Cichlids · Andinoacara
Blue acara
Andinoacara pulcher · Trinidad and northern Venezuela (incl. Apure llanos)
Photo: 5snake5, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
At a glance
Water temperature
22–28 °C 72–82 °F
pH
6.5–8 neutral water
Adult size
15 cm 5.9 in
Swims ≈
Mid-water mostly in open water
Keep together
2 or more a shoal feels safe
Current ≈
Gentle a steady gentle flow
Food
Meaty foods
Temperament ≈
Semi-aggressive
Where it comes from
Home water
Trinidad and northern Venezuela (incl. Apure llanos)
Apure
Lives in river habitat.
The dot is placed on its home rivers, not an exact collecting site. Map: Natural Earth.
Tank mates
Checked against a roomy 300 L planted tank with moderate flow and plenty of caves. Your own tank may change the answer: try it in Your tanks.
Good together
-
Candy stripe L015
Plecos · 10 cm · bottom -
Zebra L046
Plecos · 8 cm · bottom -
Amano shrimp
Shrimp & snails · 5 cm · bottom -
Boeseman's rainbowfish
Rainbowfish · 10 cm · mid-water -
Bolivian ram
Cichlids · 8 cm · bottom -
Bronze corydoras
Corydoras · 7 cm · bottom -
Butterfly hillstream loach
Loaches · 8 cm · bottom -
Cardinal tetra
Tetras · 4 cm · mid-water
Keep apart
-
Small enough to be eaten
Amano shrimpCardinal tetraCelestial pearl danioCherry barbCherry shrimpChili rasboraEmber tetra
-
Aggressive and will eat the blue acara
In the hobby
Where to find it
No store or breeder we know of has it right now.
Run a store? List the fish you usually have. Breed fish? List your fry.
Tanks with this fish
No shared tanks have this fish yet. Share yours from Your tanks.
From keepers
Notes appear here when a keeper shares a tank with this fish and writes about it.
Questions keepers ask
How big does a Blue acara get?
About 15 cm (5.9 in) as an adult.
What temperature does a Blue acara need?
22–28 °C (72–82 °F).
What pH does a Blue acara need?
pH 6.5–8.
Does a Blue acara need to be kept in a group?
Yes. Keep at least 2.
Is the Blue acara aggressive?
It can be. It is semi-aggressive, so choose tank mates carefully.
What does a Blue acara eat?
Feed meaty foods: frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp and quality sinking pellets.
Where does the Blue acara come from?
Trinidad and northern Venezuela (incl. Apure llanos).
What fish can live with a Blue acara?
Good tank mates include Candy stripe (L015), Zebra (L046), Amano shrimp, Boeseman's rainbowfish, Bolivian ram.
All the numbers
| Temperature min (°C) | 22 | Sourced |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature max (°C) | 28 | Sourced |
| pH min | 6.5 | Sourced |
| pH max | 8 | Sourced |
| Adult size (cm) | 15 | Sourced |
| Flow | Moderate | Estimate |
| Swim level (top / middle / bottom) | middle | Estimate |
| Habitat | river | Estimate |
| Smallest happy group | 2 | Sourced |
| Temperament | Semi-aggressive | Estimate |
| Diet | Carnivore | Sourced |
| Behaviour tags | eats_small_fish | Sourced |
Some values are estimates from typical hobby ranges and haven't been checked against a source yet.
