Most African cichlids prefer different water quality than the fish in your other tanks. They come from lakes where the pH and water hardness are higher. Hobbyists often keep the pH around 7.8. High-quality water and frequent changes are necessary.

The best way to enjoy them is to build a big rock pile in your tank. Provide them with lot of nooks and crannies and plenty of places to hide and chase each other. A large aquarium of at least 50 gallons is required to house a pair of Peacocks.

Maintaining live plants in cichlid tanks is always a problem. The Peacock Cichlid does not eat plants, but the digging that goes on prior to spawning inevitably will uproot the plants. I recommend avoiding live plants unless you feel very strongly about having them in your aquarium.

If you simply must have them, I suggest that you try fastening Java fern or small Anubias to pieces of driftwood. Assuming they survive the cichlids, these plants will eventually send roots into the soft wood — once well established they are effectively cichlid-resistant.

The Albino Peacock Cichlid should be fed a variety of both meaty and vegetable-based foods. Feed live and frozen brine shrimp along with Spirulina-based flake and pellet foods.

Sex identification can often be made by looking for larger fins in the male of the species. The male is typically more colorful than the female, especially during breeding. The males are usually only aggressive towards their own species unless their territory is invaded. Often juveniles of both sexes share the same characteristics as females, but adults males take on brilliant colors.

Both the male and female become much more aggressive toward tankmates as the time for spawning approaches. Peacock cichlids are substrate spawners but seem willing to lay their eggs in a variety of locations. Most pairs will readily accept an overturned flowerpot, but others will use a smooth, flat rock. And there are some pairs that do indeed remove the gravel in one spot and place their eggs on the bottom of the tank.

To alleviate the stress on the female I would recommend getting 3 to 4 females for each male. Incubation is approximately three weeks, at which time the female will release the fry. After a few days the fry are large enough to take newly hatched brine shrimp and finely powdered prepared food for their initial meal. A combination of frequent feedings and equally frequent water changes will result in rapid growth.

Unless you have access to many large tanks, you will only be able to raise a small number of fry to maturity. The young become progressively less tolerant of each other as they grow older, and this aggression among siblings will result in a significant reduction in the number of fish by the time the fry are six months old. Sexual maturity is usually reached at around nine months, or slightly longer, after spawning.