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Orange chromide

Etroplus maculatus

FreshwaterBrackishFish

Orange chromide (Etroplus maculatus)
Raghu.kuttan · Public domain

Care at a glance

Temperature
68–82°F
20–28°C
pH
7.0–8.0
Adult size
3.9 in
10 cm
Minimum tank
55 gal
210 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Shoaling
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Substrate spawner · Hard
Rarity
Very rare
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Sri Lanka, India

Overview

The orange chromide is a small, peaceful cichlid that swims in the middle of a hard-water or brackish tank. It is a fish for experienced keepers.

Did you know

Orange chromide fry feed on a mucus coating on their parents' bodies in their first days, much like young discus. They nip at the adults' skin for nourishment, and the parents' mucus production rises to meet the demand.

Caring for the orange chromide

Keep orange chromides in a group of six or more, in at least 55 gal (210 L). Give them a sand bed with rocks, roots and shaded cover, plus some hardy or artificial plants.

Keep the water hard and alkaline, at 68 to 82°F (20 to 28°C) and a pH of 7.0 to 8.0. It handles a range of salinities, so hard fresh water or brackish water both suit it. Add a little marine salt if you want to mirror its native estuaries. Never keep it in soft, acidic water, and acclimate it carefully.

It picks at small invertebrates, algae and plant matter in the wild, so offer a varied diet. Feed frozen and live foods such as brine shrimp, bloodworm and daphnia, plus a quality flake or micro pellet.

The orange chromide is gentle and a little shy. Keep it with other calm tank mates that tolerate brackish water, and avoid anything pushy. Within a group, pairs form naturally at breeding time.

It is a biparental substrate spawner. A pair cleans a solid surface and lays a couple of hundred adhesive eggs, and both parents guard the eggs and fry. Spawning can happen readily once a pair has bonded. Breeding it well is hard, because a compatible pair must settle and the slow-growing, sensitive fry need stable water.

Good to know

The orange chromide is a member of the cichlid family, Cichlidae, and the smallest of the chromides. Its scientific name is Etroplus maculatus, though it is now often placed in the genus Pseudetroplus.

In the wild

The orange chromide comes from the coastal lagoons, estuaries and lower river reaches of Sri Lanka and southern India.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The orange chromide is a 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 an orange chromide need?

An orange chromide needs at least 55 gal (210 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does an orange chromide need?

An orange chromide is comfortable at 68–82°F (20–28°C) with a pH of 7.0–8.0.

What does an orange chromide eat?

An orange chromide takes frozen and live foods, such as brine shrimp, bloodworm and daphnia, along with a quality flake or micro pellet. Wild fish pick at small invertebrates, algae and plant matter.

How big does an orange chromide get?

An adult orange chromide reaches about 3.9 in (10 cm).

Does an orange chromide need a group?

Yes. An orange chromide is a shoaling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How does an orange chromide breed?

Orange chromides are biparental substrate spawners. A bonded pair cleans a solid surface, lays a couple of hundred sticky eggs, and guards the eggs and fry together. Raising the slow-growing, sensitive fry makes breeding them hard.

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