Blue Red Sided Peacock Cichlid (Aulonocara sp.)

Show off a blue-headed peacock with red flanks

The Blue Red Sided Peacock is a captive-bred peacock cichlid whose males combine an electric-blue head and back with red-orange flanks. The scales on the sides carry blue edges over the red, the dorsal fin runs from blue at the front to red-orange at the back, and the tail and anal fin are red-orange with blue rays and pale spots. In a 120 cm Malawi aquarium with pale sand and grey rock, a mature Blue Red Sided Peacock male is one of the most striking fish you can keep.

Peacocks belong to the genus Aulonocara. Seriously Fish profiles eight of them, all endemic to Lake Malawi in East Africa, and explains that the genus name refers to the greatly enlarged sensory canal system in the skull. Wild peacocks live where rocky shores give way to sand; FishBase records Aulonocara stuartgranti along the lake's coast, feeding on sand-dwelling invertebrates.

Read the name honestly

Blue Red Sided Peacock is a trade name. The fish is sold as Aulonocara sp. because the name is not tied to one described species or wild collecting site, and we have found no scientific description of a fish under this name. Blue-and-red peacocks reach the trade under several names: Seriously Fish, for example, lists red peacock, red flash and red flush among the trade names used for Aulonocara hansbaenschi. The table shows similar-looking peacocks we sell, so you can compare.

Know what you receive

One purchase supplies one live Blue Red Sided Peacock at the standard size currently available. Sex is not chosen or guaranteed. Seriously Fish describes peacock males as larger and more colourful than females, with egg spots on the anal fin, so the full blue-and-red colour shown in the photographs belongs to an adult male. Young fish and females are much plainer, and colour builds as males mature.

The photographs show the colour form, not the individual you will receive. The balance of blue and red varies from fish to fish and changes with mood, age and lighting.

Plan a group around one male

• Harem: Seriously Fish recommends one male with four to six females in most aquariums.
• Malawi community: OATA recommends groups of at least 15 Malawi cichlids, slightly overcrowded, with more females than males of each kind.
• Colour clash: avoid a second blue-and-red peacock male, such as a Red Flash or Fort Maguire, unless the aquarium is very large.

Our delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee details explain dispatch days and what to do on arrival.

Plan the aquarium around a 12–15 cm male

Seriously Fish gives 120 mm standard length for A. hansbaenschi and 130 mm for A. stuartgranti, both measured without the tail, while FishBase gives 11.8 cm total length for A. stuartgranti, so the sources disagree slightly. Plan for a male of 12–15 cm.

Seriously Fish recommends a base of at least 120 × 45 cm, about 243 litres, for A. stuartgranti and 90 × 45 cm, about 182 litres, for the slightly smaller A. hansbaenschi. OATA recommends at least 200 litres for any Malawi community and notes that larger aquariums stay more stable. A 120 cm tank with a 45 cm base is the sensible minimum for this fish and its companions.

Measure before you buy

1. Length: 120 cm, so the male can patrol a territory and females can retreat.
2. Depth front to back: 45 cm, which leaves room for separate rock piles.
3. Volume: work out the real litres with our tank volume calculator before choosing a filter and heater.

Recreate the sand-and-rock shoreline

Seriously Fish describes peacocks living in the intermediate zone where rocky shores meet open sand, and recommends fine sand with rock piles that leave open spaces for feeding. It warns that gravel or small pebbles stop peacocks feeding naturally and can damage gill filaments or be swallowed. FishBase notes that some A. stuartgranti are shy and stay in caves while others school over open sand, so give both options.

Plan each part of the floor

The Maidenhead Aquatics database notes that peacocks show better colour over a darker substrate, which suits a blue fish especially well. Our cichlid care guide has more ideas for African cichlid layouts.

Hold hard, alkaline water at a steady temperature

Seriously Fish gives 24–29°C, pH 7.4–9.0 and 10–25 dGH for A. hansbaenschi, and 23–29°C, pH 7.5–9.0 and 10–25 dGH for A. stuartgranti. FishBase gives 22–26°C for A. stuartgranti. OATA gives 23–27°C, pH 8.0–8.6, 12–18 dGH and 10–15 dKH for Malawi cichlids in general. The target below sits inside all of them.

Keep to the shared targets

Look up your area's hardness on your water company's postcode report. If your tap water is soft, coral sand in the substrate, or coral sand or aragonite in a mesh bag in the filter as the Maidenhead Aquatics database suggests, will help keep pH and hardness up. Condition all new water. Our water matcher checks your tap water against these values, and our page on water chemistry explained covers pH, GH and KH.

Filter generously and keep a maintenance routine

Seriously Fish describes peacocks as very sensitive to falling water quality and chemical swings, and recommends heavy filtration in a biologically mature aquarium. OATA recommends an oversized filter with strong aeration. Our filtration guide explains turnover, media and cleaning.

Run the same routine each week

1. Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.
2. Change water: OATA advises at least 25% weekly; Seriously Fish recommends 30–50% weekly for peacocks.
3. Siphon the sand where food and waste collect.
4. Match the temperature and hardness of new water before it goes in.
5. Rinse filter media in old tank water, never under the tap.

Feed small meals for a sand hunter

Seriously Fish explains that peacocks take in mouthfuls of sand, sift out food and expel the rest through the gills, and that they hover just above the bottom detecting tiny movements with enlarged sensory pores on the head. It recommends high-quality fine prepared foods, some dried food with vegetable matter such as spirulina, and live or frozen foods such as bloodworm, brine shrimp and mosquito larvae.

Set one portion size and stick to it

• Daily staple: fine sinking cichlid granules that land on the sand.
• Plant content: a spirulina-based food several times a week.
• Frozen food: bloodworm or brine shrimp two or three times a week, thawed first.
• How often: Seriously Fish suggests three or four small portions a day; OATA suggests twice a day. Either way, give only what the fish eat within a few minutes.

Introduce it without upsetting the group

Check that ammonia and nitrite read zero before the fish arrives. OATA advises turning off the lights, floating the sealed bag for 10 minutes, adding small amounts of tank water over up to 20 minutes and releasing the fish while keeping the bag water out of the aquarium. Our guide on how to acclimatise new fish shows the method. OATA also suggests rearranging the decor when new fish are added, so established fish lose their claimed territories.

Run first-week checks

Choose companions with different colours

Seriously Fish describes peacocks as relatively peaceful but notes that males are aggressive towards any fish with a similar colour pattern, that most mbuna are too boisterous, and that other Aulonocara are best avoided because most can hybridise. A blue-and-red male is therefore best kept with fish of clearly different colours. OATA advises keeping Malawi cichlids only with other Malawi cichlids or Synodontis catfish from the lake.

Screen each tank mate

Check any planned mix with our tank mates tool, read our Lake Malawi cichlids UK guide, and browse the Malawi cichlid collection, our wider range of African cichlids, the Lake Malawi and Victoria cichlids and the Aulonocara category.

Recognise stress and illness early

OATA's healthy Malawi cichlid has clear, bright eyes, undamaged fins, intact scales without ulcers or lumps, normal swimming and steady breathing. A male that loses his blue and red, hides or clamps his fins is reacting to something, usually water quality or a rival.

Act on what you see

Breed only within its own kind

Peacocks are maternal mouthbrooders. Seriously Fish describes the female carrying the brood for up to four weeks, often without eating, with fry that can be sexed at around four months; OATA gives 21–40 days of mouthbrooding for Malawi cichlids. Because this fish has no species name, breed it only with its own kind and never sell the young as a named wild species; Practical Fishkeeping warns that cross-breeding muddies the genetics of wild peacocks.

Answer Blue Red Sided Peacock buying questions

What is a Blue Red Sided Peacock?

It is a captive-bred peacock cichlid sold as Aulonocara sp. under the trade name Blue Red Sided Peacock. Males have a bright blue head and back with red-orange flanks and red-orange fins edged in blue. The genus Aulonocara is endemic to Lake Malawi.

Which species is the Blue Red Sided Peacock?

The trade name is not tied to one described species or wild location, which is why it is sold as Aulonocara sp. Blue-and-red peacocks are sold under several names: Seriously Fish, for example, lists red peacock, red flash and red flush among the trade names of Aulonocara hansbaenschi. Care is the same as for those wild peacocks.

Is it the same fish as the Red Flash Peacock?

We cannot confirm that. Peacock trade names are used loosely, and the same name can be applied to different fish. Treat the Blue Red Sided Peacock as its own form, and keep only one blue-and-red male per aquarium unless the tank is very large.

How big does a Blue Red Sided Peacock grow?

Plan for 12–15 cm. Seriously Fish gives 120 mm standard length for A. hansbaenschi and 130 mm for A. stuartgranti, measured without the tail, and FishBase gives 11.8 cm total length for A. stuartgranti. Males grow larger than females.

What size aquarium does it need?

A tank with a base of at least 120 × 45 cm, about 243 litres, which Seriously Fish gives for A. stuartgranti. OATA recommends at least 200 litres for any Malawi community.

What water conditions does it need?

Hard, alkaline and very clean: 24–26°C, pH 8.0–8.6 and 12–18 dGH satisfies the Seriously Fish, FishBase and OATA ranges together, with ammonia and nitrite at zero.

Can I keep two Blue Red Sided males?

Only in a large aquarium with plenty of rockwork and several females for each male. Seriously Fish advises one male with four to six females in most aquariums and notes that males are aggressive to fish with a similar colour pattern.

How many fish come with one purchase?

One live Blue Red Sided Peacock at the standard size currently available. Sex is not chosen or guaranteed.

Consult the care references

• Seriously Fish: Aulonocara hansbaenschi — size, aquarium base, water range, trade names (including red flash and red flush), compatibility and breeding.
• Seriously Fish: Aulonocara stuartgranti — size, aquarium base, water range, sand substrate, feeding behaviour, compatibility, sexing and mouthbrooding.
• Seriously Fish: genus Aulonocara — the Aulonocara species profiled, their trade names and the enlarged sensory canals that give the genus its name.
• FishBase: Aulonocara stuartgranti — maximum length, temperature, distribution, wild diet and conservation status of a typical peacock.
• Maidenhead Aquatics fish database (fishkeeper.co.uk): Hybrid Peacock — hybrid peacock strains (strawberry, calico/OB, red): origin, size, water, group structure, diet and breeding.
• Practical Fishkeeping: New Aulonocara, a man-made hybrid? — man-made pink-eyed peacocks: why they are erythristic rather than true albinos, their vision and suitable company.
• OATA: How to look after African Malawi cichlids — UK guidance on Malawi cichlid water values, group size, tank size, filtration, feeding, acclimatisation and health signs.
• Tropical Fish Co delivery policy — current dispatch days and Live Arrival Guarantee terms.