# He might be German, but this peacock isn't red



## Buckingham U (Apr 8, 2014)

My LFS sold me 5 juvenile "German Red" peacocks and 6 months later here is what the dominant male looks like:

Any ideas what this actually is? I know that the reds are line bred, wondering if this is something else altogether. Hard to see but there is a touch of orange in the tail. A female is to his left in this pic: 

Thanks


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

As you said, the German red is a line-bred variant of A. sp. "Stuartgranti Maleri", which is a yellow fish with a blue head. The amount of red that has been developed by line-breeding can vary depending on which breeder's strain you end up with, so it's not surprising that sometimes there are "German reds" that are more yellow/orange than red. He's a good looking fish, though, and may potentially develop more red as he matures (you can see some hints of it starting to show in the rear half of the fish, in addition to the back of the head. Did you see his parents? Was the father really red?


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## Buckingham U (Apr 8, 2014)

No, didn't see the parents. Also think its odd that the two largest females don't look anything alike. The one above left is pale, light brown and the other is much darker brown with pronounced stripes. Oh well, it is what it is.
Funny you mention seeing the parents. I bought 6 Ngara flame tail juvies from a breeder on Friday because dad was a stunner. One of the coolest fish I have ever seen. Can't wait to see what happens with them!


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

What exactly IS a "German Red"? Theoretically... if you got 5 from different people, they may all look different... some darker, some lighter, some having a lot more blue, some having little blue. It may have started with one breeder line breeding them, but these bloodlines are very vague anymore, and some are mixes of races. Even from the same parents, each male may look different. Yellow to orange to reddish-orange.

Seems like a nice male of Stuartgranti Maleri origins.

If you are referring to the female on the left of the lower picture... I would guess that female is of Jacobfreibergi origin.


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## BDASTRK (Dec 12, 2014)

I just bought a German from Live fish direct and a Rubin Red and there is a distinctive difference between the two for sure, the Rubin is about 3" long and he is **** near as red as the red on a Red Empress............I have never seen one that Red, the German is more Orange for sure like Orange Peel Orange he is a little larger maybe 3.25".


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## rafini (Mar 20, 2014)

back when I lived in Europe I had a German Red peacock from an actual German line and it was bright Orange. never actually seen a yellow one. here in canada The "german reds" can look a lot more like rubins, which I believe are a more line bred version of the same fish.
Breeders will breed fish back to their parents when the colors start to fade to get more vibrant offspring, It could just be that they hadn't done that with these fish. Or more likely its just some form of variation. Either way its unique and very beautiful


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## Rare7 (Dec 31, 2014)

Your german red looks great.....here is some intersting stuff on this subject for information purpose.

'Rubescens' and Other Red Peacocks from Germany
By Keegan Armke (11-97)

As the newest peacock color variety finds its way from Germany to the U.S., it's not surprising that A. sp. "Rubescens" is wrapped in some controversy.

In a recent issue of an American Cichlid Association publication, there is a view expressed that all of the "Red" peacock color morphs being developed in Germany are really the same fish being offered under different names.

I don't agree with this thinking. I phoned and explained to the writer, who admittedly does not keep the fish, that our aquaria housed "German Red Peacocks", "Rubescens Peacocks" and "Eureka Red Peacocks"-all of which share a German origin-and that these fish decidedly, emphatically are not the same peacocks in terms of looks.

To be brief:
Auloncara sp. "Rubescens" exhibits a bright orange coloration through the body and fins which contrasts with a small amount of blue on the head. Females have a distinct orange outline across the dorsal fin. In my experience, it is much more peaceful than the average peacock. From a color standpoint, it is my favorite peacock.

Auloncara sp. "German Red" differs from "Rubescens" in that it has many more blue striations in the head, body and fins-enough blue all over that the impression is of a red-orange and blue fish. We have kept groups of "German Reds" from several different sources, including one group which was direct from Germany.

Auloncara sp. "Eureka Red" has a longer body and more sloped head and, moreover, has an entirely different pattern of reds and blues than either of the previous two fish. It is also much more aggressive-no doubt because of its probable origin as a jackobfreibergi.

The "Rubescens" and "German Red", according to knowledgeable worldwide sources, derive from another peacock species. The original sources say the "Rubescens" was developed from A. baenschi (Maleri Island) and the "German Red" from A. baenschi (Chipoka). Until someone convinces me differently, I'll accept this information. The color patterns fit the original fish quite well.

It's important to note in this discussion that the "Red" peacocks from Germany do not appear to be the products of hybridization. Instead, they are produced by line-breeding special morphs of a species-the same type of development which originally produced albino corydoras, fantail guppies, lyretail mollies, etc.


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## Rare7 (Dec 31, 2014)

And here is mine-


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

That article is from 17 years ago... do not assume that most breeders/ sources have kept these lines pure from each other, or from adding fresh lineage. The mass market breeders do not care, they just want something that will sell. The "Eureka" is distinct, thou the quality varies widely.

I've seen "German Red" look like the Chipoka Stuartgranti Maleri (which is the original Sunshine and are rather orange to begin with), but I've seen other "German Red" look darker like a Red Shoulder Peacock was mixed in, very red with dark blue. 
The "Rubescens" seems to be bred from the more all yellow types of Stuartgranti Maleri. 
People also use the name "Ruby Red", which may be just a "translation" of "Rubenscens".
I've also read that the "German Red" may have been bred from Aulonocara korneliae, which is a species that is part of the Stuartgranti group.

Who can you trust? Sellers will tell you "they're great!"


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## Rare7 (Dec 31, 2014)

noki said:


> Who can you trust? Sellers will tell you "they're great!"


Im not assuming like i said it was for information propose but understand what you are saying. Sad enough that many will be questioning what they have cause of the quick buck. I'm in the fish farm capital of the world, so knowing that a big percentage of these fish folks are buying from their LFS are coming from here..... *** seen some great fish farm operation and some that well with their stocks :-?. Now, if only i can get into Pablo Tepoot (NLS) fish farm that will be great :drooling:


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