Aulonocara chipokae
Aulonocara chipokae
Written by Wednesday, 16 September 2009 00:00
General
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Scientific Name or classification |
Aulonocara chipokae (Johnson, 1975)
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Synonyms |
Aulonocara sp. “Chipoka” |
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Common Name |
Peacock cichlid, African Peacock |
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Family |
Cichlidae |
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Type Locality |
Lake Malawi |
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Etymology |
The name Aulonocara comes from ancient greek, combining the terms “aulos” = pipe with “kara” = head, referring to the sensory canals – using to search food in the sand – located in their head; Chipoka is the name of the location it occurs in (southwest part of lake Malawi). |
Species Information
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Size (TL or SL in cm) |
Males will attain a T.L of (about) 10/11 cm. |
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Identification |
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Sexing |
Females are generally smaller, with a dull grey/brownish overall colour. Males, on the other hand – mostly the dominants – can show strikingly vivid colours. |
Habitat
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Natural distribution |
Lake Malawi, Chipoka (note: there are a lot of intralacustrine endemism known). |
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pH |
7.8 – 8.2 |
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Temperature |
24°-26° (upper suitable limit) |
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Other parameters |
As with all Malawi cichlids it prefers alcaline water. |
Husbandry
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Feeding |
They are not fussy eaters: will accept both flakes and pellets (commercial food), a bit of daphnia, brine shimps, black mosquito larvae, spirulina flakes, and generally any good quality staple food. |
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Compatibility |
All Aulonocara are secretive, shy fishes. Tankmates will, preferably, be non aggressive, fast, open water swimmers. Not being challenged for caves should help these fish to thrive. |
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Suggested Tankmates |
I housed them – 1 male to 4 females, wild specimens - with (pairs/trios): Protomelas similis, Copadichromis crysonotus (purebreds) and two Synodontis nyassae. |
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Furniture |
Sand and/or gravel at the bottom, rocks/boulders forming caves and hiding spots for “carrying” females, subdominant males and juveniles to hide. |
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Recommended Tank Size |
Suitable also for small tanks, but nothing smaller than 150 lt. I kept mine in a 300 lt tank. |
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Behaviour in |
Peaceful, should be housed with equally “mild mannered” fishes to avoid unwanted stress and/or possible losses. |
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Other remarks |
Fish of the genus Aulonocara are probably the Malawi cichlids which are the easiest to crossbreed. Almost all females (of any given species and / or morph) are almost identical so you should avoid mixing them in the same tank to stay on the safe side. Spawning is not difficult but could be due to the fact that this fish is rather secretive. |
Breeding
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Breeding |
Mouthbrooder as with almost all Malawi cichlids. Fry are really small and not very 'smart' so be careful to keep an eye over them to avoid losses. Survival rate – in a community tank – is low by comparison to other Malawians. |
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Photos by the author.
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