful observation and an escape plan.

Rearranging some rockwork before introducing new cichlids can interrupt established boundaries, but do not destabilise the entire aquarium or biological filter. Additions should be similar enough in size not to be immediate targets, and all candidates must share the same water chemistry.

Compatibility: choose by water, size, diet and behaviour

The most defensible setting is a carefully planned Lake Malawi aquarium with fish of compatible adult size and temperament. Similar water requirements are necessary but not sufficient. A highly aggressive mbuna can still dominate a peacock, while small peaceful community fish can be stressed, injured or eaten.

Candidate	Starting assessment	Main concern
Other mild Lake Malawi peacocks	Possible in a sufficiently large, planned aquarium	Male rivalry, similar females and unintended hybridisation
Selected mild haps	Possible when adult size and behaviour match	Some species become much larger or more predatory
Suitable Synodontis	Sometimes compatible in larger systems	Species, adult size, hiding places and feeding access
Aggressive mbuna	Generally avoid for a straightforward peacock plan	Harassment, food competition and incompatible diet emphasis
Small tetras, danios, guppies or rasboras	Avoid	Water mismatch, intimidation and predation risk
Shrimp, fry and small snails	Not safe	Likely viewed as food or disturbed
Soft-water cichlids	Avoid casual mixing	Conflicting water chemistry and social behaviour

Explore the broader Lake Malawi and Victoria cichlid category and the editorial African cichlid hub, but verify every candidate individually. A category is a browsing aid, not a compatibility certificate.

A five-part stocking check before ordering

1. Water check: confirm your source and aquarium water can remain hard and alkaline without continual correction.
2. Adult-size check: compare every fish at full adult size, not today's shop size.
3. Territory check: map open sand, visual barriers and retreats, including where a chased fish can move.
4. Diet check: make sure one feeding plan does not chronically underfeed or overfeed part of the community.
5. Contingency check: decide in advance where an incompatible fish can be isolated or rehomed.

If any answer is uncertain, delay the purchase and ask for help. It is easier to change a stocking plan than to dismantle a territorial aquarium after conflict begins.

Breeding behaviour and hybridisation caution

FishBase identifies the species as a female mouthbrooder. In a mature group, a displaying male courts a female and the female carries fertilised eggs and developing young in her mouth. A holding female may stop eating and withdraw. That behaviour should not be mistaken for an automatic health emergency, although abnormal breathing, severe weight loss or injury still needs investigation.

Breeding requires more than buying two fish. The sale stock is unsexed, and two random juveniles can mature as two males, two females or an incompatible combination. A proper project needs mature sex identification, enough females to prevent concentrated harassment, a plan for the holding female, fry space and homes for offspring.

Closely related Lake Malawi cichlids can hybridise in aquaria, especially where females are difficult to distinguish or preferred mates are absent. Do not distribute fry under a pure species name unless parent identity and breeding control are reliable. A colourful cross is not evidence of an established locality or species line.

Daily observation and early warning signs

A healthy new fish should become increasingly alert, maintain balance, breathe steadily and show interest in appropriate food after settling. Colour can darken or fade temporarily during transport and social adjustment, so judge condition using several signs rather than colour alone.

Test water immediately if you see gasping, clamped fins, flashing, persistent hiding, loss of appetite, white spots, swelling, stringy waste, ulcers or sudden aggression. Ammonia and nitrite must be zero. Check temperature and recent maintenance before reaching for medication, because poor water and incorrect treatment can compound the original problem.

Quarantine is the safest way to observe a new cichlid without exposing an established display. Use mature filtration, matching water and separate equipment. Do not medicate routinely without a diagnosis, and seek an aquatic veterinarian or experienced specialist when symptoms are severe or unclear.

UK delivery and acclimation

Review the current delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee page before ordering. It explains courier days, attendance requirements, packing, costs and what evidence is needed if a fish arrives in difficulty. Guarantee terms belong on that live policy page so they do not become stale inside a product description.

Prepare the aquarium before dispatch. Confirm temperature, pH, GH, KH, ammonia and nitrite; create a calm receiving area; and make sure territorial residents cannot immediately trap the newcomer. When the parcel arrives, inspect the sealed bag and follow the current fish acclimation guide. The acclimation timer can keep the sequence organised.

Do not pour transport water into the aquarium. Dim the lights, transfer the fish gently after the recommended temperature and water adjustment, and observe from a distance. Avoid feeding a large meal immediately. Keep the first day quiet and check breathing, balance and aggression frequently.

How to interpret the gallery images

The four gallery images are representative images, not photographs of the individual fish that will be selected for your order. The gallery images can illustrate the mature yellow-and-blue idea; they cannot prove the sex, age, lineage, exact markings or final colour of a live fish.

The image showing two fish is not a sexed pair and is not a housing recommendation. The planted scenes do not mean this species requires a planted aquarium. The wood and plant details are compositional, while the care plan should follow the evidenced Lake Malawi sand-and-rock habitat.

Always use the selected size label, written care facts and sale-unit statement to make the buying decision. Treat colour and markings as naturally variable.

Why buy from Tropical Fish Co?

This listing gives you the supplier sizes, accepted identity, evidence boundaries and care trade-offs before checkout. It does not turn unsexed stock into a male or breeding pair, and it does not hide the difference between a representative image and the live fish.

Eligible livestock orders are covered by the current Live Arrival Guarantee when its published conditions are followed. New customers can use WELCOME10 for 10% off a first order, subject to the live checkout terms. Read the store FAQ for current ordering questions and contact the team before purchase if your water, tank mates or planned group remain uncertain.

Benga Peacock Cichlid FAQs

Is each quantity one fish or one pair?

Each quantity is one unsexed fish in the selected size. Two fish are not guaranteed to be male and female, bonded, compatible or ready to breed.

Can I order a guaranteed male?

No. None of the current size variants is labelled as sexed. A juvenile or larger unsexed fish must not be sold as a guaranteed male.

Will my fish be bright yellow and blue?

A mature displaying male may develop the classic yellow body and blue face. Females, juveniles and subordinate males can be much plainer, and colour also changes with stress, health and social rank.

How large does this peacock cichlid grow?

FishBase and the supplier record support an adult planning length of about 13 cm total length. Buy for that adult size rather than for the dispatch size.

What does the XL option mean?

XL is Petra's supplier grade. No exact centimetre measurement is supplied for that option, so this page does not invent one.

What temperature should I use?

A stable 23-26°C is a practical range shared by the species and general OATA Malawi guidance. The supplier's full recorded range is 22-26°C.

What pH is suitable?

The supplier and FishBase give pH 7.2-8.2, while OATA's general Malawi sheet gives 8.0-8.6. A stable pH around 8.0-8.2 fits both and avoids unnecessary number chasing.

What is the minimum tank size?

Use at least 200 litres as the planning floor for a reasonable Malawi community, based on OATA guidance. A larger and longer aquarium may be necessary for multiple territories or species.

Can it live in a peaceful tropical community tank?

No. This is a territorial Lake Malawi cichlid for hard, alkaline water. Small peaceful community fish are poor matches in water chemistry, behaviour and predation risk.

Can Benga Peacocks live with mbuna?

Aggressive mbuna are generally a poor straightforward match because they can harass and outcompete peacocks. Any specialist mix needs substantial space, sight breaks and species-by-species assessment.

What should I feed it?

Use an appropriately sized sinking or slow-sinking cichlid pellet as the measured staple, with modest invertebrate-based variety such as mysis or brine shrimp.

Does it need live plants?

No. Open sand and secure rockwork are more relevant. Tough attached plants may survive, but the fish's hard-water and territory requirements come first.

Is it a mouthbrooder?

Yes. FishBase records female mouthbrooding. That fact does not mean two unsexed fish bought together will form a breeding pair.

Is this species Critically Endangered?

FishBase records the wild species as Critically Endangered using IUCN Red List version 2025-2. The supplier does not state the provenance of the individual stock, so captive-bred or wild-caught status is not claimed.

Are the product photos of the exact fish?

No. The gallery contains representative images. The live fish can differ in sex, maturity, colour intensity, pattern and markings.

Where can I check delivery and guarantee terms?

Use the current delivery page and returns and Live Arrival Guarantee page. Those pages carry the live terms and evidence requirements.

Care and identity sources

This description separates supplier facts from broader species and welfare guidance. Core sources checked:

• FishBase species summary - accepted identity, environment, distribution, adult size, habitat, diet, mouthbrooding and current Red List record.
• GBIF Backbone Taxonomy - accepted species and Nkhomo-benga common name.
• Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes - current fish nomenclature reference, updated July 2026.
• OATA African Malawi cichlid care sheet - water quality, aquarium size, filtration, aggression, maintenance and welfare guidance.
• Journal of Heredity habitat study - sand-rock transition habitat and small-invertebrate foraging.
• Frontiers pigmentation research - adult male/female colour distinction and conservation context.

Sources describe a species, not the exact history of an individual supplier fish. Where the supplier gives no sex, lineage, breeder, locality or provenance, this listing says so.