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Aulonocara sp. "Turkis"
The Turquoise Peacock
Jump to: General Info | Habitat | Care | Feeding | Breeding | Price | Availability
See: over 130 other Cichlid Profiles in our Fish of the Month Archive.
General
First of all, lets state right up front that this fish does not occur in Lake Malawi. It is a man-made fish. It is not an atrocity like the Parrot Cichlid but rather a product of careful inbreeding of Aulonocara species to obtain a specific goal, a Turquoise Peacock. Who better to accomplish this then the Germans? This fish came over from selectively bred German stock about two years ago. There is not a real good picture on the web of this fish, so it has gone relatively unnoticed. Well, I’m here to tell you that this fish is unusually colored, very striking and, yes, turquoise. One word of caution, they are extremely slow to color up. It is not rare for a male to be well over a year old before he starts coloring up.
Note: We found a reference citing Ad Konngs that mentioned that this fish was the result of line-breeding of Aulonocara Stuartgranti chilumba.
Habitat
The Turkis, as it is called, is still an African Cichlid so it likes hard alkaline water and a temperature of about 80 degrees F. They love to dig, so give them plenty of gravel and plenty of caves or any other appropriate hiding place. The males are relatively non-aggressive and you can house more than one male in a tank provided you have plenty of room. Of course, one male and six to eight females is best. Somewhere around a 40 to 50 gallon breeder is ideal.
Care
As with most African Cichlids, the Turkis is happy anywhere. Proper temperature, pH, hardness and weekly water changes of about 25% keep this fish happy and healthy.
Feeding
The Turkis is a good eater and readily eats anything given them. As with all fish, you should feed a variety of foods. They attack earthworms, as well as, frozen brine shrimp, pellets and flakes.
Breeding
The Turkis is, of course, a mouth brooder and a harem spawner. They are completely typical of their Genus (Aulonocara). Given adequate conditions and food, they will breed easily.
Retail Price
The Turkis is still a new fish to the market so two things can be said. One, is that you probably won’t run into one at your local store and the other is that they are still quite expensive. Expect to pay over $20 for adult fish.
Availability
As stated, A. sp. Turkis is not a fish you will expect to find at the local aquarium. Ask your storeowner to inquire about them for you.
Report June 2001 by Jim Stigliano
Jump to: General Info | Habitat | Care | Feeding | Breeding | Price | Availability
See: over 130 other Cichlid Profiles in our Fish of the Month Archive.