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Cichlids
/ South America / Acaras / Blue Acara
Blue Acara
"Aequidens" pulcher | Pictures
SYN: Aequidens
latifrons
PD: An oval-shaped cichlid with a broad forehead. The body coloring ranges from light
gray to black with each scale having an iridescent yellow to turquoise spots. Five to eight transverse stripes are
present, but often not visible, on the body.
The cheeks and gill cover are marked with turquoise spots and lines. The
fins are marked with a covering of iridescent turquoise to dark blue splotches and the caudal fin and rear part
of the anal fin may be marked with a pink tint.
The upper crest of the dorsal fin is occasionally orange.
SIZE: To 8" (20 cm) in nature, although rarely larger than 6.3" (16 cm) in captivity.
SS: "Aequidens"
coeruleopunctatus, A. latifrons, A. rivulatus.
HAB: Northern South America and Southern Central America; Colombia, Panama, Trinidad, Tobago,
Venezuela
S: bottom, middle
TANK: A tank measuring 36” (91 cm) with a volume of 35 gallons (132 L) is sufficient. The
tank should have strong lighting and a fine gravel or sand substrate is recommended. Use hardy plants in the back and corners
of the tank. Hiding places of rocks, roots, and wood are suggested, as are open swimming areas.
WATER: pH 6-8 (7.0), 1-25 dH (10), 68-77°F (20-25°C)
SB: A territorial, though peaceful species that can be combined with similarly-sized companions. Pairs
from monogamous bonds and later, nuclear families.
SC: Pimelodids, Loricarids, Doradids, “Cichlasoma,” Severum, other Acaras, larger
characins,
FOOD: Live; insect larvae, crustaceans, worms, insects; chopped meat; tablets; large flakes
SEX: The anal and dorsal fins are more elongated, often extending beyond the caudal fin,
on the male.
B: The Blue Acara may spawn several times a year under the right circumstances. The
pH should be between 6.5-7.2, the water hardness from 2-10 dH, and the temperature from 77-82°F (25-28°C). The
eggs are deposited on rocks out in the open.
These are fertilized by the male and carefully guarded by both parents. The
parents may pick off unfertilized eggs.
The eggs hatch after 2-5 days, and the young are free-swimming a few
days later. The parents continue their care for the fry, which can be fed on Artemia nauplii and roftiers.
BP: 5. Breeding is easy.
R: The Blue Acara group is undergoing further revisions, so this is why Aequidens
appears in quotation marks. Fish are sexually mature from 2.8" (7 cm). The Blue Acara is a greedy eater whose
excrement quickly dirties the water.
Thus it is essential to make frequent partial water changes and not
to overpopulate the tank. Most fish available to the hobby are bred in Florida or Southeast Asia and lack the coloration
of wild-caught specimen.
DC: 4. The Blue Acara is a hardy cichlid which requires regular water changes.
Recent articles about fish
Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.
Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.
Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.
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