[robertprice]

The Black Acara or Twin Spot Cichlid is a rather unattractive resident of the Amazon and northern South America, closely related to and often confused with C. amazonarum or called a Port Acara. It is an invasive species in Florida, and can be found as far north as Jacksonville. It competes with native Sunfish for ecological niche. It lives in swamps, drainage ditches and canals in areas of low oxygen where it oridinarly feeds on plants, insects and crustaceans. It is grey-blue, grey, or brown in color, with a broken midbody line from caudal peduncle to gill cover. The 5th blotch is very prominent, as is the one on the upper caudal penduncle. There may be some white pearling mainly below the lateral line. Males get 14 inches, females 12. This is one of the few catadromous cichlids, which enters salt water to spawn. It is an omnivore in captivity. Males get 14 inches long, females 12. It tolerates water temperature of 59 to 76 degrees, and pH of 6.5-7.

They are peaceful and can be kept in large aquariums. They lay up to 700 eggs and are good parents. See "Images of Cichlasoma bimacultaum" for pictures, and beware, many except the first few are misidentified.