Orange chromide
The Orange chromide (Etroplus maculatus) is a species of fish endemic to freshwater and brackish streams, lagoons and estuaries in southern India and Sri Lanka.It is also known as pallathi (Malayalam: പള്ളത്തി) in Malayalam. The species is popular with fishkeeping hobbyists, and is kept frequently in aquariums. The species is part of family Cichlidae and is included in subfamily Etroplinae.
 |
| Etroplus maculatus |
image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:P%C3%A8re_Igor
 |
| Etroplus maculatus |
image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Raghu.kuttan
Diet
The species co-occurs throughout its range with the green chromide (Etroplus suratensis). Orange chromides prey on the eggs and larvae of E. suratensis and also act as a "cleaner fish" removing parasites from the larger green chromides in a cleaning symbiosis. The species also feeds on zooplankton and algae.