Should I buy it?
Electric Blue Acara
Andinoacara pulcher var.
Also known as: andinoacara hybrid line
Calmer cichlid for a 200 L planted community. Far more community-safe than an oscar or a jack dempsey, but still eats anything that fits in its mouth.
Electric Blue Acara tank mates · 160L tank size hub
semi-aggressive · intermediate care
Sources & confidencehigh · partially verified · beginner: caution
Checked against several solid care sources that mostly agree. Numbers here are a careful starting point. Your tap water, tank size, and habits decide the rest. How we evaluate.
Best for: Community tanks of 200 L or more that need a calmer blue centrepiece cichlid.
Avoid if: You only have a small tank, or you keep tiny tetras small enough to be eaten.
Common mistakeStocking electric blue acaras with nano tetras under about 4 cm is how keepers invent disappearances as the acara matures. Adult gape treats small fish as prey even if juveniles coexisted for months. Choose robust companions from day one — or keep a species-focused setup.
Top things that go wrong
- Grows large or needs a very big footprint. Electric Blue Acara is often sold at sizes that hide adult length (~18cm) and a published minimum near **150L**. Shop tanks are not adult housing.
- Mouth gap vs tiny tank mates. May eat tank mates small enough to fit the adult mouth — plan adult sizes, not shop sizes.
- Shrimp & snails. Not shrimp-safe — adults, fry, or both get eaten.
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Myth: electric blue acaras stay community-safe with neon-sized fish if raised together. Reality: adults reach serious mouth size and eat small tank mates — plan robust companions and ~150L+, not a nano tetra daycare Plan the husbandry before the shop impulse buy.
- 2.Predation risk scales with gape, night feeding, and crowding. 'they grew up together' is a schedule, not a law.
- 3.Adding bite-sized tetras or livebearers "until the predator grows". The first lost fish lands months earlier than the plan said.
- 4.More peaceful than most cichlids but will eat small fish. Requires a medium-to-large tank. Can be territorial when spawning.
About this species
Electric blue acaras are 15 to 18 cm South American cichlids with iridescent blue scales. Calmer than most cichlids, so they fit a 200 L community with similarly sized companions.
- Angelfish150L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Bolivian Ram110L min · same fish family
- African Cichlid200L min · same group, similar adult size
- Apistogramma Macmasteri100L min · same fish family
- Checkerboard cichlid100L min · same fish family
- Cockatoo / crested Apistogramma100L min · same fish family
- Convict cichlid200L min · same fish family
- Discus200L min · same group, similar adult size
- Agassiz’s dwarf cichlidalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Angelfishalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Apistogramma Borelliialso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Apistogramma Macmasterialso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Apistogramma Trifasciataalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Cockatoo / crested Apistogrammaalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Convict cichlid tank mateslists this fish among its recommended pairings
- Firemouth Cichlid tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
- Keyhole cichlid tank matesnames this fish as a conditional pairing — read the pair page conditions
- Royal pleco tank matesnames this fish as a conditional pairing — read the pair page conditions
- Severum tank matesnames this fish as a conditional pairing — read the pair page conditions
Plan grid
Key limits are above. Here: pH band, swim level, bioload, and activity.
Swim zones
Care snapshot
Quick compare before you buy. Not a score of how “good” the fish is.
- Beginner ease32
- Peacefulness30
- Community fit12
- Small-tank fit97
- Hardiness54
- Energy54
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Example setups
Starting points only. Run the pair checker for every fish you add.
Avoid “one of everything” baskets — Electric Blue Acara belongs in a plan built around territory, line-of-sight breaks, and matched water chemistry.
Compatibility
Tank mates for Electric Blue Acara
No unconditional “safe” tank mates are listed for Electric Blue Acara — every listed candidate is a conditional pair check, not a green light. Conditional (CAUTION — read the pair page before buying): Bristlenose Pleco, Guppy, Harlequin Rasbora, Jack Dempsey, Neon Tetra. Every name links to a live pair check — the lists are a shortlist, not a stocking plan.
Usually safer
Open a pair page with this fish as the starting point.
None listed. Use the pair checker before mixing.
Needs planning
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Usually avoid
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
None listed. Use the pair checker before mixing.
No safe-mate list on this record yet. Use the fish index to find species with similar care, then run a pair check before you buy.
Behaviour and temperament
Electric blue acaras are semi-aggressive cichlids that stay calmer with space and broken sight lines. They are not nano community fish at adulthood. Stress and predation risk rise as they grow in short tanks stocked with bite-sized dither Plan the husbandry before the shop impulse buy.
What sets them off
- Crowding and limited territory
- Similar-looking fish in the same tank
- Spawning, for any breeding pair
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper; stressed or crowded individuals can still test fins.
Predation: May eat tank mates small enough to fit the adult mouth — plan adult sizes, not shop sizes.
Territory: Holds a patch (cave, corner, or surface). Break sight lines so neighbours can pass.
Planted tanks: good — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- An acara patrols mid-to-bottom water among wood and plants in a roomy tank.
- Mild territorial display at spawning is normal ownership with an exit plan.
- Missing nano tetras overnight usually mean predation, not a filter mystery.
- Chronic digging and chasing in a short tank means footprint failed.
- Mouth-size predation on small fish is ownership math at adult size.
- They can coexist with robust similarly sized fish when space is honest.
- Remove bite-sized fish long before adult length arrives.
- Upgrade volume before stacking another cichlid 'for company.'
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Water, food, and grouping
Hardness
soft
Diet
omnivore
Electric blue acaras are omnivore cichlids that take pellets and frozen foods as they grow toward adult size. Tiny community flake alone underfeeds a fish heading for roughly 18 cm. Feed by appetite in a 150L+ tank with cover, and stop expecting nano tetras to remain roommates as the mouth catches up.
Shrimp & snails
Not shrimp-safe — adults, fry, or both get eaten.
Electric Blue Acara is fine singly or as a researched pair — check behaviour before doubling up.
- Hold 24 to 28 °C steadily on a real thermometer, not the dial on the heater.
- Aim for pH 6.5 to 7.5 and a hardness you can re-test in two weeks. A one-time strip in the shop car park is not a water test.
- Footprint: short wide tanks and tall narrow tanks fish differently for the same volume. Match the tank shape to the swim pattern, not just the litre count.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 150L published minimum for adults.
- Heater can hold 24–28°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
- No tank mates small enough to fit the adult mouth gap for this species.
Explore and stocking hubs
Tank-mates hub, matching guides, category peers, and litre stocking lists around this species’ minimum tank.
Plan with tools
Check mates as pairs first, then add this fish in the tank builder for the full stocking.
Filtration & heating
A 150L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 600L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 24–28°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Electric Blue Acara does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 24–28°C and pH 6.5–7.5:
Research: partially verified · Confidence: high · 3 linked source(s). We do not invent citations.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- Seriously Fish. Andinoacara pulcher
Primary: aquarium size, water chemistry, behaviour, and compatibility (URL verified in upgrade script; recheck if site content changes).
- FishBase. Andinoacara pulcher
Secondary: taxonomy, distribution, and maximum length in nature; cross-check with aquarium import lines and measured tank parameters.
- Wikipedia. Andinoacara pulcher
Secondary: general species context; verify all husbandry numbers against a dedicated aquarium care sheet and your test kit, not a single table row.
Evidence notes
- The Seriously Fish profile for the binomial in this record was successfully reached as the primary aquarium reference.
- FishBase contributes natural-range size and habitat context. Translate those numbers through your heater, your water report, and your tank footprint before stocking.
- Wikipedia is only cited if the article URL returned OK. Use it for orientation, not as the only care sheet for an import.
- All compatibility text reflects typical hobby experience and the Fishori model. Individual fish, shop stress, and the order tank mates are added in can still defy a single-paragraph label.
Featured compatibility checks
Curated pair pages for Electric Blue Acara. Each opens a full verdict — not just a list label.
Common questions about Electric Blue Acara
- How big do Electric Blue Acara get?
- 15 to 18 cm. A bulky cichlid; bioload and footprint matter.
- What size tank does Electric Blue Acara need?
- 200 L for one adult. 300 L for a pair.
- Are Electric Blue Acara aggressive?
- Electric blue acaras are semi-aggressive cichlids that stay calmer with space and broken sight lines. They are not nano community fish at adulthood. Stress and predation risk rise as they grow in short tanks stocked with bite-sized dither Plan the husbandry before the shop impulse buy.
- What is the most common mistake with Electric Blue Acara?
- Stocking electric blue acaras with nano tetras under about 4 cm is how keepers invent disappearances as the acara matures. Adult gape treats small fish as prey even if juveniles coexisted for months. Choose robust companions from day one — or keep a species-focused setup.
- What fish can live with Electric Blue Acara?
- This profile currently has no curated unconditional safe-mates shortlist for Electric Blue Acara. Other species may still return GOOD in the pair checker, so check the exact pair rather than treating this shortlist as exhaustive. Bristlenose Pleco, Guppy, Harlequin Rasbora, Jack Dempsey are conditional (CAUTION): workable only with the specific conditions on each pair page. Run the pair checker for your exact water and tank size before stocking.