Above: Shown in the picture just above is a Orange Chromide Cichlid, swimming in one of our aquariums, when one of us snapped this picture.
Origin: The ancestors of this fish lived in coastal Southeastern India or on the big island of Sri Lanka.
The water where they live was a mixture of saltwater from the Indian Ocean and the freshwater running off the land.
Maximum Size: In aquariums they can grow to be about 3" long, including their tails.
Behaviors: This is a active swimmer that are not very aggressive, but may pick on smaller fish.
Compatibility: Some recommended tank mates include, other Brackish Fish, or, Plecostomus Catfish, Clown Loaches, Barbs, and many other medium size aquarium fish.
Click here to read more about compatible groups of pet fish.
Temperature: Orange Chromide Cichlid can live pretty well from about 72 to 80-degrees F., but they're probably most comfortable at about 75 to 78-degrees F.
Click here to learn about aquarium temperature, aquarium thermometers, and aquarium heaters.
Feeding: Premium Fish Food Flakes when small and Premium Pellet Food when larger.
Click here to learn more about and shop online for premium fish foods.
Water Conditions: Orange Chromide Cichlids seem to be tolerant of a wide range of water conditions.
Probably a pH of about 7.8 with moderate hardness is best, when they're young.
Most water in the US seems to be OK, so it's probably best NOT to adjust the pH or the hardness of the water.
As they get older they need proportionately more marine salts in their water.
Here in our facilities the water is hard and the pH is usually about 7.8. We ship them in this water.
Click here for a lot more information about aquarium water conditions.
Aquarium Size: When young it's probably best to house one in at least a 30-gallon tank, but bigger is better.
Decor: Orange Chromide Cichlid do not need gravel, and a layer of gravel more than 1/4" thick will usually fill with bits of uneaten food that will contaminate the water.
Click here for more about aquarium gravel.
Live Plants are beautiful and improve the water quality, but Orange Chromide Cichlid may pick at them and will soon kill the freshwater plants.
Click here for more about live Aquarium Plants.
Aquarium Filter: Bio-Wheel Filters are highly recommended.
A Penguin 200B Filter in an aquarium with 30-gallons of water is a good start.
Click here to learn more about aquarium filters.
The addition of Lava Rocks will keep nitrates in the ideal range.
Click here to learn more about using Lava Rocks in aquariums.
Life Span: Orange Chromide Cichlids live for many years with excellent water and premium food.
Gender: It's not easy to tell the males from the females, when they're young and sometimes, even as they mature.
As females mature they often fill with eggs and become plumper, which may be a clue to their gender.
Breeding: These cichlids mate and breed much like African and South American cichlids, but they are not mouth brooders.
Instead they lay their eggs and watch over their fry as they mature.
Popularity: Orange Chromide Cichlids are popular in the aquarium hobby.
Names: The scientific name of the Orange Chromide Cichlid is Etroplus maculatus.
Variations: This fish is an orange variation of the original wild fish and there may be other variations that we do not know about now.
We hope you've enjoyed reading these comments.
All of our fish are Premium Quality Fish from the best suppliers in the world. Our fish have better health, more energy and brighter colors, as you can see in our pictures on this website.
We have 380-aquariums with lots-and-lots of popular aquarium fish plus lots-and-lots of rare fish!
We consider ourselves to be the link between the world's best sources of fish and the world's best customers. We love our work, and we are very responsible about caring for our fish and then shipping them carefully.
We also offer lots and lots of information about keeping and caring for pet fish, all from the knowledge of the Bailey Brothers, who have a combined total of 100+ years of experience as breeders, wholesalers, and retailers of pet fish!
Our fish and our customers are treated with the best of care, and we work energetically everyday to make sure every customer enjoys their new fishy friends.
When you purchase pet fish from us, you know you're receiving premium quality fish and premium quality service.
"Received my fish last night and was so pleased! They all arrived alive and appeared to be healthy.
"Once in the tank, they became very active and are now thriving in their new home.
"Beautiful fish, I asked for color and aquariumfish delivered. Processing and shipping was extremely quick."
Nevin and DrTom, the Bailey Brothers
This website is owned and operated by the Bailey Brothers, DrTom and Nevin, who've been together in the fish business for more than 50-years.
The Product Manager has been with the company for more than 35-years.
So we feel very confident that this is the fishiest crew anywhere.