Benga peacock (sunshine)

Care at a glance

This is the peacock usually sold as the 'sunshine peacock': males are a vivid yellow with a deep blue mask over the head and gill covers. It comes from a single reef near Benga in Lake Malawi, which gives it its other trade name.

Females stay silvery-grey, so do not buy on colour alone; young males take months to colour up. Keep one male with three to five females over fine sand with some rockwork, in hard, alkaline water. Keep it away from other Aulonocara, as they hybridise so readily that much of the trade stock is no longer pure.

Good to know

• Territorial
• Digger — needs fine sand

Best not combined with

• Neon tetraParacheirodon innesi
• GuppyPoecilia reticulata
• BettaBetta splendens

Related species

• Fairy cichlid (brichardi)Neolamprologus brichardi
• Sulphurhead peacockAulonocara maylandi
• Shell dweller (multi)Neolamprologus multifasciatus
• Stuart Grant’s peacock cichlidAulonocara stuartgranti
• Julie cichlidJulidochromis ornatus
• Peacock cichlid (other Aulonocara)Aulonocara sp.