Is this really an Acara???

[Magnum Man29 144]

Common name Yellow Acara.. but it’s really…
Aequidens metae

 

[GaryE28 143]

I have seen a lot of metae, but I've never seen one even remotely that colourful.

 

[Magnum Man29 144]

It’s a centerfold picture… breeding male

Non breeding colors

BTW… I have one of these coming, as only one was available… now to decide if I put it in the already pretty crowded Cichid tank, or if it will behave in the less crowded tetra tank???

 

[GaryE28 143]

It may be one local morph I have never seen, but that fish used to come in a lot, and I saw brown where he's yellow.

 

[CassCats6 3]

Sharp looking fish

 

[Magnum Man29 144]

The reason I question…
There are a lot of varieties of Acara, that have “acara” as part of their scientific name, but the more I dug, I started seeing many that I’ve never seen, and that don’t have Acara as part of their scientific names, like the one listed in the OP… in my digging, I found this one particularly interesting…

Laetacara dorsigera​

It was listed in this article….

Five Less Common Acaras Everyone Should Keep

Some acara species get all the attention—but there are a handful that quietly outperform the rest. In this guide, we break down five underrated acara cichlids that bring color, personality, and surprisingly manageable behavior to the right setups.

www.steenfottaquatics.com

 

[Gamegurl564]

Gorgeous fish.
If only I had my own fish store I could keep all the fish I want.

 

[GaryE28 143]

"Acara" is a local langage name for Cichlids like that. My favourite namewise is Laetacara dorsigera, known locally as the "Acara bobo" because it's so easy to catch.

 

[fishorama25]

Dorsigera are a fish I wanted to keep...when I have the right tank for them. So pretty, as are all laetacara I've seen.

There are several nice Aequidens species now. We had A. pulcher back in the day. Just your basic blue acara but they were great! Pretty acara sums them up, beautiful fish!

Other than color, your fish looks exactly how I think of acara.