Peacock Bass (Butterfly Cichla)

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Original Amazon Basin (Guanabara in Brazil, Suriname, Guyana). Populates the margins of large rivers, calm bodies of water, lagoons and flooded forests in search of schools of prey.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Peacock Bass (Cichla ocellaris). One of the most iconic and largest cichlids (and game fish). Comfortably reaches 60-70 cm (24-28 inches) and several kilos in weight. Torpedo body with a massive notched dorsal fin.

Social Behavior: Alpha pack hunter in youth, more solitary and aggressive adult. Pounces on fish with blindingly fast dashes.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Olive green/golden background with 3 blurred vertical bands, scattered spotting and, the distinctive trait, a large black ocellus circled in yellow (resembling a peacock's eye) at the base of the tail to disorient prey. Adult males with a conspicuous red nuchal hump.

Aquarium Setup: Strictly a Monster Tank or public aquarium species (minimum 250-300 cm / 8-10 feet in length and 1000+ liters / 260+ gallons). Free water to swim, very sturdy wood to break up the territory. They do not ruin plants, but uproot them with movement.

Diet and Feeding: Ravenous piscivore. Will eat enormous amounts of whole prawns, fish fillets (tilapia, cod), earthworms and fleshy XXL floating or sinking pellets. Gets used to eating from hands immediately (watch your fingers).

Water Quality: Needs high temperatures (26-29°C / 79-84°F) to keep the immune system healthy and digest rapidly. Low or medium hardness. Essential to change 40% of the water weekly given the diet.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Will devour anyone thin or short enough to fit in their massive extendable mouth. Can only live with giants: large Arowanas, freshwater stingrays, huge Pacu or Datnioides.

Aquarium Reproduction: Possible in mammoth volumes (indoor pools). They lay thousands of eggs on flat rocks cleaned by the male. Parents unleash hell on anything that approaches, including stones or the aquarist's siphon.

Risks and Diseases: If purchased as juveniles, they suffer terribly from confinement in commercial aquariums and starvation. "Hole in the Head" is lethal and endemic in aquariums with nitrates over 40ppm or incorrect diets.