Peacock Cichlid Gallireya Reef 4cm

Peacock Cichlid Gallireya Reef

African peacock cichlids have a cult following of their own. With so many colour variations a mixed peacock aquarium is a true spectacle to see with all the activity and colour. These fish are often the best alternative to a saltwater aquarium because of how vibrant these cichlids are and many of the popular colour strains have been developed in captivity through line breeding. For the Malawi peacock purists or African cichlid keepers searching for a more natural fish, then the Gallireya peacock would be a great consideration.

This particular species of peacock cichlids is quite interesting as they have unique regional variations. Whilst adults have a dominant blue and yellow colouration the positioning, patterning and dominancy of colours can vary which means in one tank you could keep these fish as species only but have multiple regional variations. Gallireya peacocks have their whole aesthetic is based on two contrasting colours blue and yellow which work together in such a way to create this spectacle.

From the face to just past the eye the Gallireya peacocks sport a metallic ocean blue which transitions to yellow. This glittering yellow colour is quite prominent up until a quarter of the way into the fish and then begins to fade back to blue. It’s quite interesting to see how these colours both look like a gradient but are also broken up with the faint vertical stripes on the body. The fins on this strain are all blue compared to other regional variants which carry yellow. These fish do get fairly since they max out at 17 cm and African peacocks, in general, are commonly known to be semi-aggressive fish. They however only display aggression when it comes to territory, social hierarchy, and breeding.

Trying to find the males and females in Gallireya reef peacocks is fairly easy. The easiest method is to look at the egg spots on the anal fin of the fish. Males will have lots whereas females will have little to none, another common method is to look at the tips of the dorsal and ventral fin. In males, these tend to be more pointed whereas in females they are rounded. The wild habitat of African peacock cichlids is Lake Malawi.

Tank Recommendations for your Gallireya Reef Peacock Cichlid

The gallireya reef peacock is a very active fish that needs a tank that is at least 470 litres and around 4 feet minimum length. The main consideration for these fish is the aquarium environment itself. Since Gallireya Reef peacock cichlids can be aggressive to one another, it is best to have a lot of visual breaks in the tank.

These fish also need a higher PH of around 8.0, this can be maintained through the use of crushed coral or aragonite sand and conditioning salts. To also make the colours pop on the Gallireya peacocks, keeping them on a blue background would also be great.

Suitable Tank Buddies

The Gallireya peacock is fairly peaceful and can be kept with other colour variations of the peacock species. Overstocking peacocks in aquariums is common to avoid aggression or territorial behaviour, however this can lead to more water changes and maintenance. This can be avoided by keeping minimal fish in a large aquarium with lots of visual breaks. Consideration can be made to keep them with peaceful Mbunas and Haps.

Usually Compatible

Other African peacocks like dragon blood or neon blues and other common species such as electric yellow labs.

Sometimes Compatible

Larger haps such as venustus, Fuscodichromis and small Africans such as julidochromis.

Rarely Compatible

Shrimp and nano aquarium fish like neon tetras, ember tetras, and also very aggressive South American cichlids such as the Oscars and Jaguar Cichlids.

Feeding your Peacock cichlid Gallireya Reef

Gallireya peacocks like other peacock cichlids are very easy to feed. It is an opportunistic feeder and will readily eat a wide range of foods being both dry, fresh, and frozen. Their diet should contain good quality African cichlid pellets with high contents of spirulina or greens. Feeding these fish once a day will be perfectly fine.

Diet

Omnivore - prefers herbivore based diet.