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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
.
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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.
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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.
LA
Females have less color and a bit shorter fins.
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.
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Males sport the most colors.
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.
LA
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
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2004, © 2005, © 2006 LA Productions

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