How to Breed Red Shoulder Peacocks

Although their name makes them sound like birds, the red shoulder peacock is actually a type of cichlid fish. They are also known as firebird cichlids, Malawi peacocks, or Aulonocara Fort Maguire cichlids. These fish grow to about 6 inches long. They can be found in many different colors, including the red they are named for, as well as oranges and blues, or a mix of those colors. These fish are known to have distinctive personalities -- they are excitable and more peaceful than many other cichlid types. These fish are easy to care for and relatively easy to breed.

Things You'll Need

  • Live meaty foods
  • Breeding aquarium
  • Thermometer
  • Water testing kit
  • Cave area
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Instructions

    • 1

      Separate the male and female fish. Male fish are more colorful and larger than the females. Their fins are also very pointed, whereas the female's fins are rounded. Then, condition the red shoulder peacocks. Conditioning is when fish are fed a steady, nutritious diet. This diet should include live meaty foods, such as bloodworms. The fish should be conditioned for a week or two before being placed in the breeding aquarium.

    • 2

      Set up a freshwater breeding aquarium. When breeding red shoulder peacocks, it's best to keep a group of females with one male. A group can mean three, four, or more fish, but a larger aquarium will be needed for each extra fish. A 100-gallon aquarium can comfortable house one male and three or four females.

    • 3

      Monitor the temperature with a thermometer. Although red shoulder peacocks are usually comfortable in a temperature range between 73 and 84 degrees Fahrenheit, for breeding, the temperature should be between 81 and 86 degrees.

    • 4

      Use a water-testing kit to measure the pH level of the aquarium water. Red shoulder peacocks are comfortable with a pH level between 7.7 and 8.6, but when breeding them, it's best to keep the pH between 8.0 and 8.2. You can use water additives to adjust this level if you need to.

    • 5

      Place several cave areas in the breeding aquarium. These can be ready-made aquarium decorations, or you can make the caves yourself by securely piling rocks. The caves will need to be large enough to fit the male cichlid and one female cichlid inside, as this is where the fish will breed.

    • 6

      Place the male and female cichlids into the breeding aquarium. After being conditioned and introduced to the correct water parameters, this should happen within a few days. Wait for the fish to breed. This fish breeds in caves, so the actual spawning is very rarely witnessed. The male and female will disappear into a cave. Once there, the female will lay between 20 and 60 eggs. The female will pick these up in its mouth. The female will then nip at the male's tail fin. The male will release the sperm, which the female will take into its mouth, fertilizing the eggs.

    • 7

      Observe your female cichlids. If a female is not eating, this most likely means it is mouth-brooding. The eggs will be incubated for about 21 days. The male and female fish will then guard the young fish as they mature.