Blue acara - Aequidens pulcher
Scientific name: Aequidens pulcher
Common name: Blue acara
Family: Cichlidae
Usual size in fish tanks: 16 - 20 cm (6.3 - 7.87 inch)
014
Recommended pH range for the species: 6.5 - 8
Recommended water hardness (dGH): 4 - 25°N (71.43 - 446.43ppm)
0°C 32°F30°C 86°F
Recommended temperature: 18 - 23 °C (64.4 - 73.4°F)
The way how these fish reproduce: Spawning
Where the species comes from: Central America
Temperament to its own species: peaceful
Temperament toward other fish species: aggressive/territorial
Usual place in the tank: Middle levels
Feeding
Live food such as small fish, snails, earthworms. Feed them beef heart along quality granules and flakes sometimes.
Sexing
The male’s anal fin is wider than female’s.
Breeding
Generally, the Blue Acara is easy to keep and breed. Breeding is easy too. The female usually lays about 200 eggs which hatch in 2-3 days. Remove other fish during spawning, since parents could become very aggressive towards them. Feed newborns with artemia.
Lifespan
Expected lifespan of Blue acara’s is usually up to 10 years.
Q&A
On March 25th 2011 the following question&answer was added here due to merging aqua-fish.net/answers with related pages.
How do I sex Blue Acara babies?
Answer: You can’t sex these fish until they are at least 3 inches in length. The male will have extended anal and dorsal fins. The female’s fins will be much shorter.
Pictures
Thanks to Peter Kusy!