Mixed Variety

Mixed variety peacock cichlid refers to an Aulonocara-type fish, including fish sold under Aulonocara nyassae, whose ancestry combines more than one color line, locality form, or captive strain. Peacock cichlids come from Lake Malawi, where males use sand and rock-edge territories and females are usually more subdued in color. In aquariums, mixed varieties may show blue, yellow, red, dragon blood, or orange blotch patterning, sometimes from line breeding or hybrid background. The name is useful for honest description, but it should not be treated as a pure locality identity.

They are kept like other Malawi peacocks: hard, alkaline water, sandy open areas, rock cover, and tankmates that are not so aggressive that they prevent feeding. Males color best when settled, while females and juveniles can be difficult to identify. Because Aulonocara females brood eggs in the mouth, mixed tanks can produce further crosses quickly. Fry from mixed-variety parents should be sold or shared with that background clearly stated.

Colors: Blue, Dragon Blood, Ob (Orange Blotch), Red, Yellow