Need info on Blue Acara

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blue acaras get more than 6". i saw one for sale at my lfs that was at least 9" (and it wasn't a green terror) it was labled as 'XXXL blue acara'
i had one that i grew from about half an inch to 4 ish inches until it died in a ich epidemic (3 day power outage, temp down to 17 celcius and clown loaches are not a good combo) i was really sad because it was and still is my favourite fish ive ever had. i wan't to get another one, but i have nowhere to put it because the tank it was in is now a mbuna tank, and the rest are full. i fed it bloodworms and regular tropical flakes, and im pretty sure it ate about 20 neon tetras over about a year. great fish.
 
young GT at about 2" ish
P11-04-07_1305.jpg


young blue acara at 1.5" ish
04052008119.jpg


as you can see the differences are vast. you can see the family resemblance but they are different enough to tell them apart easily. the scales on a GT give it away straight away but the thicker orange band on the dorsal and tail are on a GT and althoguh a blue acara can get the orange it usually thinner on the dorsal and thinner on the tail if at all visible. the body pettern is very different also, note the dark spot on the GT and the vertical striping on the acara. also note the stripe on the blue acaras eye, this is visible constantly on the blue acara but with the GT it only appears when it is stressed or angry a bit like its warpaint if you will.
also note the shape of the head, the GT has a more eartheater shaped head, ie flatter on the bottom and mouth near the bottom of the head, whereas the acara has a more round head with the mouth nearer the middle of said round head.
 
I have one in a planted tank with a male sajica and lots of rainbowfish without any problems at all, I even got a pack of peacock gobys wich is around 2" and he never touches them. No digging. No biting. Good fish for planted community tank IMO.
 
thingthing;2341977; said:
blue acaras get more than 6". i saw one for sale at my lfs that was at least 9" (and it wasn't a green terror) it was labled as 'XXXL blue acara'
i had one that i grew from about half an inch to 4 ish inches until it died in a ich epidemic (3 day power outage, temp down to 17 celcius and clown loaches are not a good combo) i was really sad because it was and still is my favourite fish ive ever had. i wan't to get another one, but i have nowhere to put it because the tank it was in is now a mbuna tank, and the rest are full. i fed it bloodworms and regular tropical flakes, and im pretty sure it ate about 20 neon tetras over about a year. great fish.
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the size your quoting is a freak if its an accurate size rather than the norm. 9" is huge but i will not believe it until i see a pic with a tape measure next to it.
the norm is around 6". 9" is verging on GT sizes. i know you said it was not a GT but do you actually know it wasnt a GT or are you going off the shop label?
 
I also read that GTs had the same scientific name as Blue Acaras for awhile. It was mistaken as the same fish, I still do believe they are mistaken with each other alot. Like I said, on the net I got several sources saying they reach around 9 inch. Only a few said around 6 inch. So I think alot of people have their facts wrong. Its important to actually get info from someone with lots of fish experience and personal experience with the Blue Acara or even both Blue Acara and GT.


Anyone know an ideal temp range for these guys too? I get mixed answers on that as well. I actually think the LFS I go to has Acaras but mistaken them all for GTs. Because some are different form eachother. I'd ask the guy but he told me they were all GTs. So I dont wanna get duped. So thanks Cichlid2006, thats the kinda info I need. Thanks for the help.
 
your welcome. an ideal temp for acaras is 23-27 degrees C. i have my tank at 26 so on the higher side but thats because my acara is in with uaru. my acara does well in that temp.
 
Whats a genral price for a Blue Acara? I called around a few pleces by me and no one has any. One guy even told me he hasnt seen them in a long time. So I did some searching online and found a place that has them. Wth shipping, it comes to a little over $40 USD. Thats kinda high, but if they are rarely seen in LFSs then maybe its worth it. But the problem is, the person had it mislabeled as Aequidens Rivulatus, so I told them thats not the scientific name for Blue Acara, thats the name for green terror.


They told me it was a mistake and they meant to change it, which they have, and then said they were for sure Blue Acaras and they have the blue in the face. So I asked to see a group pic of them or a pic of an individual. They havent responded yet. Think I should go for it? Is the price too mcuh for it?
 
I bought mine for 7$, and since they are not rare here in sweden I think that was an ok price. I think you should look some more, sounds strange that something who is common here can be rare in the US esp. an acara.
 
$40/~£20 is really pricey for a common as muck blue acara. i paid £3 roughly. i think you should just keep looking around. the big chain stores seem to stock them more but do take care with the quality if you buy from a chain store.
 
You guys are right. I could have sworn that I might have seen some Acaras mixed with GTs, but all were labeled GTs. Also, when I ask people if they have them they say no. I think some of these people dont even know what they are.
 
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