Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Sunshine Peacock Cichlid
Aulonocara baenschi Meyer & Riehl, 1985
Also called New Yellow Regal Peacock, Yellow Regal Cichlid, Baensch's Peacock, Nkhomo-benga Peacock, Yellow Sunshine Peacock
From Endemic to the western shore of Lake Malawi, recorded at Nkhomo reef, Benga, Usisya, the Maleri Islands and Chipoka, over sand near rocks at about 2 to 16 m.123
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Compact peacock cichlid
A neat, rounded peacock with a steep, curved snout; males shine bright yellow with blue on the face.23
Personality what they are like
Relaxed and peaceful for a Malawi cichlid; males stand their ground only against similar-looking fish.23
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Spends its day cruising low over sand, sifting it for food, and resting near rock piles.21
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Fine sand is important because it feeds by sifting; add rock piles and keep water clean with strong filtration.2
Home where they are happiest
At least 120 x 45 cm base (about 243 litres), 22 to 29 C, pH about 7.2 to 9.0 and 10 to 30 dGH.21
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Bottom-feeding carnivore; offer fine-grade quality foods plus small live or frozen chironomid larvae in 3 to 4 small meals a day.213
Company who they like around
One male with four to six females; good companions include peaceful haps such as Copadichromis and Placidochromis.2
The story where it all began
Lothar Meyer and Rüdiger Riehl described the species in 1985. Its name honours Ulrich Baensch, who created TetraMin flakes in 1955, and it is widely bred in aquaria.13
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
It is named after Ulrich Baensch, inventor of TetraMin, the first all-round dried fish food.1
- 2
The genus name Aulonocara comes from Greek words for 'flute' and 'head', after the sensory pits on its head.1
- 3
Males have egg-like spots on the anal fin that play a role in courtship.2
- 4
Males keep their breeding colours all year.3
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Critically Endangered (assessed May 2018)1
- Taxonomy
- Described by Meyer and Riehl in 19851
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Sunshine Peacock Cichlid. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Water changeAbout 25% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Glass cleanevery week
- Filter rinseRinse in old tank water, never tap waterevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- FishBase species summary: Aulonocara baenschi Meyer & Riehl, 1985 fishbase.seused for distribution, size, water parameters, diet, IUCN status, taxonomy
- Seriously Fish: Aulonocara baenschi Meyer & Riehl, 1985 seriouslyfish.comused for aquarium care, tank size, behaviour, diet, colours, breeding
- Wikipedia: Aulonocara baenschi Meyer & Riehl, 1985 en.wikipedia.orgused for common names, colours, history, fun facts (secondary)
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.