DO PEACOCK CICHLIDS NEED A ROCKY SETUP?

by **markthecat** » Sun Jun 11, 2017 1:16 am

IN MY EXPERIENCE YES. I HAVE KEPT ALL KINDS OF FISH FOR YEARS INCLUDING ALL KINDS AND GROUPS OF AFRICAN CICHLIDS. YOU WILL HEAR OF SOME PEOPLE SAY PEACOCKS ARE FREE SWIMMERS LIKE HAPS. BUT TRUTHFULLY PEACOCKS COME IN NATURE COME FROM ROCKY PLACES SWIMMING IN AND AROUND THE ROCKS STAYING CLOSE TO THEIR CAVES. BREEDING IN THEIR CAVE ATTRACTING FEMALES NEAR THEIR ROCKS DEFENDING THEIR CAVES. THEY LIVE IN DEEPER WATER THEN MBUNA BUT STILL AMONG THE ROCKS. PEACOCKS ARE SMALLER THAN HAPS AND LAKE MALAWI IS FULL OF DANGERS. SO PEACOCKS STAY CLOSE TO HOME TO AVOID BIGGER PREDATORS. Now to get to why i rock my peacock aquarium up. For awhile i use to keep peacocks with few rocks
thinking it will lessen aggression. Well it did for a while until they bigger. Then war broke out chasing beating almost killing. So I thought take all the fish out get rid of the most aggressive ones rescape rock it up and lets see what happen. Well there was still aggression but near as bad everyone was calmer and seemed more at home around the rocks. THEIR WERE HIDING PLACES SO IT PUT THE FISH MORE AT EASE. In my experience peacocks are more aggressive than haps. Haps like a few rocks but not many. Peacocks on the other hand like a lot more rocks maybe not as many as mbuna but they like their rocks! SO AT THE END OF THIS LONG STORY DON'T FOLLOW EVERYONES OPINION DO WHAT YOU KNOW IS BEST. SO WITH PEACOCKS ROCK IT UP OR NO ROCKS WHAT DO YOU THINK?

by **a201** » Sun Jun 11, 2017 11:57 am

I agree "Rock it up". I have 3 Dragon bloods and 1 red shoulder peacock, as well as 200 plus lbs. Of Texas Holey rock.
All have claimed their own individual stone refuge and aggressively defend it.
Without the rocks the peacocks probably wouldn't last long against their S.A. cichlid tankmates.

by **reefer171** » Sun Jun 11, 2017 11:40 pm

I didn't know anyone kept African cichlids without lots of rocks! I really do think it's a requirement. Among other reasons, you want to mimic their natural environment as closely as you can. Not just because it's cool to mimic an ecosystem but because that will be what the fish are most comfortable with.

by **kate_kuhli** » Tue Jun 13, 2017 1:02 am

Putting texas holey rock etc in the tank is also a good way to raise the PH level, isn't it? I'm not super read up on african cichlids but I think they're supposed to have harder water so rock is a good way to do that.

As an aside, I think texas holey rock looks neat - I wouldn't want an african cichlid tank without any!

by **a201** » Wed Jun 14, 2017 3:59 am

Most african cichlids do well with texas holey rock / limestone, but so does about every other type of aquarium fish. I've read that if your tank water ph is neutral and higher, and regular weekly water changes are made, limestone rocks will have little effect on ph. The limestone acts more like a buffer to keep the water ph from crashing, becoming acidic. I have silver dollars, Columbian tetras, green and red terrors, EBJD and more thriving in my tanks aquascaped with texas holey rock.
The majority of aqua experts advise that tetras and new world cichlids need softer more acidic water to thrive and that limestone should not be included in aquarium hardscaping. I found that not to be true.
I've also read that if your tank water is acidic limestone "will" in fact raise your ph.

by **markthecat** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 7:26 pm

Thanks for the all the replies. There are some hobbiest on youtube that claim they are free swimmers. Its just not 100% true with peacocks. These fish swim among the rocks. matter of fact most cichlids do. with the exception of larger haps which are in fact require more swimming room angelfish and discus and few others that like swimming room but even these like to hide among the plants.

DO PEACOCK CICHLIDS NEED A ROCKY SETUP?

6 posts