Are Electric Blue Acaras Suitable For Your Aquarium? Hi Nancy, I wouldn’t house Angelfish and Acara’s together as mentioned in the article. My RO water tends to run a little alkaline 7.2-7.4. Fish from the Characidae family can be a good choice as well. A pair that’s about to mate will start to interact with each other more often than before. Electric Blue Hap Other Names. This species can reach a length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in) TL. When we first saw a picture we thought it was photoshopped! Carpintis grow relatively large 8" (~20cm), and become quite territorial towards smaller, more peaceful Cichlidae, though they tend to pleasant with each other given appropriate territory and hiding space. Fortunately, Electric Blue Acara are pretty hardy fish. If you're keeping more than one electric blue hap, keep no more than one male in the tank with four or more females. Stunning. Given that these species will be kept in a pretty large planted tank, there should be a nice aeration and filtration system. Striping, coloration of females and body shape are all clues to whether you have an electric blue hap or electric blue Johanni. If so, any ideas? Hi Carol, yes a 54 gallon tank is fine for a pair of Acaras. Caring For The Electric Blue Hap Cichlid (Sciaenochromis Fryeri) Updated on Jun 21, 2020 by Reece Bloomfield The Electric Blue Hap is a fish that can be found in the great Lake Malawi. This is one of the most overlooked benefits of owning this fish in our opinion. The mother acts like most mammals and will bring food to give to the offspring. Striping, coloration of females and body shape are all clues to whether you have an electric blue hap or electric blue Johanni. It allows you to build a beautiful planted freshwater tank. If you’re looking to freshen up the bottom layer of your tank, consider catfish (Corydoras or Plecos). It’s better to keep them in pairs or in groups of at least six. If you don’t want to hassle with this then you can feed them pellets and flake fish food provided it has enough nutritional value to keep them healthy. I’ve had an Electric Blue Acara for almost two years. Because of this, you’ll want to make sure the substrate is nice and soft so they don’t cut or scrape themselves. He is also a proud member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Marine Aquarium Societies of North America and the Nature Conservancy. The electric blue hap's tolerance for varied water conditions makes the fish a good choice for the novice cichlid owner. They usually grow up to 6.5-7 inches. Typical Tank setup: Rocky Malawi tank with high stocking and other aggressive Malawi cichlids. You don’t want to pair them with fish that are known to be exceptionally aggressive or significantly larger than your Electric Blue Acara. If you have three you’ll need 60 (and so on). Shape The World. There may be aggression between the female and male once the eggs are laid, so be sure to keep a tank divider just in case this occurs. Sometimes they may swim up to the surface, but that would only be on rare occasions. Usually a normal aquarium lamp will suffice. You will see them swimming around as well as navigating through the bushes of plants in the tank. They are a sturdy fish that will not take up too much of your time. The fry hatch within 4 days typically and become free swimming after about a weeks time to ten days. If you're keeping the fish in a tank with other members of his own species, a male and several females can cohabit in a 30- to 40-gallon tank that is a minimum of 3 feet long to provide adequate swimming space. Tack on fifteen additional gallons for every new fish you want to keep. If you have any rooted plants this might cause an issue because these little fish can uproot them on occasion. To make your fish feel comfortable, plants can be mixed up with some driftwood or rocks. These fish are prolific spawners once paired up. Fish Keeping World is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and any other affiliated sites. Males and females form pairs and spend most of the time close to the bottom, near the rocks. In the wild, This beauty is found in the waters of Honduras and Mexico. The lighting will depend on the number and type of plants you decide to get. These guys will be moved to another tank. Thanks, Robert. The fry will hatch and be free swimming within 15-21 days and without removing them from a community tank, will become free food for other fish, including the parent. Not only do they look amazing, but they’re a breeze to care for as well! For example the San Juan River meets these conditions and is home to a multitude of Cichlidae life. Sign up for the newsletter and we'll inform you of updates, offers and more. Like all fish there are some of the usual suspects you’ll want to look out for. In considering the above, the Carpintis electric blues husbandry needs are easily met, making it an adequate candidate for beginners and a potential fun bio topic display for the advanced aquarist. In both the wild and in captivity, the males are notably larger and all display the bright blue coloration with hints of reds, yellows and oranges on and around the anal fin. Just something to keep an eye on! Simply don’t exceed two meals a day and give them an amount that they can eat in a couple of minutes. Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited. Possibly spawning. With that being said, there are still some care guidelines that you’ll need to abide by if you want them to live a long and happy life. The result of such selection was the emergence of a unique and unusually beautiful fish, which was so loved by aquarists around the world. If you intend to raise the young, it is best to remove them from the display tank and raise them in a fry tank. If you’re looking for a beautiful and easy aquarium fish to care for we highly recommend the Electric Blue Acara. The rocks will be their breeding grounds. The can eat cichlid flakes and pellets as well as shrimp or worms. For a couple of weeks, however, they won’t leave their mother and stay close to her. It’s like an energetic puppy and shares its 75 gallon tank with an Angelfish, a Rotkeil Severum, five Diamond Tetras and two bristle-nose plecos that we see once every couple of months. © 2020 WILD SKY MEDIA. This uneven pattern usually just covers their head but sometimes reaches lower. Females may carry the eggs and fry in their mouth for two weeks or longer. When you see these fish swimming it looks like shiny blue neon! I am getting a 40 gallon breeder to upgrade from my 10 gallon and I would love to add a Blue Acara to it when it is ready. Just make sure that the lighting does not disturb the natural cycles of your fish. These fish usually reach sexual maturity when they are about 8-10 months old. When you have multiple Electric Blues in the same tank it’s quite stunning to watch! Like many Cichlids from Lake Malawi, they can be struck with Malawi bloat. Electric Blue Carpintis (Herichtys carpintis). To avoid this happening again change their diet or feeding patterns. It is advised against keeping the Electric Blue Cichlid with Peacock Cichlids as they can kill the males and crossbred with the females. Thanks, Robert. This means if you have two of these cichlids you’ll need 45 gallons. $ 5.99 The omnivorous fish can enjoy worms, shrimp, veggies and small fish as an addition to the primary diet. As for their size, they are not large. Is it just because the cichlid needs the space to swim around a lot? Typically this means rivers, deep streams, and lakes (usually near a tributary). The general rule for this is to make sure the total number of these fish is divisible by two. Of course, there are still things you need to pay attention to. Feed them cichlid pellets or flakes supplemented with fresh foods. Make note to slowly increase the levels of salt however if keeping in a brackish tank, in order to properly acclimatize them. However, if you maintain great water quality and give them a healthy diet these are unlikely to occur. It prefers to live in caves and crevices in rocky substrates. They will also nibble on vegetable and plant based foods. Should you wish to provide a great environment for Carpintis, even captive bred ones, its a good idea to observe their natural habitat. Although Electric Blue Acaras are peaceful little fish, in the wild they can be vicious predators. Somewhat surprisingly the Angelfish dominates the tank, especially at meal time. Their natural habitat is filled with plants. If you notice that something’s not right, consider buying different foods. Since they’re peaceful yet curious they will display a mix of behaviors while in your tank. ← Photo Of The Week - Chocolate Red Pompom Ornada, Black Diamond Cichlid (Paratilapia polleni) →. It works both ways. During spawning the males colors become much richer and he spends time building a nest for a female to spawn with him. This gives their sides a neat patterned look that can be very mesmerizing to observe. Caring For The Electric Blue Hap Cichlid (Sciaenochromis Fryeri) Updated on Jun 21, 2020 by Reece Bloomfield. This will help spread out any aggression displayed by the male. outh brooder. Females will usually only spawn several times before either dying or giving up on spawning, and this is due to the aggressive nature of the males. PART OF WILD SKY MEDIA | FAMILY & PARENTING. 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