Aquariumcichlid · freshwater
Electric Blue Acara: adult size, tank size & tankmates
The Electric Blue Acara (Andinoacara pulcher) grows to about 7.1 in (15 cm SL). It needs a tank at least 47 inches long and about 38 gallons. It doesn't need a group of its own kind, at 72–82°F.
How big it really gets
Drawn to scale against common tank lengths. Green bars meet the minimum tank length from our sources.
Needs special care. Electric blue form sold small as a community cichlid but reaches about 15 cm SL and will eat small tetras and similar fish.
Will it fit your tank?
Quick facts
- Adult size
- 7.1 in (15 cm SL)
- Minimum tank
- 47 inches long and about 38 gallons
- Temperature
- 72–82°F
- pH
- 6.5–8
- Hardness
- 5–25 dGH
- Group size
- 1 (solitary or pair)
- With other fish
- semi-aggressive
- With its own kind
- semi-aggressive
- Swims
- middle of the tank
- Diet
- carnivore
- Care level
- intermediate
- Lifespan
- not stated in sources
Watch for: eats small fish · eats shrimp · eats snails
Electric Blue Acara tankmates
Checked with the same rules as our tank builder: temperature overlap, pH and hardness, predation and mouth size, fin-nipping and temperament. Tank size is left out here; check it in the builder.
Good tankmates
- Dwarf GouramiNeeds careAdult ~4.2 in · 72–81°F
- Pearl GouramiAdult ~5.7 in · 75–86°F
- BettaNeeds careAdult ~3.3 in · 72–86°F
- AngelfishNeeds careAdult ~7.1 in · 75–86°F
- Bristlenose PlecoAdult ~5.9 in · 70–79°F
- Tiger BarbNeeds careAdult ~2.8 in · 68–79°F
- SwordtailNeeds careAdult ~6.6 in · 61–82°F
- Firemouth CichlidAdult ~5.7 in · 68–90°F
- Buenos Aires TetraNeeds careAdult ~2.8 in · 61–82°F
- Convict CichlidNeeds careAdult ~7.1 in · 75–82°F
Use caution
- Harlequin RasboraElectric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Harlequin Rasbora.
- Cherry BarbElectric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Cherry Barb.
- Rummy-nose TetraElectric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Rummy-nose Tetra.
- GuppyElectric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Guppy.
- PlatyElectric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Platy.
- Honey GouramiElectric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Honey Gourami.
- Bolivian RamElectric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Bolivian Ram.
- KribensisElectric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Kribensis.
Avoid
- Neon TetraElectric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Neon Tetra only grows to about 1.4 in.
- Cardinal TetraElectric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Cardinal Tetra only grows to about 1.7 in.
- Ember TetraElectric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Ember Tetra only grows to about 0.9 in.
- Chili RasboraElectric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Chili Rasbora only grows to about 0.9 in.
- Celestial Pearl DanioElectric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Celestial Pearl Danio only grows to about 1 in.
- Black Neon TetraElectric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Black Neon Tetra only grows to about 1.7 in.
- Glowlight TetraElectric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Glowlight Tetra only grows to about 1.9 in.
- Lemon TetraElectric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Lemon Tetra only grows to about 1.9 in.
All 105 species we checked against the Electric Blue Acara
| Species | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Angelfish | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Bala Shark | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Betta | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Black Skirt Tetra | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Blood Parrot Cichlid | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Bristlenose Pleco | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Buenos Aires Tetra | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Chinese Algae Eater | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Clown Loach | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Common / Comet Goldfish | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Common Pleco | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Convict Cichlid | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Denison Barb | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Discus | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Dwarf Gourami | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Electric Yellow Lab | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Firemouth Cichlid | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Iridescent Shark | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Kissing Gourami | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Moonlight Gourami | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Oscar | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Pearl Gourami | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Pictus Catfish | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Rainbow Shark | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Red-Tail Shark | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Scissortail Rasbora | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Siamese Algae Eater | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Swordtail | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Three-spot Gourami | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Tiger Barb | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Tinfoil Barb | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Weather Loach | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Yoyo Loach | Compatible | No conflicts found |
| Bleeding Heart Tetra | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Bleeding Heart Tetra. |
| Boesemani Rainbowfish | Caution | Electric Blue Acara and Boesemani Rainbowfish only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window. |
| Bolivian Ram | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Bolivian Ram. |
| Bronze Cory | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Bronze Cory. |
| Cherry Barb | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Cherry Barb. |
| Clown Pleco | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Clown Pleco. |
| Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid.; Electric Blue Acara (pH 6.5–8) and Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid (pH 5–6) prefer different pH. |
| Congo Tetra | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Congo Tetra. |
| Diamond Tetra | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Diamond Tetra. |
| Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish. |
| Forktail Blue-eye | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Forktail Blue-eye. |
| Giant Danio | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Giant Danio. |
| Glass Catfish | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Glass Catfish. |
| Gold Barb | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Gold Barb. |
| Guppy | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Guppy. |
| Harlequin Rasbora | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Harlequin Rasbora. |
| Head-and-tail-light Tetra | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Head-and-tail-light Tetra. |
| Hillstream Loach | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Hillstream Loach. |
| Honey Gourami | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Honey Gourami. |
| Julii Cory | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Julii Cory. |
| Kribensis | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Kribensis. |
| Kuhli Loach | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Kuhli Loach. |
| Molly | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Molly. |
| Odessa Barb | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Odessa Barb. |
| Panda Cory | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Panda Cory. |
| Paradise Fish | Caution | Electric Blue Acara and Paradise Fish only share 72–72°F. That's a tight window. |
| Pearl Danio | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Pearl Danio. |
| Peppered Cory | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Peppered Cory. |
| Platy | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Platy. |
| Pristella Tetra | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Pristella Tetra. |
| Rosy Barb | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Rosy Barb. |
| Rummy-nose Tetra | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Rummy-nose Tetra. |
| Silver Tip Tetra | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Silver Tip Tetra. |
| Sterbai Cory | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Sterbai Cory. |
| Upside-down Catfish | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Upside-down Catfish. |
| Variatus Platy | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Variatus Platy. |
| Zebra Danio | Caution | Electric Blue Acara can bully smaller, peaceful Zebra Danio. |
| African Dwarf Frog | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and African Dwarf Frog only grows to about 1.4 in. |
| Amano Shrimp | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara will eat Amano Shrimp. |
| Assassin Snail | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats snails, including Assassin Snail. |
| Bamboo Shrimp | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara will eat Bamboo Shrimp. |
| Black Neon Tetra | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Black Neon Tetra only grows to about 1.7 in. |
| Bumblebee Goby | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Bumblebee Goby only grows to about 1.7 in. |
| Cardinal Tetra | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Cardinal Tetra only grows to about 1.7 in. |
| Celestial Pearl Danio | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Celestial Pearl Danio only grows to about 1 in. |
| Cherry Shrimp | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara will eat Cherry Shrimp. |
| Chili Rasbora | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Chili Rasbora only grows to about 0.9 in. |
| Clown Killifish | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Clown Killifish only grows to about 1.6 in. |
| Crystal Red Shrimp | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara will eat Crystal Red Shrimp. |
| Ember Tetra | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Ember Tetra only grows to about 0.9 in. |
| Endler's Livebearer | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Endler's Livebearer only grows to about 1.2 in. |
| Fancy Goldfish | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara (72–82°F) and Fancy Goldfish (50–70°F) need different temperatures. |
| German Blue Ram | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara and German Blue Ram only share 81–82°F. That's a tight window.; Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and German Blue Ram only grows to about 1.9 in. |
| Ghost Shrimp | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara will eat Ghost Shrimp. |
| Glowlight Tetra | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Glowlight Tetra only grows to about 1.9 in. |
| Japanese Trapdoor Snail | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats snails, including Japanese Trapdoor Snail. |
| Lambchop Rasbora | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Lambchop Rasbora only grows to about 1.4 in. |
| Lemon Tetra | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Lemon Tetra only grows to about 1.9 in. |
| Malaysian Trumpet Snail | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats snails, including Malaysian Trumpet Snail. |
| Marbled Hatchetfish | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Marbled Hatchetfish only grows to about 1.7 in. |
| Mystery Snail | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats snails, including Mystery Snail.; Electric Blue Acara (pH 6.5–8) and Mystery Snail (pH unknown) prefer different pH. |
| Neon Tetra | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Neon Tetra only grows to about 1.4 in. |
| Nerite Snail | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats snails, including Nerite Snail. |
| Otocinclus | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Otocinclus only grows to about 1.7 in. |
| Pea Puffer | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Pea Puffer only grows to about 1.4 in. |
| Penguin Tetra | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Penguin Tetra only grows to about 1.7 in. |
| Pygmy Cory | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Pygmy Cory only grows to about 1.4 in. |
| Ramshorn Snail | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats snails, including Ramshorn Snail. |
| Serpae Tetra | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Serpae Tetra only grows to about 1.9 in. |
| Silver Hatchetfish | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Silver Hatchetfish only grows to about 1.9 in. |
| Sparkling Gourami | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and Sparkling Gourami only grows to about 1.9 in. |
| White Cloud Mountain Minnow | Avoid | Electric Blue Acara and White Cloud Mountain Minnow only share 72–72°F. That's a tight window.; Electric Blue Acara eats small fish, and White Cloud Mountain Minnow only grows to about 1.9 in. |
Care notes
Needs: Avid digger - use attached plants (Anubias, java fern) rather than rooted ones; floating plants for shade; tankmates must be too large to swallow.
Group: Not a shoaling fish; can be kept singly or as a pair. SF: 120x30 cm base is just about enough for a pair; once a pair forms, remove other acaras unless the tank is very large.
Temperament: semi-aggressive toward other fish, semi-aggressive toward its own kind. Lives in the middle of the tank.
Common questions
How big does a Electric Blue Acara get?
About 7.1 inches (15 cm SL) as an adult, according to seriouslyfish.com.
What size tank does a Electric Blue Acara need?
At least 47 inches long and about 38 gallons. The smallest standard tank that meets that is a 55 gallon.
How many Electric Blue Acaras should be kept together?
It can be kept on its own. Not a shoaling fish; can be kept singly or as a pair. SF: 120x30 cm base is just about enough for a pair; once a pair forms, remove other acaras unless the tank is very large.
What fish can live with a Electric Blue Acara?
Species that passed every check include Dwarf Gourami, Pearl Gourami, Betta, Angelfish, Bristlenose Pleco, Tiger Barb.
Gear for a Electric Blue Acara setup
TankSmallest standard tank that meets its minimum: 55 gallon (48 in long).Find on Amazon →HeaterAbout 300 W for 55 gallons, holding 72–82°F.Find on Amazon →FoodMeaty frozen foods suit its diet.Find on Amazon →Test kitCheck ammonia, nitrite and pH. Cycle the tank before adding fish.Find on Amazon →
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Related guides
Sources
Values come from these pages, in our own words. Status: researched from source pages. Last reviewed 2026-10-12.
- seriouslyfish.com /species/andinoacara-pulcher/
- fishbase.se /summary/Andinoacara-pulcher.html