The blue acara, Aequidens pulcher, is a very colorful freshwater

Freshwater

Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...

 fish in the cichlid

Cichlid

Cichlids are fishes from the family Cichlidae in the order Perciformes. Cichlids are members of a group known as the Labroidei along with the wrasses , damselfish , and surfperches . This family is both large and diverse. At least 1,300 species have been scientifically described, making it one of...

 family. This fish can be found in Central and South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

, from Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

 to Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

. They can reach lengths of 20 centimetres (7.9 in). Its name Aequidens pulcher, is indicative to its looks; pulcher

Pulcher

Pulcher is a Latin word meaning "beautiful", giving rise to its usage to mean"noble, honorable".It was the cognomen of several Roman politicians:*Publius Claudius Pulcher *Appius Claudius Pulcher...

 meaning "beautiful." The Blue Acara is a common cichlid sold in many pet stores and they are often confused with or sold as Green Terrors (Andinoacara rivulatus).

The body is stocky and compact with a steel blue-gray coloration. There are noticeable horizontal green lines on their faces and their blueish-green scales give them a sparkling appearance. They also have long flowing fins with a hint of orange to the tips.

Blue Acara

Blue acara

The blue acara, Aequidens pulcher, is a very colorful freshwater fish in the cichlid family. This fish can be found in Central and South America, from Panama to Colombia. They can reach lengths of...

s natively live in a tropical climate and prefer water with a pH

PH

In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...

 of 6.5-8.0, a water hardness of 25° dGH

DGH

Degrees of general hardness is a unit of water hardness, specifically of general hardness.General hardness is a measure of the concentration of metal divalent ions such as calcium and magnesium per volume of water...

, and a water temperature of 22–30 °C (71.6–86 F).