# ? re Orange chromide?



## Amazilia (Sep 5, 2009)

I checked my water parameters and this is what I have:
Nitrate - 40
Nitrite - 0
GH - 300
Chlorine - 0
KH - 120
PH - 7.8

So my 90 gal African cichlid tank (dry as working on background) will be a happy tank. I was at my LFS today and got a 20 gal for my breeding kribs who are in about that much in my 55 with the divider. I want to plant my 55 and keep my one lonely angel in there, add more cories as I have 2 so want to increase to six. A bala shark and a pearl gourami don't care about water from what I've read. All the fish I love like the Harlequin rasbora and the emporer tetra like softwater so I know I would be fighting an uphill battle unless they were tank bred in hard water and used to it. Other hardwater fish I researched and like are the rainbowfish, neon rosy barb, and orange chromide. I've seen boeseman's rainbowfish and australian rainbowfish at PetSmart. The Orange Chromide seems interesting but I have never seen one - has anyone had these? I prefer the slower graceful fish. Would love to have maybe the pearl gourami, the orange chromide, and maybe two to three rainbowfish and a school of something smaller. Any suggestions? :fish: :-? :fish:


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

A 55 gallon is too small for a bala shark. I have a wild phase orange chromide in with some Tangs and he's nippy, aggressive and overall a PITA. But he is a gorgeous fish, I should post some pictures.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Darkside said:


> A 55 gallon is too small for a bala shark. I have a wild phase orange chromide in with some Tangs and he's nippy, aggressive and overall a PITA. But he is a gorgeous fish, I should post some pictures.


How big is it? No issues health wise so far, given they are a brackish fish?


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

Fogelhund said:


> Darkside said:
> 
> 
> > A 55 gallon is too small for a bala shark. I have a wild phase orange chromide in with some Tangs and he's nippy, aggressive and overall a PITA. But he is a gorgeous fish, I should post some pictures.
> ...


He's just over 3 1/2". No health issues thus far, but it is the wild phase (silver chromide) that I have. I've always had the wild phase chromides breed in fresh water and the orange chromides breed in brackish (brackish setups used to be my bread and butter, **** I miss my Butis butis). This seems to be a good fish to put in with lamps, tough and a little nippy, but not overly aggressive. My chromide actually has quite a bit of yellow in him, with the trademark black edged fins and iridescent green patches under his eye. He's quite timid around me so its difficult to get a good picture.


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

Here are some pictures, he's a little splotchy because he's upset.


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## oldwheat (Dec 24, 2007)

'Silver chromide' is a bit of an oxymoron being applied indiscriminately to both E. maculatus (orange) & Suratensis (green). Basically, suratensis needs some salt in the water for overall health & breeding. A little salt doesn't do any harm with maculatus either but they will do just fine in well-buffered alkaline water ie, rift lakes conditions. 
That's a nice looking dominant male, wild phase 'orange' chromide. I think that I will be seeking some WC maculatus soon, I haven't had any for about 30 years & can't seem to find any reasonable or otherwise, E. canarensis .


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

I don't see the wild phase chromides around here very often, in the future I'd like to pick up another couple and maybe breed them.


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

Beautiful wild phase *Darkside* ... I miss seeing them, all you seen now a days around here are those god aweful, brakish manmade 'red' forms ...

My experiences breeding them back up yours ... I never got the wild form to breed in brackish water, only fresh. And the red form I could never get to breed in freshwater, only brackish. And they are nippy lil dwarf cichlids to boot.

*Oldwheat* - Both Jeff Rapps and Wetspotx on Aquabid have canarensis fairly often ... especially Wetspotx as there is a breeder of them located in Oregon. Average about $25 a pop.


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

Thanks Dwarfpike, I actually picked mine up at auction when it was tiny. I haven't seen these at a store for a couple years now. 
I'd love to do E. canarensis one day, maybe enough to turn out my remaining Tangs, but for now I'll just be happy with Old Nippy.


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## Amazilia (Sep 5, 2009)

Wow! Beautiful fish Darkside! Thanks for the info guys! I am not really wanting a nippy fish in there. Maybe I'll do a semi-agressive community tank instead...Oh too many choices for my 55! :x Just can't make up my mind! :? 
Again what a beautiful fish! :fish: :thumb: :fish:


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