Aulonocara sp. "Lwanda"

[jon carman]

Aulonocara sp. "Lwanda" is a cave dwelling species similar to jacobfreibergi, but separate due to its dark coloration. It is found on the eastern shore of the lake at the Tanzanian/ Mozambique borders.

Males stake out a cave and defend for breeding. It is wise to keep three or more females if one plans to breed. In an all male tank, overpopulation along with water changes and hiding spots is key.

I keep my pH at 7.6 for them, but anything slightly alkaline and stable will be fine. They can take a wide range of foods, so any quality pellet or flake will be fine.

In the trade this fish is also sold as the red top lwanda, and it is one of the prettiest available. They max out at about 6" in a large aquarium, but most I see are not much over 4-5". I would do no less than a 40g breeder for a breeding group. 50g long would be best.

[jon carman]

Forgot to unlock. Thread is open for discussion on this fish or Jacobfreibergi peacocks.

[signde]

i love all the jacobfreibergi. i still prefer the eureka red but that's a line breed species. i already have two other jacob males otherwise i would have snatched up one of these guys.

the thing that always befuddles me is the "red top" name. i see that quite often on fish that aren't red topped at all... they are yellow. am i the only one that thinks that?

[kyangelsncorys]

I agree with you SIG. i have always wondered about that

[jon carman]

Maybe the original guy that named it was color blind.

[signde]

there are other "red top" that are yellow also

the red top galilea zebra mbuna i have are yellow topped

[tpindell]

Thanks for this. This is going to be on the stock list after the move.

[rick]

love the lawanda. i got one from jon and another wild from a german importer. they are cool looking in my 125 gal all male tank.

[bnoel210]

I have a WC quad, 1m/3f, i got from Jon before the last swap. I first kept them in a 50g long by themselfs nd they spawned several times, but i didnt they were happy and you never saw the male. He was always hiding. About a month ago i converted my 125 all male tank to a breeding hap/ peacock tank. They are in there with 4 other groups of haps and are out all the time and i have a female in there that has been holding for 2 weeks and going to strip her today. One thing i learned from this group, first breeding group of peacocks, is the behavoir of the females. The male only does a bunch of chasing when he is in the mood, but when the male is ready the females will fight for dominacey to beable to spawn with him. A little lip locking and some messed up fins is all that happens but i have never seen that. Also my first WC breeding group. So is this normal or is it more common with the WC fish?

[jon carman]

I would consider it normal, but they don't have to fight too hard. As soon as my male spawns with one female he is ready for number two then three.

Females fight for dominance when no male is present too.

[terryhavelka]

I pick up 2 fry at my clubs auction last February. Turned out to be two males which have colored up nicely. I've got them in a 55 with 6-8 Aceii and two breading pairs of xystichromis sp. kyoga flameback and the "Lwanda" are out showing and posturing to each other all the time.

A great looking fish with a good temperament!

[acer1288]

Hello All,
First Post.

Anyhow, How is the male Lwanda's temperment with other Malawi Aulonocara males?

I have an Aulonocara Kadeense and Stuartgranti Usisya Flavescent.
Should Hiding plenty of hiding spots take care of any aggression.

Additionally, I would like to breed, so I will be adding the typical 3+ female/male ratio.

[jon carman]

What size tank? I would only breed peacocks in a tank by themself. Your species list are far enough off where they may not cross, but it will increase aggression toward the other peacocks.

To answer your question, most I have had haven't been terrible, but I haven't tried breeding them with other peacocks in tank with them.

[angel]

Great fish! I'm a huge fan of the fish of the week idea. Could we have another? This is a great way to learn about the fish we want, or don't know we want!

[jon carman]

Yes we can. My fish of the week turned into fish of the year.