The Electric Blue Acara (Aequidens pulcher)

While freshwater fishes have a somewhat undeserved reputation for being less colorful than their saltwater counterparts, few would argue that the Electric Blue Acara is inferior to anything from the marine world. This brilliantly blue Central American cichlid has been bred in the aquarium hobby for decades now, and, after having been bred for countless generations, a colorful variation appeared which produced an overabundance of shiny blue pigment on its body. While we certainly have nothing against the natural wild coloration of the Blue Acara, this “electric blue” variety has to be seen to be believed.

The Blue Acara maxes out at an easily accommodated six inches and is of a milder temperament. Like so many cichilds, there is no great challenge to keeping this fish happy and healthy in captivity. Any sort of meaty flake or pellet will be greedily accepted, though frozen and live foods are also appreciated. Temperatures in the 70’s to low 80’s will suffice, and, since this species has been bred in captivity for so long, water parameters such as pH, gH and kH are mostly irrelevant. Even in the wild this fish seems to not care much about the water it swims in, as it has been found in everything from murky swamps to clearwater streams.

Tankmates can include essentially any type of fish that is large enough to not be swallowed. For an accurate recreation of the Blue Acara’s natural ecosystem, try a mix of medium or large-sized South American tetras, some Corydoras and loricariid catfishes and perhaps another peaceful cichlid from the region, like a Flag Cichlid (Mesonauta festivus) or Keyhole Cichlid (Cleithracara maronii) .

If you’re looking to get into fish breeding, this is also a great species for beginners to try their luck with. Little is required, other than maintaining a pair of well-fed specimens and some reasonably clean water, and acquiring a mated pair.

Once a pair is ready to spawn, they will designate a portion of their aquarium as a breeding territory and ward off any trespassing tankmates. The parents will dutifully care for their eggs while they develop, and, after a few days the relatively helpless young hatch free. They’ll continue to live off their yolk reserves for another couple days and then begin accepting small foods, such as crumbled flake food, specialty fry foods or (if you’re really fancy) live cultures of micro-worms or vinegar eels.