Aulonocara Benga - Aulonocara baenschi

Species name: Aulonocara baenschi

Synonym:

Common Names: Aulonocara Benga, Benga Aulonocara, Benga Yellow, New Yellow Regal, Nkhomo-Benga Peacock, Yellow Peacock

Family: Cichlidae (Cichlids) , subfamily: Pseudocrenilabrinae

Order: Perciformes (perch-likes)

Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)

Max. size: 10 cm / 4 inches

Environment: freshwater

Origin: Lake Malawi: Chipoka, Maleri Islands, Nkhomo, and Usisya

Temperament: Relatively non-aggressive .

Company: Can be kept with other non aggressive species of the same size.

Water parameters: pH 7.0-8.5, temperature 22-26°C / 72-78° F

Aquarium setup: Requires stone formations that allows the fish good hiding places. Plan the Aquarium setup so that several territories can be formed with natural boundaries. Also make sure there is a lot of free space for these fish to swim on. Don’t use roots in your aquarium since they lower PH levels.

Feeding: Accepts all kinds of food.

Breeding: Mouth-brooder. The female will protect a batch of 4-25 fry in her mouth for up to 4 weeks. The females will not eat will they brood. You can tell if a female is brooding by her enlarged mouth. fry are quite small and fragile but will accepts most kinds of food. Brooding females are isolated for more productive breeding. It is recommendable to try to make the isolation as short as possible to avoid that the females loses their social status which may cause fights once they are returned. Stress to the female can cause her to eat her eggs and fry.

Picture of a Aulonocara baenschi male. Copyright www.jjphoto.dk

Picture of a Aulonocara baenschi female. Copyright www.jjphoto.dk