Etroplus maculatus - Orange Chromide

Cichlidae

India, Sri Lanka.

It lives in coastal areas, inhabiting areas of marginal vegetation in streams, estuaries and lagoons. It also enters areas of pure freshwater.

3.2" (8cm).

An aquarium measuring 36" x 15" x 12" (90cm x 37.5cm x 30cm) - 105 litres is large enough to support a small group. A pair can be kept in a smaller tank.

This is a brackish species and requires the addition of marine salt to its tank. Aim for around a quarter the salinity of full marine conditions (sg 1.005). Provide cover in the form of rocks arranged to form caves, driftwood, plant pots etc. Plants can be used but will usually not survive for long under saline conditions. Plastic alternatives are fine.

68-77°F (20-25°C)

8.0-9.0

10-20°H

An unfussy eater, it will accept most live, frozen and dried foods. Keep the diet varied and try to ensure the addition of some vegetable matter.

A peaceful cichlid that is ideal for the brackish community. Good tankmates include Parambassis sp., smaller gobies, halfbeaks and salt-tolerant livebearers. Do not keep it with aggressive or boisterous species.

Not the easiest species to sex unless spawning. Males may have red edges to the dorsal, anal and caudal fins, while females may have a white edge to the caudal fin. Males are generally the more colourful fish.

Possible. Bi-parental substrate spawner. The best way to obtain a pair is to purchase a group of 6-8 young fish and condition them well on a varied diet. Once a pair forms, it is better to remove the other fish from the aquarium, or move the pair. The breeding aquarium can be as little as 24" in length and should be set up as suggested above. Slightly brackish, alkaline water is essential and a warm temperature of 25-28°C is preferable.

Pre-spawning, the pair will clean several potential sites. These may be rock or wood surfaces, depending on what is available. Up to 300 eggs may be deposited and are attached to the surfaces by short stalks. The brood is guarded by both parents until the eggs hatch, usually in 3-6 days. Once the eggs have hatched, the fry are moved to previously dug pits in the substrate, where both parents continue to defend them vigorously for a period of up to 4 months. During the initial period the fry can often be seen clinging to the flanks of the parents, and it is thought that they excrete a nutritious mucous, in a similar fashion to discus. Once the fry are free swimming they should initially be offered very small food such as infusoria. After a few days they are large enough to accept brine shrimp nauplii, microworm etc.

The fry are very sensitive to changing water conditions and regular small water changes are best, so as to maintain stable chemistry.

The orange chromide is one of only a handful of cichlid species known from Asia. The wild form is actually mostly olive in colour, but selective breeding has led to fully orange and even red forms becoming available in the hobby. In nature it exhibits an interesting behaviour, in that it acts as a cleaning fish for it's larger relative E. suratensis , the green chromide. It is a charming and peaceable little cichlid, and is easy to keep when maintained correctly ie. in brackish conditions. It can survive in freshwater, but is more susceptible to disease, and often loses its colour. It is also very sensitive to deteriorating water quality and a strict maintenance regime is essential to its good health. Not a species for the general community, but one which provides many rewards to the dedicated hobbyist.