Thayer's dwarf acara

Laetacara thayeri

Also known as Thayeri acara

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–82°F (24–28°C)
pH: 4.8–6.5
Adult size: 4.7 in (12 cm)
Minimum tank: 29 gal (110 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Upper Amazon blackwaters
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

Thayer's dwarf acara is the largest of the smiling acaras, and although it leans peaceful, a breeding pair will hold territory with conviction, so give it room. It is a social fish that pairs off, and it does best as a pair or with a few tankmates of calm temperament in a well planted tank. It stays low in the water, picking at the bottom and cleaning surfaces before spawning. Feed a varied diet of frozen and live foods along with quality prepared foods. A tank of around 110 liters gives a pair the space to set up and raise fry.

In the wild

This acara lives across the Amazon basin in shallow, slow, shaded water, among sunken wood, roots and deep leaf litter, often stained dark with tannins. Recreate that with soft sand, driftwood tangles, leaf litter and floating plants to soften the light. Keep the water soft, warm and acidic, around 24 to 28 C and pH 4.8 to 6.5.

Good to know

Laetacara thayeri is a cichlid reaching about 12 centimeters, the biggest and roughest-looking member of a genus otherwise known for small, gentle fish. It is a biparental substrate spawner, laying eggs on a cleaned flat rock, log or broad leaf, with both parents tending the brood. The species takes its name from the Thayer Expedition of the 1860s.

Did you know

Its name marks the Thayer Expedition of 1865 and 1866, the survey of Brazilian fishes led by Louis Agassiz and funded by Nathaniel Thayer, which gathered the first specimens just as the American Civil War ended.

Tank mates

Thayer's dwarf acara is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.