All fish / Cichlidae

Orange Chromide

Pseudetroplus maculatus

Also known as orange chromide, etroplus maculatus, red chromide, green chromide, pearlspot chromide, indian orange chromide, orange chromide cichlid, chromide, オレンジクロマイド, 橙色丽鱼, 橘色丽鱼

A small, deep-bodied cichlid from South Asia with a golden to orange body, rows of reddish spots and a dark patch on the belly and flank. It is kept for its bright colour, interesting parental behaviour and its tolerance of hard, slightly salty water, which makes it a good choice for brackish community setups.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

8 cm

Temperature

22 to 28 °C

pH

7.5 to 8.5

Smallest tank

100 litres

Keep as

A pair, or a group of 6 or more in a larger tank

Diet

Omnivore: quality pellets and flakes, frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp and mysis, plus vegetable matter such as spirulina

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

6 to 8 years

Water

Brackish

Wild range

Southern India and Sri Lanka, coastal lagoons, estuaries and rivers

Breeding

Pairs clean a rock or similar hard surface and lay adhesive eggs there, then guard them and move the wrigglers to pits in the substrate. Breeding is fairly easy in a settled tank, and the fry feed on mucus from the parents' skin in their early days.

Good to know

Now usually placed in the genus Pseudetroplus, so Etroplus maculatus is an older name still common in the trade. It becomes territorial when spawning and does poorly long term in soft, acidic freshwater, so add some salt and keep the water hard.