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Introduction to Electric Blue Acara
Electric blue acara is a freshwater species from the cichlid family. This fish is basically a man-made variation of the original blue acara. They are very beautiful fish with a bright blue color body that shines under the tank lighting.
Fish aquarists love to keep electric blue acara as their pet because these fish are beautiful, bold, and hardy specie. They also live long and have a lifespan of 20 years. It is also very easy to take care of them. This article is a complete guide to Electric blue acara cichlids and you will know about them in detail.
Specie Description
The scientific name of the electric blue acara cichlid is Andinoacara pulcher. It comes from the family of Cichlidae. They are native to South and Central America and you can find them in slow-moving waters. Most of the cichlids are quite aggressive and territorial but electric blue acara is a very peaceful fish and they won’t give you much tough time.
In captivity, they have a lifespan of 8-10 years but in the wild, they can even live longer for about 20 years. Their lifespan can be affected by several reasons like poor water quality, unbalanced diet, high-stress levels, etc
Appearance
From their name, it’s quite obvious that they have a bright blue color and when they swim it looks very shiny like blue neon. You will also see faded yellow patterns towards the front half. They have beautiful bold blue dorsal fins that are slightly dark on the edges. They have yellowish bluish pectoral fins and bluish-grey heads. Electric blue acara has a long body with red or orange eyes and they have large black coloured pupils. They can change their body color from blue to silver in situations like when they are breeding or when they are sick or under stress.
Difference between male and female Electric Blue Acara
They are quite similar but you will observe a very obvious hump on the forehead of male electric blue acara and their dorsal fins are more pointed s compared to females.
Electric Blue Acara is Aggressive?
Usually, cichlids are aggressive and territorial but this fascinating fish is very peaceful and calm. They are quite sociable fishes and they get along really well with many other calm fishes. This makes them a popular choice among fish aquarists.
They are quite active and they like to swim around and explore hidden spots in the tank. Also, electric blue acara is diurnal which means they are quite active during the morning and sleep at night time.
Tank Requirements of Electric Blue Acara
It is very easy to take care of electric blue acaras as they are quite adaptable to many water conditions. Even though it’s easy to take care of them but you still have to fulfill their care requirements to keep them healthy.
Below are their tank requirements which u need to follow
Ideal tank size
I recommend you to keep at least 30 gallons tank for electric blue acara. This will give them sufficient place so they can swim freely around. If you are keeping multiple blue acaras in a single tank then keep on adding 15 gallons for every fish.
For example, if you are adding two electric blue acaras in a single tank then you should have 45 gallons tank. 30+15 = 45
Ideal water parameters
It is very important to keep accurate water parameters to keep your fish healthy. If the water parameters are not accurate your fish can get sick and can even die so it’s very important to maintain accurate water parameters.
Electric blue acara are hardy species so they are adaptable to many water conditions which is a good point for you.
Water parameters
| Water temperature | 72°F to 82°F |
| Water hardness | 6-20 dH |
| pH levels | They do fine in 6-7.5 pH but the best is to have 7-7.5 pH |
Tank decoration
Electric blue acara doesn’t require much but it’s still important to keep the best tank environment for them. A good tank environment will increase their life span and they will stay healthy and happy in your tank.
It is also important to keep the tank environment the same as its natural habitat. For imitating their natural habitat, you must have plenty of hiding spots for them so they feel safe and secure. Also, they can hide in them when they feel unsafe.
Electric blue acara also like to dig in substrate so make sure the substrate is soft and doesn’t have hard rocks in it so your fish doesn’t get injured. You can also add floating plants in their tank like hornwort. As their natural habitat have many plants and vegetation so it’s important to imitate that in your tank.
Points to be noted
- Electric blue acara are hardy species but they still have care requirements that you have to fulfill
- Make sure the tank size is accurate and they have enough space to swim
- Make sure the water is clean to keep your electric blue acara healthy
- It is also very important to keep the tank clean at all times.
- Don’t overcrowd the tank.
- Only add calm and peaceful species with electric blue acara.
- Add plants to their tank.
- You must have lots of hiding spots in the tank
Breeding of electric blue acara
It is quite easy to do breeding of electric blue acara. Electric blue acara are able to breed when they reach 4-5 inches. Also electric blue acara mates stay together for the rest of their lives so it isn’t possible for you to mix them once the breeding process is done.
For the breeding process, you should have a separate breeding tank. Also, the size of the breeding tank should be smaller than the original tank as this will encourage the breeding process. For breeding you can keep a 20-gallon tank and the water temperature should be 75 or 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
You must keep a soft substrate in the breeding tank as during the process male and female will be active in the bottom of the tank so it should be a soft substrate for them so they don’t get injured. You should also add some rocks so they can lay their eggs on them. The surface should be flat.
For breeding, female electric blue acara will spawn the eggs and the male is going to fertilize them. After this, the parent’s electric blue acara will take care of the eggs until they grow. The eggs will take a few days to hatch. When the second month ends, you can then transfer the fry into a community tank and you can also feed them normal adult fish food.
This is the complete breeding process of electric blue acara. I hope you find it easy.
Points to be noted
- There should be a separate tank for breeding
- The substrate of the breeding tank should be soft
- Add some rocks on a flat surface so the female can lay her eggs on it
- Electric blue acara can become aggressive during the breeding process so it’s important to have a separate breeding tank.
- Keep the water temperature accurate for breeding.
Diet of electric blue acara
It is very important to feed them with balanced and good food as it will affect the health of your fish. Electric blue acaras are basically omnivorous but in the wild, they do eat lots of critters. So it’s important to provide them with a protein-rich diet to satisfy their nutritional requirements.
You can feed them with bloodworms, brine shrimp, tiny insects, and earthworms. You can also feed them with pellets or flakes. The only thing you have to make sure is that the food you are providing them is rich in proteins.
Also don’t keep on feeding them with protein-based food, you must have a variety of options for them. So also feed them with plant-based food.
Another important factor is to avoid overfeeding. It can cause several issues like bloating, digestion issues, etc so avoid overfeeding.
Disease and parasites
Electric blue acara is not prone to any specific disease. They can get affected by some common freshwater diseases like ich, skin fluke, etc
How to avoid disease
- Maintain a healthy environment for your electric blue acara
- Keep their tank clean at all time
- Feed them with a balanced diet
- The temperature of the water should be accurate
- Don’t overfeed your fish
Ideal tank mates for electric blue Acara
Electric blue acara are peaceful species so it becomes easy to choose tank mates for them. Due to their peaceful nature, they get along really well with other calm fishes in a community tank.
Since they are not aggressive so don’t pair them with fishes that are too aggressive or territorial as they might attack your calm electric blue acara. You should pair them up with calm fishes that are similar in size to blue acara.
Some of the best tankmates for electric blue acara are
- Rainbow fish
- Moga cichlid
- Discus fish
- Cory catfish
- Oscars
- Otocinclus
- Bristlenose pleco
- Zebra cichlids
- Velvet cichlids
Conclusion
Electric blue acara are stunning and fascinating fish. They are a popular choice among fish keepers due to their bold neon blue color and their calm nature.
It’s mesmerizing to look at them when they are swimming as their blue neon color is very pleasing to the eyes. If you are thinking to keep this fish as a pet then I highly recommend you keep it as your pet and trust me you won’t regret your decision.
Electric blue acara won’t give you any tough time and the best thing is you don’t have to deal with any aggression as they are a very peaceful species, unlike other cichlids.
