South American Cichlids • Electric Blue Acara
Moderators: notho2000, Iggy Newcastle
51 posts
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Re: Electric Blue Acara
I’ve hoped that the Electric Blue Acara has been bred for color and is not a hybrid. Over the years the regular Blue Acara that is known is considered Andinoacara/Aequidens pulcher, but I’ve also seen A. latifrons sold as Blue Acara. I found a picture that closely resembles the Electric version and it’s possibly A. latifrons. It comes from the Cauca River near Cali Colombia. Check out the info and photo by Rainer Stawikowski below.
This fish comes from higher up in the Rio Cauca near Cali. Rainer Stawikowski also says that this is probably Andinoacara (Aequidens) latifrons.
Photo: Rainer Stawikowski.
http://www.lem.net/alf/THU/And_latifrons_cali1.jpg
This fish comes from higher up in the Rio Cauca near Cali. Rainer Stawikowski also says that this is probably Andinoacara (Aequidens) latifrons.
Photo: Rainer Stawikowski.
http://www.lem.net/alf/THU/And_latifrons_cali1.jpg
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ACC in NC - Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2003 2:20 pm
- Location: High Point, North Carolina - USA
Re: Electric Blue Acara
Afraid that this is a genetically engineered fish. It's made by taking eggs or sperm from an Electric blue ram and then combining it with the opposite number from a blue acara. After that the fry are line bred until the color is stabilized. This process takes only a handful of generations whereas line breeding can take dozens or even hundreds of generations.
These fish came from the Asian farms originally where this process is pretty well established. I remember seeing them for the first time at Superzoo 2 years ago and talked to the importer.
There are a lot of hybrids made this way (Synodontis, RT shovelnose, Flowerhorns) where fish that have different breeding strategies such that they would never cross breed on their own are made to hybridize in the lab directly through human intervention.
Andy
These fish came from the Asian farms originally where this process is pretty well established. I remember seeing them for the first time at Superzoo 2 years ago and talked to the importer.
There are a lot of hybrids made this way (Synodontis, RT shovelnose, Flowerhorns) where fish that have different breeding strategies such that they would never cross breed on their own are made to hybridize in the lab directly through human intervention.
Andy
- Narwhal72
- Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 7:46 pm
- Location: Milwaukee, Wi
Re: Electric Blue Acara
Narwhal72 wrote:Afraid that this is a genetically engineered fish. It's made by taking eggs or sperm from an Electric blue ram and then combining it with the opposite number from a blue acara. After that the fry are line bred until the color is stabilized. This process takes only a handful of generations whereas line breeding can take dozens or even hundreds of generations.
These fish came from the Asian farms originally where this process is pretty well established. I remember seeing them for the first time at Superzoo 2 years ago and talked to the importer.
There are a lot of hybrids made this way (Synodontis, RT shovelnose, Flowerhorns) where fish that have different breeding strategies such that they would never cross breed on their own are made to hybridize in the lab directly through human intervention.
Andy
Thanks for the information Andy! I knew they were imported from Asia but haven’t been able to find out any information on how they were created anywhere on the net.
The genetically modified fish I’ve seen, they use a fluorescent protein gene derived from jellyfish or coral. When they inject it in the reproductive organs the fish will produce offspring that are fluorescent and glow under a black light and when those offspring breed they will keep passing it along.
Checkout these videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN6P6kFjrjM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08nIq_okmrU
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ACC in NC - Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2003 2:20 pm
- Location: High Point, North Carolina - USA
Re: Electric Blue Acara
The genetically modified fish I’ve seen, they use a fluorescent protein gene derived from jellyfish or coral. When they inject it in the reproductive organs the fish will produce offspring that are fluorescent and glow under a black light and when those offspring breed they will keep passing it along.
Not quite. The creator of the Glofish actually did a talk at one of our club meetings a few months back and described how the process was done. Zebra danio eggs were taken immediately after being laid (there was only a few minutes before the membrane would harden) and the fluorescent protein creating DNA was injected into them which then combines with the zebra danio DNA. Then the fry were raised and out of many thousands of attempts they would get a few that exhibited the fluorescent protein. Then those were selectively bred to produce the modern day Glofish.
All of the glofish in the world come from just a handful of these creations. Love or hate these fish, you have to admire the technology and the difficulty it took to create them.
What created the Blue Acara was forced hybridization. A female fish is treated with a hormone (usually BCG) which causes eggs to ripen. Then the eggs are stripped from the female and mixed with the sperm stripped from a donor male. This is actually quite easy to do since the fish have external fertilization. Then they are hatched and raised in a lab. From there it's just line breeding to get the trait stabilized.
Fortunately Acara's and Rams aren't that far apart genetically and were able to breed true. It would be a lot different if it was tried with an Acara and a Red Zebra.
- Narwhal72
- Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 7:46 pm
- Location: Milwaukee, Wi
Re: Electric Blue Acara
Narwhal72 wrote:The genetically modified fish I’ve seen, they use a fluorescent protein gene derived from jellyfish or coral. When they inject it in the reproductive organs the fish will produce offspring that are fluorescent and glow under a black light and when those offspring breed they will keep passing it along.
Not quite. The creator of the Glofish actually did a talk at one of our club meetings a few months back and described how the process was done. Zebra danio eggs were taken immediately after being laid (there was only a few minutes before the membrane would harden) and the fluorescent protein creating DNA was injected into them which then combines with the zebra danio DNA. Then the fry were raised and out of many thousands of attempts they would get a few that exhibited the fluorescent protein. Then those were selectively bred to produce the modern day Glofish.
All of the glofish in the world come from just a handful of these creations. Love or hate these fish, you have to admire the technology and the difficulty it took to create them.
What created the Blue Acara was forced hybridization. A female fish is treated with a hormone (usually BCG) which causes eggs to ripen. Then the eggs are stripped from the female and mixed with the sperm stripped from a donor male. This is actually quite easy to do since the fish have external fertilization. Then they are hatched and raised in a lab. From there it's just line breeding to get the trait stabilized.
Fortunately Acara's and Rams aren't that far apart genetically and were able to breed true. It would be a lot different if it was tried with an Acara and a Red Zebra.
Thanks for the information!
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ACC in NC - Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2003 2:20 pm
- Location: High Point, North Carolina - USA
Re: Electric Blue Acara
Thanks for the education narwhal
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Iggy Newcastle - Moderator
- Joined: Tue May 15, 2012 6:04 pm
- Location: Chicagoland
Re: Electric Blue Acara
Thanks. The speaker who gave the talk is Bill Shields. If you are a member of a local club I highly encourage getting him to speak about the Glofish history. It's really fascinating.
Andy
Andy
- Narwhal72
- Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 7:46 pm
- Location: Milwaukee, Wi
Re: Electric Blue Acara
That’s a male! The males have longer dorsal and anal fins like yours and are larger and more full bodied. Males seem to have more of a hump on the forehead also. I’m thinking the males max out around 5 inches and the females 3.75 inches but males seem to be twice the body mass.
Female

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ACC in NC - Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2003 2:20 pm
- Location: High Point, North Carolina - USA
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ACC in NC - Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2003 2:20 pm
- Location: High Point, North Carolina - USA
Re: Electric Blue Acara
Awesome photos guys!
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Iggy Newcastle - Moderator
- Joined: Tue May 15, 2012 6:04 pm
- Location: Chicagoland
Re: Electric Blue Acara
Jersey_cichlid_guy wrote:
Do you pull all of the fry? Would the parents eat them if they were left in the tank?
I pulled the first two batches just so I would have some fry. All three of the females have spawned two more times and I didn’t pull them and they disappeared. I have the EBA in with a school of large Gold Barbs that are about 3 inches long with a few Bushynose Pleco’s. The females have been spawning about every two to three weeks and usually right after a water change.
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ACC in NC - Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2003 2:20 pm
- Location: High Point, North Carolina - USA
Re: Electric Blue Acara
Iggy Newcastle wrote:Awesome photos guys!
Thanks Iggy!
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ACC in NC - Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2003 2:20 pm
- Location: High Point, North Carolina - USA
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