Blue Acara

About

The blue acara (Andinoacara pulcher) is one of those cichlids that genuinely earns its place in the beginner's fishroom. Native to Trinidad and Venezuela, it turns up in a wide range of habitats in the wild, from murky, slow-moving pools to clear, flowing streams, and that adaptability carries over nicely into aquarium life. In terms of looks, it's a solid, oval-bodied cichlid with iridescent blue-green spangling across the flanks and face, though it's worth knowing that most captive-bred stock today tends to be less vivid than wild-caught individuals, and some fish in the trade may carry hybrid genetics. Temperamentally, it's on the peaceable end of the cichlid spectrum. It will hold its own but rarely goes looking for trouble, making it a workable choice alongside medium-sized characins, corydoras, loricariids, and other non-aggressive cichlids in a roomy setup. It's a carnivore by nature, taking worms, crustaceans, and insects readily, and will come into breeding condition without much fuss. Pairs clean a flat surface, lay up to around 200 eggs, and share guarding duties over both eggs and free-swimming fry. Making it one of the more accessible substrate-spawning cichlids to breed. The species was reclassified from Aequidens to Andinoacara in 2009.