Firefish Cichlid

Fire Fish Cichlid

The Dragon's Blood Peacock Cichlid, or Fire Fish, is a bright pinkish red, mild African cichlid of the Aulonocara family. The black eyes appear larger than regular peacocks and give it a distinctive "dragon" look. These exotic cichlids are bred in Taiwan to create bright pink and red color throughout the body and should not be confused with the lower-priced Strawberry Peacock Cichlid, often sold as Dragon's Blood for a cheap price. This fancy cichlid responds to spirulina and other color enhancers, and without this, some of the color fades.

Quick Facts

Care Guide

Tank setup: Give them a sand bottom, open swimming space in front and rockwork along the back. Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika cichlids need hard, alkaline water; crushed coral or aragonite sand helps hold the pH up.

Feeding: Feed a quality cichlid pellet or flake once or twice a day. They also enjoy frozen foods like brine shrimp.

Tankmates: Haps do well with peacocks and other haps of similar size, plus robust catfish like synodontis. Keep one male per similar-looking species, with several females, to limit fighting and crossbreeding.

Good to know: Fire fish peacocks keep their best pink-red color with a color-enhancing food.