Pink Peacock

For the aquarists looking for a large growing, immensely colourful, and downright stunning fish, the pink peacock cichlid would be the perfect option. When it comes to selectively bred African peacock cichlids, the pink peacock is always one of the top contenders because of how immensely vibrant and stunning it is. With a large enough tank, these fish are quite easy to keep and their beauty along with ease of care makes them a fantastic display tank consideration.

The pink peacock gets its name from the vibrant, metallic pink colour it develops from head to tail. As juveniles, these fish have a very light tinge which may not look like much but like other peacock cichlid strains, they really do get brighter with age. The base colour of these peacocks is actually a solid pearl white which is overlaid with the beautiful strawberry-like pink which is super bold. Across the whole body, there is also a stunning powder blue sheen which provides just enough additional contrast. The pink peacock is a man-made strain that is created through selective breeding and this makes them very well suited to captive conditions. Towards the tail end the pink colour starts to break up almost forming a spot-like patterning which can be seen in the other fins too. These fish do get fairly large 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 African peacocks is fairly easy. The easiest method is to look at the egg spots on the ventral 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 however the pink peacock is very much a man-made colour strain.

Tank Recommendations for your Pink Peacock
The pink 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 actually the aquarium environment itself. Since pink 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 pink peacocks, keeping them on a dark background would also be great.

Suitable Tank Buddies
The pink 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 Pink Peacock cichlid
Pink 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.