# multiple orange chromides



## earth intruder (Oct 14, 2008)

Hello, all. I was forced to break down some of my tanks recently due to financial reasons, but I am already considering what to do with them when I get back on my feet....

Specifically, I'm considering eventually setting up my old mbuna tank as a brackish aquarium for green and orange chromides. (Neale Monks' book indicates that they make good tankmates.)

I have read that orange chromides only do well long-term in pairs. I have in fact had orange chromides in the past, but I only had them in a group as juveniles, after which I traded in everyone except for a pair that had formed. But that was in a 30 gallon tank.

My question is, _in a 75 gallon tank, would there be room for more than one pair, or would I still be limited to only having two?_


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

I haven't tried them in a 75, but I could only keep one pair in a 50 gallon breeder. They are fiesty towards each other.

And if they are the wild color phase, I wouldn't put them in brackish water. If they are the manmade red form, they they will do fine in the salt.


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## Chromedome52 (Jul 25, 2009)

I've bred wild and gold color forms of _Etroplus maculatus _in moderately hard water. Even crossed a wild type male with a gold female to see how the trait was inherited. (Turned out to be a partial dominant.) I had two pairs in a 48" tank, they pretty much paired off and split the tank. The extra foot of distance seems to make a difference. They will both adapt to brackish conditions, as well, but prefer it to be fairly low salinity. SFAIK, the "Red" form is just a hyper hormoned Gold form fish, but I wouldn't swear to that.

However, a 75 is not large enough for _Etroplus suratensis_, the Green Chromide. I have seen adults over a foot (not mine unfortunately) and most sources give a max size much larger. They are considered to be more brackish, though I do not have much experience with these. The juvies I had were pretty aggressive toward each other.


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## earth intruder (Oct 14, 2008)

Chromedome52 said:


> I've bred wild and gold color forms of _Etroplus maculatus _in moderately hard water. Even crossed a wild type male with a gold female to see how the trait was inherited. (Turned out to be a partial dominant.) I had two pairs in a 48" tank, they pretty much paired off and split the tank. The extra foot of distance seems to make a difference. They will both adapt to brackish conditions, as well, but prefer it to be fairly low salinity. SFAIK, the "Red" form is just a hyper hormoned Gold form fish, but I wouldn't swear to that.
> 
> However, a 75 is not large enough for _Etroplus suratensis_, the Green Chromide. I have seen adults over a foot (not mine unfortunately) and most sources give a max size much larger. They are considered to be more brackish, though I do not have much experience with these. The juvies I had were pretty aggressive toward each other.


Really? Neale Monks' book listed them as "up to 10 inches."

Well, I guess I have some more research to do. Which is fine, it'll be another couple of years before I set this tank up again.


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

I have a single wild phase chromide in a 75, he managed to kill all of his "friends" lol.


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## dogofwar (Apr 5, 2004)

Never kept orange chromides in a tank that big but I've found them to be relentlessly aggressive to conspecifics outside of the pair. Unfortunately, they tend to get punked by other cichlids...

I've found green chromides to be more mild toward each other. They grow bigger than 10"...


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