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fishing forecast

blue acara

Andinoacara pulcher · Cichlidae · omnivore

Freshwateressential profile

Blue acara from Trinidad, Venezuela and Colombia, up to 16 cm. It is widely used in aquariums and is caught commercially.

Also called: acará-azul, mojarra azul, blue acara

Scientific illustration of Blue acara
maximum
16 cm
location

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period

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the species

everything about the blue acara

overview

who is the blue acara

The blue acara is a freshwater cichlid from Trinidad, Venezuela and Colombia, reaching 16 cm. It lives in still, murky waters and in streams with clear current, at temperatures of 18 to 23 °C. It eats worms, crustaceans and insects. Both parents guard the eggs and larvae, and the species is widely bred in aquariums. It also helps control mosquito larvae. It poses no danger to anglers.

Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the blue acara; in the meantime, see the similar species.

fun facts

  • If threatened, the male can carry the young inside its mouth.
how to recognize it

identification

Normally shaped body, olive green, with eight faint transverse bands and many blue-green lines on the face. Males are more colorful, grow larger, and turn blue during the breeding season. It resembles the eartheaters of the genus Geophagus, but lacks the lobe on the first gill arch that they have.

distribution

where found

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Trinidad, Venezuela and Colombia, in still murky waters and in streams with clear current. Not recorded in Brazil.

Habitat: Still, murky waters and streams with current, at temperatures of 18 to 23 °C.

what the law says

rules for the blue acara

Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.

We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.

catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.

Small, hardy fish: release it with a wet hand, without taking it out of the water.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.03388, b = 3.07; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.

estimated weight

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sources and references

Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.

  1. scientific FishBase: Andinoacara pulcher (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Andinoacara pulcherNames by country and language.
don't confuse

similar species