Peacocks still seek the protection of trees and other underwater debris as the Amazon is filled with many species that could easily make a quick lunch out of them.

Spawning Time is Relative

The Speckled Peacock Bass spawns from April to September, but will peak during May and June. However, as the dry season does not start at the same time in each region, spawning does not start at the same time. What is key to understand is that the Speckled Peacock Bass prefer very warm water to spawn, much warmer than that required by native North America bass species, which limits their distribution to the southern states around the Gulf of Mexico and California.

Spawning Temperature

Spawning occurs when the water temperature is between 78°F and 82°F. Both male and female Speckled Peacock Bass work at making a flat, hard surface near shore where the female lays her eggs. A large female will release as many as 10,000 eggs whereas a young female may release as few as 4,000 eggs.

When the eggs are laid, they attach themselves to the hard flat surface and stay there until they hatch. When the young hatch, both adults look after their young for several months after hatching and are very aggressive at defending them.

Protected Fry

It is not unusual to see two adult peacock bass and with 1,000 young fry swimming along in the South Florida canals. Once the fry reach about three inches, or ten weeks, the parent peacock bass leave the fry to fend for themselves. Once on their own, the fingerlings seek out shelter in and among weeds for the first year where they will rapidly grow to about 14 inches, though most on average grow at an inch a month, some can grow as much as two inches in a month.

Peacocks still seek the protection of trees and other underwater debris as the Amazon is filled with many species that could easily make a quick lunch out of them. However, unlike the North American bass, they freely move about in the sun and it plays a very important part of their spawning cycle and the hatching of their young.

The young Speckled Peacock Bass continue their rapid growth rates for the first several years. Once the young Speckled Peacock Bass reach three pounds they more freely move about their habitat. In the United States, they reach an average size of three to five pounds while in South America they reach an average of between six to ten pounds, but can reach as large as 32 pounds.

During spawning, it is possible to tell the male apart from the female quite easily, other than from their size differences. The male Speckled Peacock Bass grow a large nuchal lump on the top of its head.