Steveni Blue Neon Peacock Cichlid (Aulonocara stuartgranti)

The Steveni Blue Neon Peacock Cichlid is a Lake Malawi peacock sold by our supplier under the trade description Aulonocara steveni blue neon. Current taxonomic references treat Aulonocara steveni as a synonym of Aulonocara stuartgranti, so this page uses A. stuartgranti as the accepted scientific name while retaining "Steveni Blue Neon" as the useful aquarium-trade identity. It is a handsome, comparatively measured Malawi cichlid for a large, mature hard-water aquarium, not a small community fish or an automatic beginner choice.

Adult males may develop an electric blue face and dorsal fin with yellow or metallic colour across the shoulder and flanks. Females and juveniles are normally much plainer, and individual colour varies with age, sex, social position, locality lineage, diet, lighting and stress. Our supplier does not state a collection locality for this stock. Although "Blue Neon" is also used for Chiwindi and Usisya forms in the trade, we do not promise that fish from this listing are a documented Chiwindi, Usisya or Kande Island line. That distinction matters to keepers who want locality-pure breeding stock.

What Does "Aulonocara steveni Blue Neon" Mean?

Names in the Malawi cichlid trade can preserve an older scientific name long after taxonomy changes. The supplier's current parent listing is "Aulonocara / steveni blue neon", which is why Steveni remains in the customer-facing name. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes records Aulonocara steveni, described from Kande Island, as a current synonym of Aulonocara stuartgranti. Some aquarium and database sources still show A. steveni as though it were a separate species, so shoppers will encounter both names. They describe the same taxonomic concept for the purpose of this listing, not two fish supplied together.

Blue Neon is a trade descriptor, not a formally described species name. It is applied to several blue-and-yellow Aulonocara stuartgranti populations and commercial lines. Chiwindi, Usisya and Kande Island are locality-related labels with their own value to specialist keepers, but they are not interchangeable guarantees. A colourful reference image is not enough to establish provenance. Because Petra's source data does not name a locality, this product is offered honestly as Steveni Blue Neon stock rather than relabelled as a certified Chiwindi line.

This approach protects both search clarity and livestock accuracy. A keeper searching for Aulonocara steveni can still find the fish, while a breeder seeking known-origin Chiwindi stock is not misled. For a more general Blue Neon option, compare our Blue Neon Peacock Cichlid. You can also compare the supplier's separately listed Pale Usisya Aulonocara and Kande Island Peacock Cichlid; separate product names do not prove that any one line is wild-collected or locality-pure unless its source documentation says so.

Appearance, Sex and Colour Development

A mature dominant male is the fish most often pictured under the Steveni or Blue Neon trade name. The face and forward body can become vivid blue or violet-blue, while the dorsal fin and shoulder may carry yellow highlights. Dark vertical bars can appear or fade with mood. The exact balance of blue, yellow, grey and black differs among populations and commercial lines, and colour can change quickly when a male displays, loses social rank, settles after transport or moves under different lighting.

Females are usually silver-grey, beige or brownish with subdued barring. Juvenile males may resemble females for a long time. Size alone does not reliably sex every fish, and venting or mature colour assessment is not guaranteed on routine unsexed stock. If the selected size is small, buy for species suitability rather than for the exact adult colour shown in the gallery. A pale arrival is not automatically unhealthy: transport stress suppresses colour, and a fish may need days or weeks to settle. Appetite, breathing, posture, fin condition and steady improvement are better early indicators.

Plan for an adult length of about 12 cm. Specialist locality information gives approximately 12 cm for males and 10 cm for females, while published work on A. stuartgranti has included adults up to 12.5 cm total length. Exceptional aquarium fish can vary. Tank planning should account for body depth, turning space and territory, not only nose-to-tail length.

Choosing the Right Size Option

This product has several live size variants. The centimetre label is the approximate dispatch size, not the eventual adult size and not a promise of sex. Select the actual size in the buy box and review its current availability and price there. The XL option is a supplier grade rather than a precise centimetre measurement; contact us before ordering if an exact measurement is essential for an established group.

Listed size	What to expect	Planning point
3-4 cm	Young juvenile; colour and sex normally uncertain	Best introduced only where it cannot be swallowed or persistently bullied
4-5 cm	Juvenile or early subadult	Still buy as unsexed unless the option explicitly says otherwise
6-7 cm	Growing subadult	May begin showing stronger hierarchy and colour
7-9 cm	Larger subadult	Match carefully to the size and temperament of existing cichlids
XL	Supplier's largest grade when available	Ask for clarification if exact size or sex is critical

The page's Pair Pricing control is a quantity discount for buying two or more fish. It does not convert unsexed stock into a confirmed male and female, and it does not mean the fish are bonded. Two juveniles can mature as any sex combination. A deliberate breeding group should be assembled from fish that can be sexed reliably, with enough space and a contingency tank if the social balance fails.

Minimum Tank Size and Footprint

Use a mature aquarium of at least 300 litres with a minimum 120 cm length for a planned adult group. This is deliberately more conservative than the old 200-litre claim. A 200-litre tank can have very different dimensions, filtration and stocking, and it gives less room for females or subordinate fish to escape a displaying male. Length and front-to-back depth create usable territories; height alone does not.

A single specimen in a carefully chosen Malawi community may sometimes be kept by an experienced aquarist in a well-proportioned four-foot aquarium, but that is not a universal stocking rule. For one male with several females, or for a mixed peacock and hap display, 300 litres is the responsible starting point. Choose 400 litres or more and a 150 cm footprint when keeping several adult males or larger haps. Bigger volume improves dilution, but it does not replace sight breaks, correct companions or a plan for removing a bully.

Do not place this fish in a 125-litre aquarium, nano tank, soft-water planted community, unheated UK pond or newly filled aquarium. It needs stable tropical temperatures, hard alkaline water, high oxygen and a fully established biological filter. Use our stocking calculator as an initial capacity check, then judge adult behaviour and filtration as well as litres.

Water Parameters and Stability

Maintain 24-26°C, pH 7.5-8.5 and approximately 10-25 dGH. The supplier gives 24-26°C, pH 7.5-8.5 and a broad 10-30 dGH range. The narrower everyday hardness target is easier to communicate and suits most established Malawi aquariums, but a stable system near the edge of the supplier range is preferable to repeated chemical adjustment.

Ammonia and nitrite must remain at 0 mg/L. Keep nitrate as low as practical through sensible stocking, controlled feeding and regular water changes. Avoid sudden pH shifts: Lake Malawi cichlids are adapted to mineral-rich, buffered water, and a rapid change can be more damaging than a stable reading that is slightly away from an arbitrary target. Test the source water before adding salts or buffers. If tap water is naturally soft, build hardness predictably and prepare replacement water to match the aquarium rather than dosing the display tank impulsively.

High temperature increases oxygen demand and can intensify stress, so there is no advantage in running this fish at 28°C for routine maintenance. Aim near 25°C with strong surface movement. Check heater performance with a separate thermometer and guard heaters from impact in rockwork. During water changes, match temperature and chemistry closely enough to avoid an abrupt swing.

Aquascape: Sand, Rocks and Open Water

Aulonocara occupy the transition between rocks and open sand. Recreate that structure with a fine, smooth sand bed, secure groups of rock and broad open areas where the fish can forage and move away from one another. Research on A. stuartgranti describes the fish swimming just above sandy sediment and detecting buried invertebrate prey through enlarged sensory canals around the head. A sand area is therefore functional habitat, not only decoration.

Place major rocks on a stable base before adding deep sand so digging cannot undermine them. Create caves, overhangs and visual barriers, but do not fill the entire tank with a dense mbuna-style rock wall. A dominant male may claim a cave edge or patch of sand; subordinate fish need more than one route around that territory. Leave open swimming lanes and make sure every structure is stable enough for an active adult cichlid.

Plants are optional. Hardy epiphytes attached securely to rock may survive, but the water chemistry, digging and cichlid activity make this a poor choice for a delicate planted display. Avoid sharp gravel that can damage the mouth during feeding. Darker sand or a dark background can make fish feel secure and improve perceived colour without altering the animal.

Filtration, Flow and Maintenance

Use an established filter with generous biological capacity and good mechanical removal. Malawi communities are often heavily fed and produce substantial waste. The filter should keep ammonia and nitrite at zero while maintaining oxygen, but quoted turnover figures are only a starting point: media capacity, actual flow after head loss, stocking and maintenance matter more than a number on the box.

Provide surface agitation and a moderate circulation pattern with quieter areas behind rockwork. Clean mechanical media before it becomes clogged, but do not sterilise all biological media at once. Rinse mature media in removed aquarium water when needed. A weekly water change of roughly 25-40% is a sensible baseline for many Malawi systems, adjusted to measured nitrate, stocking and feeding. Vacuum accessible debris while retaining the fish's sand-foraging area.

Inspect the aquarium daily for temperature, flow, breathing, appetite and aggression. Test ammonia and nitrite whenever a fish behaves unusually, after a filter interruption or after a large stocking change. A beautiful hard-water setup can still fail quickly if oxygen drops or a filter stops.

Natural Feeding Biology and the Best Aquarium Diet

Peacock cichlids are specialised benthic feeders. In nature, Aulonocara cruise just above sand and use enlarged lateral-line canals on the lower head to detect movements made by buried invertebrates. Controlled research with A. stuartgranti demonstrated that fish could detect and strike live benthic prey even in darkness. This supports a diet centred on small invertebrate foods rather than the old generic label "omnivore" alone.

Use a reputable, appropriately sized Malawi or cichlid pellet as the staple. Slow-sinking foods let fish feed naturally without gulping everything at the surface. Supplement with small portions of mysis, enriched brine shrimp, cyclops, daphnia or comparable clean frozen foods. A complete prepared food can include plant ingredients, but this peacock is not an algae-scraping mbuna and should not be managed as a strict herbivore.

Feed adults one or two small meals daily, offering only what the group consumes promptly. Juveniles can benefit from smaller, more frequent portions while water quality is watched closely. Distribute food across more than one area so a dominant fish cannot monopolise every meal. Remove persistent leftovers. Overfeeding does not create better colour; it creates poor water, excess fat and digestive trouble.

Food role	Good choices	Use carefully or avoid
Daily staple	Complete Malawi or cichlid pellets sized for the fish	Large floating sticks that juveniles cannot swallow safely
Invertebrate supplement	Mysis, cyclops, daphnia, enriched brine shrimp	Unverified live foods that can carry parasites or pollutants
Variety	Quality flakes or granules with balanced ingredients	Colour enhancers used as a substitute for complete nutrition
Not suitable as routine food	None required	Mammalian or poultry meat, feeder fish and repeated heavy bloodworm meals

Watch the body rather than feeding to a rigid schedule. A healthy fish should have a full but not swollen abdomen. Refusal to eat, stringy waste, persistent swelling, rapid breathing or weight loss needs investigation. Test water and assess social stress before reaching for medication.

Temperament and Social Planning

The Steveni Blue Neon Peacock is relatively peaceful by Lake Malawi cichlid standards, but "peaceful" is contextual. Mature males display, chase rivals and defend spawning areas. Females can be harassed if there are too few retreats, and a subordinate male may be suppressed continually. Behaviour depends on footprint, line of sight, sex ratio, individual personality and the rest of the community.

A planned species group often uses one mature male with at least three females, but this is not an instruction to buy four unsexed juveniles and assume the correct ratio will appear. Grow-on groups need extra room, observation and a route for rehoming surplus males. A single male can work in a compatible mixed display. Multiple males require a much larger aquarium and careful visual separation, and even then the arrangement may change as the fish mature.

Do not mix close-looking Aulonocara if maintaining pure offspring matters. Different peacock forms can hybridise, and females may be difficult to identify. A mixed male display avoids fry-production goals but still needs aggression planning. Use the tank-mate checker as a prompt for research rather than a guarantee; individual cichlids do not read compatibility charts.

Compatible Tank Mates

Choose medium-sized Lake Malawi fish that share hard alkaline water and are not relentlessly aggressive. Calmer haps such as suitable Copadichromis, Placidochromis or Cyrtocara can work in a large aquarium. Peaceful Synodontis species adapted to similar conditions may use the lower rockwork. Other peacocks can be kept in a display where hybridisation is not a concern, but males with similar colour and shape may still challenge each other.

Companion type	Suitability	Important condition
Calmer Malawi haps	Often suitable	Match adult size and provide a large footprint
Other Aulonocara	Possible in display tanks	Watch male rivalry and do not distribute hybrid fry as pure stock
Peaceful Rift Lake Synodontis	Often suitable	Provide appropriate caves, diet and group size for the catfish
Highly aggressive mbuna	Usually poor	They can outcompete or harass the more measured peacock
Small tetras, guppies and rasboras	Unsuitable	Different water needs, size and behaviour
Large predatory haps	Risky	A juvenile Blue Neon may be treated as prey
Soft-water dwarf cichlids	Unsuitable	Water chemistry and social needs conflict

For peacock alternatives, compare the Flavescent Peacock Cichlid, Lwanda Peacock Cichlid, Rubin Red Peacock Cichlid and Calico Peacock Cichlid. These links help comparison; they are not a recommendation to combine every colour form in one tank.

Acclimation After UK Delivery

Prepare the aquarium before dispatch day. The filter must be mature, the heater stable and the lights easy to dim. Check pH and temperature so you know whether the bag water and aquarium differ. On arrival, inspect the sealed bag, then follow the acclimation instructions included with the order. Do not leave a shipped fish sitting in opened transport water while ammonia becomes more toxic.

1. Dim the room and aquarium lights to reduce visual stress.
2. Check the fish and bag condition before opening.
3. Equalise temperature as directed, then make a controlled transfer based on the water difference.
4. Move the fish with as little transport water as practical; do not pour bag water into the display.
5. Allow the fish to settle and offer a small meal only when breathing and posture are normal.

Our acclimation timer can keep the process organised, but observation takes priority over a countdown. A fish that arrives cold, distressed or with a damaged bag needs the delivery guidance, not a prolonged generic drip routine. Photograph any delivery concern promptly and follow the live-fish delivery and guarantee instructions.

Quarantine and Introducing the Fish

Quarantine new livestock where practical. A separate cycled tank allows observation of appetite, waste, breathing and skin without exposing an established collection or medicating healthy tank mates. Match hard-water conditions, provide a simple shelter and cover the tank securely. Use dedicated nets and siphons. Quarantine is not a licence to medicate routinely; treat a diagnosed problem with an appropriate product and professional advice where needed.

When moving the fish into a Malawi community, rearranging limited rockwork can interrupt established territories. Introduce after lights dim and watch closely the following morning. A little posturing is expected, but repeated cornering, torn fins, refusal to emerge or rapid breathing means the arrangement needs action. An isolation box can help briefly, but a spare mature tank or divider is the safer contingency for persistent aggression.

Routine Health Checks

A healthy Blue Neon Peacock is alert, balanced in the water, breathing steadily and interested in food. Fins should open normally and the abdomen should not be hollow or persistently swollen. Colour alone is a weak health test because juveniles, females and subordinate males can be naturally subdued.

Observation	First checks	Why it matters
Rapid breathing or hanging near flow	Oxygen, temperature, ammonia and nitrite	Water or gill stress can become urgent
Persistent hiding	Aggression, sight breaks, new-tank stress and water quality	A subordinate fish may be unable to feed
Swollen abdomen or stringy waste	Diet, appetite history, faeces and quarantine status	Do not assume every swelling is the same disease
Torn fins	Tank mates, territory and sharp decor	Fix the cause as well as preventing infection
White spots or excess mucus	Quarantine, temperature and recent additions	Confirm signs before selecting treatment
Sudden colour loss	Social rank, lighting, transport and water parameters	Colour change can be behavioural or environmental

Never add salt, antibiotics or parasite treatments merely because a cichlid looks pale. Test first, isolate when possible and follow the medicine label for the actual water volume. Some treatments affect biological filters or catfish. A fish health professional is the right escalation for persistent or unclear symptoms.

Breeding Behaviour

Aulonocara stuartgranti is a maternal mouthbrooder. A mature male establishes a display or spawning area and courts receptive females. After eggs are laid and fertilised, the female gathers them into her mouth and carries the developing brood. A holding female may eat little and keep her mouth slightly enlarged.

Breeding should be attempted only with correctly identified, healthy adults and enough room for females to avoid the male. One male with several confirmed females is usually less pressurised than a single pair. Do not strip eggs or move a holding female casually; handling can cause injury, premature release or brood loss. If fry are raised, provide a cycled grow-out tank, appropriately small foods and frequent gentle maintenance.

Keep locality and parent records if offspring are described as anything more specific than commercial Steveni Blue Neon stock. Because the supplier does not document Chiwindi, Usisya or Kande provenance for this listing, fry should not be sold as a certified locality line. Avoid breeding alongside other similar Aulonocara if parentage matters.

How This Listing Differs from Similar Blue Peacocks

Listing type	Name basis	What is and is not promised
Steveni Blue Neon Peacock	Supplier trade name; A. steveni treated here as A. stuartgranti	Blue Neon commercial stock; no documented locality or sex promise
Generic Blue Neon Peacock	Commercial Blue Neon description	A general colour-form listing, not automatically the same supplier parent
Pale Usisya Aulonocara	Separate supplier product using an Usisya label	Compare its own page and source evidence; do not infer identity from colour alone
Kande Island Peacock	Separate locality-related trade listing	Its product identity is separate from this unlocalised Steveni Blue Neon stock
Chiwindi Blue Neon	Recognised aquarium locality label	Not claimed on this page because the present supplier record does not provide it

The distinction prevents keyword convenience from replacing evidence. If you need fish for a locality breeding programme, ask before ordering and wait for stock with traceable provenance. If you want an attractive Blue Neon peacock for a well-planned display, this listing gives the supplier identity and care requirements without turning an uncertain locality into a sales claim.

A Practical Settling Plan for the First Month

The first month should be quiet and evidence-led. Avoid trying to force colour with brighter lights, richer food or repeated changes to the aquascape. A newly transported peacock is learning the territory, locating safe cover and finding its place in the hierarchy. Stable conditions let the fish reveal its normal behaviour; constant intervention can hide the real cause of a problem.

Period	What to do	What to watch
Arrival day	Dim lights, complete the advised acclimation, keep disturbance low and verify temperature and flow	Bag damage, balance, breathing, visible injury and whether the fish can retreat
First 48 hours	Offer a very small familiar food only after the fish is settled; remove leftovers and test if behaviour is abnormal	Respiration, posture, appetite, chasing and access to shelter
Days 3-7	Continue the normal maintenance routine without large decor changes	Whether the fish emerges, feeds and holds a safe position without being cornered
Weeks 2-4	Assess body condition and social balance, then adjust stocking or sight breaks if evidence supports it	Persistent suppression, damaged fins, weight loss, abnormal waste or worsening colour

Do not judge sex or final colour during this period. A juvenile may need months to mature, while a subordinate adult male may remain muted in the presence of a dominant fish. If the animal feeds and behaves normally but stays pale, review social pressure, lighting and background before assuming disease. If it does not feed, isolate the cause promptly rather than waiting for colour to return.

Common Blue Neon Peacock Mistakes

Most long-term problems come from a mismatch between the fish and the aquarium, not from a missing supplement. Correcting the setup is more effective than buying a succession of products marketed for colour, clarity or instant cycling.

Mistake	Why it causes trouble	Better approach
Buying for the adult male photograph	The chosen fish may be juvenile, female or a less intensely coloured individual	Choose for care compatibility and treat colour as variable
Calling every Blue Neon "Chiwindi"	Trade colours overlap and an image cannot prove collection provenance	Retain the supplier name and state locality only when documented
Using litres without checking footprint	A tall tank can hold water while offering little escape distance	Start with 300 litres and at least 120 cm length for a group
Assuming pair pricing means a sexed pair	Two unsexed fish may mature as any sex combination	Use the discount as a quantity offer and confirm sex separately when available
Combining it with highly aggressive mbuna	The peacock may be chased away from food and cover	Select calmer Malawi companions and keep a removal option
Keeping several similar peacock males in limited space	Colour and body shape can trigger repeated rivalry	Increase footprint, break sight lines and reduce incompatible males
Using coarse or sharp substrate	It interferes with natural sand feeding and can damage the mouth	Provide a smooth fine-sand foraging area
Chasing pH with frequent chemical doses	Rapid swings are stressful and dosing errors can be severe	Understand source water and build a stable buffering routine
Feeding heavily for faster growth or colour	Waste, obesity and digestive stress rise faster than healthy development	Use complete food in small portions and monitor body condition
Adding fish to an immature filter	Ammonia or nitrite can damage gills before the tank looks dirty	Cycle fully and verify zero ammonia and nitrite before stocking
Treating every pale fish with medicine	Social stress and transport can also suppress colour, while medication carries risks	Test water, observe symptoms and diagnose before treatment

Responsible Long-Term Planning

Buy with the adult aquarium in mind. The smallest size option is not a way to make a large cichlid suitable for a small tank; it is a growth stage. Before ordering, know where the fish will live at 12 cm, which companions will remain compatible, and where a surplus male or bullied individual can go. A spare mature tank, secure divider or confirmed rehoming route is part of responsible cichlid keeping.

Keep a simple record of purchase date, supplier trade name, selected size and any later sex or colour development. That record becomes important if the fish breeds. Do not upgrade an uncertain commercial name into a locality claim because the adult resembles an online photograph. Accurate records protect future buyers and keep Malawi lines meaningful.

Ordering, Pair Pricing and the Live Arrival Guarantee

Choose the size variant shown as available in the buy box. Each variant has its own live price and stock state, so the page does not embed a stale "from" price in the care copy. Pair Pricing offers a quantity discount when the qualifying quantity is selected; it is not sex selection and does not guarantee a bonded or breeding pair. Contact us before ordering if the fish must fit an established group with a narrow size range.

Livestock is packed for tracked UK delivery in an insulated system, with seasonal temperature protection where needed. The live arrival guarantee applies according to the delivery terms. Report an arrival problem promptly with the requested evidence so the team can help. First-time customers can use the active WELCOME10 code for 10% off their first order, subject to the current promotion terms.

Review the full Lake Malawi cichlid guide before adding this fish to a new setup. The best purchase is not simply the brightest photo or largest size; it is the variant that fits your mature aquarium, water, existing stock and long-term contingency plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Aulonocara steveni a valid species?

It remains common in aquarium trade names and is still treated separately by some sources, but the current Catalog of Fishes lists Aulonocara steveni as a synonym of Aulonocara stuartgranti. This page therefore uses A. stuartgranti as the accepted name and Steveni Blue Neon as the supplier's trade identity.

Is this definitely a Chiwindi Blue Neon Peacock?

No locality guarantee is made. The supplier record says "Aulonocara / steveni blue neon" but does not state Chiwindi. The previous page and image filenames used Chiwindi without adequate source proof. Keepers needing traceable Chiwindi stock should confirm provenance before buying.

How large does a Steveni Blue Neon Peacock grow?

Plan for about 12 cm as an adult. Males are normally larger than females, and total length can vary by individual and lineage. The selected centimetre option is dispatch size, not maximum adult size.

What is the minimum tank size?

Use at least 300 litres and a 120 cm length for a planned adult group. A larger 150 cm aquarium is preferable for several males or a mixed peacock and hap community. Footprint, territories, filtration and tank mates matter as much as litres.

Can it live in a 200-litre aquarium?

A well-proportioned 200-litre aquarium may be used by an experienced keeper for a carefully selected single specimen in limited circumstances, but it is not the general recommendation for an adult group. The listing uses 300 litres because it gives a safer margin for normal social behaviour.

What temperature and pH does it need?

Keep 24-26°C and pH 7.5-8.5 in hard, buffered water around 10-25 dGH. Stability, oxygen and zero ammonia and nitrite are more important than repeatedly adjusting the aquarium to hit one exact reading.

Is the Steveni Blue Neon Peacock aggressive?

It is relatively peaceful for a Lake Malawi cichlid but remains territorial. Mature males can chase rivals and females, especially in a cramped or poorly structured tank. Provide open sand, secure rock refuges, sight breaks and a removal plan.

Can it live with mbuna?

Highly aggressive mbuna are usually poor companions because they can harass or outcompete this more measured peacock. Some experienced keepers maintain carefully chosen combinations in large tanks, but compatibility depends on species, individual behaviour and space rather than the word "Malawi" alone.

What should I feed it?

Use a complete Malawi or cichlid pellet as the staple and supplement with small invertebrate foods such as mysis, cyclops, daphnia or enriched brine shrimp. Feed small portions and avoid mammalian meat, feeder fish and unverified live foods.

Will a juvenile become a brightly coloured male?

Not necessarily. Juveniles are generally unsexed, females remain much plainer, and subordinate males may suppress colour. Adult appearance also varies by lineage and environment. Buy the fish because the species suits the aquarium, not because every juvenile is expected to match an illustrative adult male.

Does Pair Pricing mean I receive one male and one female?

No. Pair Pricing is a quantity-discount mechanic for qualifying purchases. Unless a variant explicitly says sexed pair, fish are supplied according to the selected size and normal unsexed-stock terms. Two juveniles can mature as two males, two females or one of each.

Are the gallery images photos of the exact fish sent?

No. The existing gallery is retained, but the aquarium scenes are illustrative derivatives based on a supplier reference image. They show the intended Blue Neon trade appearance, not the exact dispatched animal or proof of sex, adult colour, locality or size.

Can I breed it with other peacock cichlids?

Different Aulonocara can hybridise. If lineage matters, keep a correctly identified breeding group without confusingly similar peacocks and record the parents. Offspring from this listing should not be described as certified Chiwindi or another locality line without documentary evidence.

How long can a Blue Neon Peacock live?

With stable water, appropriate diet and good social management, peacock cichlids can commonly live around eight years and sometimes longer. Lifespan is not guaranteed and depends on genetics, husbandry, disease prevention and chronic stress.

What should I do if the fish arrives pale?

Dim the lights, acclimate according to the delivery guidance and assess breathing, balance and physical condition. Transport and social stress commonly reduce colour. Give the fish a calm, mature aquarium and report any genuine arrival concern promptly under the live arrival process.

Evidence Behind This Care Guide

The naming decision follows Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes, updated July 2026, which records A. steveni as a synonym of A. stuartgranti. Habitat, adult size, 300-litre / 120 cm aquarium guidance, diet and breeding context were checked against a specialist Lake Malawi locality resource. Feeding behaviour is supported by peer-reviewed research in the Journal of Experimental Biology demonstrating lateral-line-mediated detection of benthic prey in A. stuartgranti. Supplier-specific water values, sizes and the Steveni Blue Neon trade name come from the current Petra product record. Where those sources do not establish locality, sex or individual appearance, this page says so rather than filling the gap with a keyword.