# Any tricks to getting a few peacocks to color up?



## GSXRKID74

Tank: 125g 6ft

Peacocks:

(Not Showing Very Good Color) 
Aulonocara Sp. German Red (2 1/2 inches showing a little color) 
Aulonocara Jacobfreibergi (Undu Reef) (Lemon Jake) (2 inches showing a little color) 
Aulonocara Baenschi (Sunshine Benga) (2 inches showing little color) 
Aulonocara Sp. (Walteri) (3 1/2 inches still won't color up)

I do realize some of these fish may never show thier full color/potental being in an all male environment. Just wondering if there are any tricks to get them going. Like my Walteri. He's nearing 4" and is still a drab brown. He has a nice white top but no color really. My Lawanda gives him a hard time though. More than likley that's why I presume. All of my fish have grown up from close to the same size and the tank moral is pretty good (so far). It just seems the one's I bought showing color have kept it and the ones I bought younger with no color are hesitant to color up. Will they ever color up? :-?

The only thing I thought might work is to set up a seperate tank and load it up with some girls and tease them one by one to color up and then re-introduce back into the show tank. I really don't want the task of maintaining another tank though....

Any thoughts or tips would be awesome! Thanks in advance!
:thumb:

(Showing Good Color)
Aulonocara Sp. Fire Fish (Dragon Blood)
Aulonocara Stuartgranti (Ngara) (Orange Flametail) (2 1/2 inches showing good color) 
Aulonocara Sp. (Lawanda) (4 inches showing great color)

All the haps seem to be coloring up fine. Except for the Imperial Steveni (the only fish I'm not positive is a male). I'm fairly sure its a he because none of larger haps have taken any special interest in it) I had to ween out a female Azureus. My Electra eventually took notice or sexed her up and wanted to mate.

Haps: 
Otopharynx Lithobates
Copadichromis Azureus 
Copadichromis Borleyi (Red Fin) 
Placidochromis Electra (Deep Water) 
Copadichromis Trewavasae Mloto Likoma (Fireline Mloto) 
Protomelas Sp. (Spilonotus Tanzania) 
Protomelas sp. (Steveni Imperial) 
Protomelas Taeniolatus (Super Red Empress) 
Dimidiochromis compressiceps 
Nimbochromis Sp. Venustus
Pseudotropheus Sp. (Acei)


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## Fogelhund

Subdominant fish will not colour up.


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## nauTik

Fogelhund said:


> Subdominant fish will not colour up.


so in order to have a successful all-male tank where all the males are displaying full color you'd need to drop the sub-dominant fish for fish that will be equally as dominant?


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## DJRansome

It's trial and error. Maybe removing one overly dominant one will allow a bunch of the sub-doms to color up. Each tank is different.


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## 24Tropheus

I guess I should not mention hormones. :wink: What the less scrupulous use to get em to colour up early so they sell young. To be honest your small Aulonocaras are being very wise not to colour up with coloured up haps and other coloured up Aulonocaras/Peacocks. I bet every time they do they attract a little more agression but they still have a lot of growing to do so do not give up hope.

More difference in Genuses and colour might help. Blue tends to domminate other blues, red other reds, yellow other yellows. Very different shapes tend not to subdue each other quite as much.
But yep hard to get many natural Aulonocaras in the same tank to colour up at the same time as they are so similar even given careful choice. Saying that I did see a tank of just German reds all coloured up. Must have been 30 or more. I kind of suspect hormone treatment or hormones in the food.

All the best James


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## GSXRKID74

I knew I was in for trail and error. I just know from what I've read with all male show tanks that starting with juvies is better than tossing all colored up adults in at once. Plus, not many can afford that option. I also like to watch them grow. Anyways, yeah I'm positive my lawanda keeps my walteri submissive. He's the only fish he shows aggression towards. Hopefully, as the others grow out he will start to share some of the aggression and allow them all to show some color. I just don't want to end up with 4 male adult peacocks that never color up. So far, the german red and yellow benga seem to hold their ground. Hopefully, they will start to color up. The lemon jake seems really submissive also. I kinda wondered about the lemon jake and yellow benga not liking each other, but then again the lawanda resembles both of them also. I've had the lawanda longest. He came from another tank I had (he used to be somewhat submissive himself but always showed color) I know lawanda's have a rep of being kinda mean. I really don't think he's too aggressive. I'd really hate to pull him, but if need be I will... Who knows how things will shake out? Like you say, they do have lots of growing to do.

I have lots of filtration. Good water movement. Lots of open water. I found with hiding spots you have a lot more aggression. IMO.

None of the haps seem to care about each other and all show some color. The Borleyi (Red Fin) is like an all dark matte red color with orange fins. None of them seem to submit to each other like the peacocks though. Although, I forsee the Red Emp vs Venustus battling for King of the Tank!

Just gonna sit back and opcorn:

Ps: Rather than posting a bunch of photo's, whats the easiest method for posting a video on this site. I link to youtube or is there another way? Sorry i've never posted a video....


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## PiePuncher

How old or how big are your fish? Are they all just 4 inches? Some may not color until 4+ inches. I find it odd that some people say that some fish will never color up, even though they are male. I have kept cichlids for about 20 years now and all my peacocks and haps end up in full color by the time they are full grown 5-12 inches. Some are more colorful when in breeding dress but even when not, they are still all solid in color, even the smaller 4-5 inch fish. Some fish do take longer to color and some fish grow slower than others but in the end, all my males have colored up. The quality of your fish will also make a difference.

You are right on just sit back and wait!! I have a Tangerine Tiger that has taken two years to finally get color but it is coming in strong now. The only time I would remove fish is when the aggression gets so bad that you have a peacock hiding in the top corner of the tank and is all beat up. Take some good photos of your fish and post.. 
Here is a photo of two red empress males together. They were scared of the camera but you can see that both have color. These are regular red empress that are 6 inches long(did not show color until 5 inches), I also have the super red and even though he is only 4 inches, he is solid red....... Much more bright than these guys and all are in same tank. Give it time...... This is an old photo.








Super red... Even though he is smaller, he is full color.


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