TankBud

Canara pearlspot

Etroplus canarensis

Also known as banded chromide, Pearl Chromide

FreshwaterFish

Canara pearlspot (Etroplus canarensis)
(c) Klaus Rudloff, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–90°F
22–32°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
4.3 in
11 cm
Minimum tank
55 gal
210 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Shoaling
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Substrate spawner
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
India

Overview

The Canara pearlspot is a mostly peaceful cichlid from India for the middle of a mature river tank. It is delicate and best left to experienced keepers.

Did you know

The Canara pearlspot is the only strictly freshwater member of its genus. Its close relatives, the green and orange chromides, live in brackish estuaries.

Caring for the Canara pearlspot

Keep Canara pearlspots in a group of six or more. Unusually for a cichlid, the Canara pearlspot is a shoaling fish that wants company. It settles and behaves far better in a group than in ones and twos. Give the group at least 55 gal (210 L), with a bed of sand and rounded river rock, some smooth boulders and driftwood.

Recreate a slow to moderate river, with strong filtration for plenty of oxygen and a gentle current. Keep the water at 72 to 90°F (22 to 32°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. It lives strictly in fresh water, so no salt is needed. It is a delicate fish that needs pristine water and stable, mature conditions.

Feed a varied diet of small live and frozen foods, such as bloodworm, brine shrimp and daphnia, alongside a quality dried food. It can share a mature tank with other calm fish of a similar size that enjoy clean, flowing water.

Like others in its genus, it is a substrate spawner that lays its eggs on a firm surface. Reliable accounts of it breeding in home aquariums are scarce, and its reproduction in captivity remains poorly documented.

Good to know

The Canara pearlspot belongs to the cichlid family, Cichlidae, and is one of the Indian and Sri Lankan chromides. Its dark vertical bars give it its other common name, banded chromide. It is a restricted-range endemic, listed as endangered in the wild.

In the wild

The Canara pearlspot is found in just a few clear freshwater rivers in the Canara region of Karnataka. These rivers lie in the Western Ghats of southwestern India.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Canara pearlspot is a mostly peaceful, shoaling species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a Canara pearlspot need?

A Canara pearlspot needs at least 55 gal (210 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Canara pearlspot need?

A Canara pearlspot is comfortable at 72–90°F (22–32°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a Canara pearlspot eat?

A Canara pearlspot eats a varied diet of small live and frozen foods, such as bloodworm, brine shrimp and daphnia. Give it a quality dried food alongside them.

How big does a Canara pearlspot get?

An adult Canara pearlspot reaches about 4.3 in (11 cm).

Does a Canara pearlspot need a group?

Yes. A Canara pearlspot is a shoaling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How does a Canara pearlspot breed?

The Canara pearlspot is a substrate spawner that lays its eggs on a firm surface, like others in its genus. Reliable accounts of it breeding in home aquariums are scarce.

Related species