Species

Threadfin acara

Acarichthys heckelii

moderatesemi aggressivebottom swimmerCichlidae
Add to my tank
Threadfin acara
Tank length
150 cmabout 5 ft (59 in)
Start with
1
Temperature
23–28 °C73–82 °F
pH
6.8–7.2
Adult size
10.8 cm4.3 in
Lifespan
8–12 yrs

Pairs dig deep breeding caves in sand and defend a wide area, so plan rocks and open sand rather than a planted layout.Pairs dig deep breeding caves in sand and defend a wide area, so plan rocks and open sand rather than a planted layout.

Tank sizes

Good tankmates

None recorded.

Avoid with

Data used by the planner
Temperature23–28AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence
pH6.8–7.2AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence
Hardness (dGH)5–15AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence
OriginAmazon basin and Guianascurated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence
Beginner friendlyNocurated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence
Care levelmoderatecurated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence
Activitymoderatecurated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence
Swimming levelbottomcurated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence
Temperamentsemi aggressivecurated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence
Nips finsNocurated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence
Long finsNocurated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence
TerritorialYescurated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence
Lives in groupsNocurated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence
Minimum group1curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence
Dietomnivorecurated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence
Lifespan (years)8–12curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence
Months to adult size18curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence
Safe with plantsNocurated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence
Minimum tank length150curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence