Origins: Peacock gudgeons (sometimes called rainbow gudgeons) originally came from New Guinea ? not exactly the Grand Central Station of the world. Maybe that?s why it took so long for them to find their way to Des Moines .
Appeal: Black-trimmed yellow fins on a blue and red mottled body earn these guys their peacock or rainbow name. Their willingness to flare or display to their tank mates makes them real eye-catchers in a community tank.
Size: In a retail tank, you see them at one inch, maybe 1.5 inches. Theoretically, peacock gudgeons grow to a massive 2.5 inches. Most top out at two inches.
Foods: Special Foods? Not at all necessary unless you plan to breed yours. And even then, frozen foods will provide the necessary nutrition boost. If you decide to breed yours, add California blackworms, frozen blood worms, and frozen brine shrimp ? after you give them their flake food rations. More frequent and smaller feedings make a difference also. They really pooch out on live brine shrimp.
Housing: You can keep peacock gudgeons in small aquaria ? even those hard-to-care-for mini-tanks. Ten gallon tanks work much better for most people. They?re more stable water quality wise.
Attitude: Not a shy fish, peacocks still prefer the lower half of the tank. Males ?flare? at each other much like bettas but don?t get into the fin-ripping battles that earn the Siamese fighting fish its world-wide fame. Peacock gudgeons may nip a bit but do no real damage to their tank mates.
Tank Mates: Fellow good mixers include dwarf gouramis, sparkling gouramis, honey gouramis, white clouds, featherfin rainbows, kuhli loaches, glassfish, killifish, otocinclus, red cherry shrimp, ghost shrimp, and other mini-fishes.
Temperature: Keep your peacock gudgeons at typical tropical temperatures ? 75 to 80 degrees.
Décor: Small sections of PVC pipe make instant home sweet homes for your peacocks. Fine in a breeding tank, but you?ll want to give them an aquascaped tank. Watching them navigate in and out of the rockery adds to their appeal.
Plants: Planted tanks work great. These little guys never eat or tear up plants. They love exploring your aquascaping and looking for small bits of food in the greenery.
Water: Des Moines water works fine. Add a teaspoon of salt per gallon to new tanks plus a good water conditioner. Peacocks seem to like frequent water changes.
Breeding Tips: Condition your breeders in separate tanks for best results. Provide ½-inch diameter PVC tubes three-inches long with a cap on one end. Face the openings to the front for easy observation.
Breeding Activity: The male takes over the tube he prefers, then coaxes a cute female inside for a brief romantic interlude. After she produces the eggs, he?ll chase her off and care for the eggs.
Fry Care: Males like to eat the newly hatched larvae. Remove him or the eggs. Letting the eggs hatch in bare tanks works well. Once they start free-swimming, feed them microworms and/or newly hatched brine shrimp.
Last Word: What a great fish in a small package. LA.
Credits: This information originally appeared in the newsletter of the Iowa Aquaria Association
www.iowaaquaria.com
