Green Face Peacock Care Guide

The Green Face Peacock is a striking Lake Malawi peacock cichlid, known in the aquarium trade for the metallic green sheen across the face and head of mature males. Depending on the strain, this coloration may be combined with blue, yellow, orange, or subtle vertical barring along the body. Females are much less colorful, as is typical of many Aulonocara forms.This fish has the characteristic streamlined shape of a peacock cichlid, with elongated fins and a relatively pointed head. Males become especially impressive when displaying, extending their fins and intensifying their colors to attract females and warn competing males.Aulonocara are native to Lake Malawi in East Africa, where they inhabit sandy areas and transitional zones near rocky shores. Their specialized sensory pores help them detect small prey hidden in the substrate, and they commonly hover just above the lakebed before making quick dives to investigate potential food.The Green Face Peacock is a trade name rather than a consistently standardized scientific species designation, and fish sold under it may represent a selectively bred color line or a locality-associated Aulonocara form. Like other peacocks, it is a maternal mouthbrooder: after spawning, the female carries the eggs and fry in her mouth until the young are sufficiently developed.