Blue acara

The electric blue acara is a captive-bred colour form of Andinoacara pulcher, a New World cichlid native to slow streams and turbid pools in Trinidad and Venezuela. Selective breeding has pushed the species' natural blue-grey sheen into an almost neon, electric-blue body that holds its colour from juvenile to adult. It reaches about 16 centimetres and has the stocky, oval profile typical of the acaras, with rows of iridescent spangles across the face and flanks.

For a cichlid, the blue acara is fairly even-tempered. It is best treated as semi-aggressive: calm enough to share a tank with similarly sized, robust community fish, but territorial once it pairs off to breed. It is an omnivore that eats worms, insects, crustaceans, and some plant matter in the wild, so a varied diet of sinking pellets, frozen foods, and the occasional vegetable suits it. Keep it away from very small fish and dwarf shrimp, which can become prey, and give it open swimming space with rocks and wood to mark out territory.

A pair is comfortable in a tank of around 150 litres at 22 to 28 degrees Celsius, with a near-neutral pH and moderate hardness; the species tolerates a wide range and forgives beginner mistakes. Blue acaras are devoted parents and open substrate spawners. A bonded pair cleans a flat rock, lays a sheet of eggs, and both fish guard the clutch and then the free-swimming fry, with the male often scooping strays into his mouth to carry them to safety. In a settled tank a compatible pair spawns readily, so expect broods of fry if you keep two that have paired up.