Alice White
The handsome Chromis is one of the most attractive African cichlids. These owners of a scarlet body with blue-green dots scattered over it, flickering in the light, will not leave anyone indifferent. And although this beauty hides a rather nasty character, there are no fewer connoisseurs of handsome Chromis.
Aquarium for handsome Chromis
Due to the natural inconvenience, it is very often recommended to keep Chromis in a species aquarium. The minimum volume for one pair of fish is at least 60 liters. It is allowed to keep two pairs of cichlids in a suitable container, but only on the condition that the territories of the fish are clearly separated in space. This can be done, for example, with large driftwood that divides the aquarium into two halves.
A variety of hiding places are also welcome. They are built of stones, grottoes, snags.
It is very important for cichlids to provide high-quality water. Therefore, it is necessary to install a productive filter (ideally an external one), as well as a compressor that will provide oxygen to both fish and beneficial bacteria living in the aquarium.
Water parameters
The handsome Chromis are hardy fish that adapt well to various habitats. The comfortable temperature for this tropical species will be 24-28 ° C. The water should be of medium hardness (up to 15 dGH) and neutral acidity (pH around 7).
To exclude the accumulation of hazardous metabolic products in the aquarium, once a week it is necessary to carry out mandatory water changes – 20-30% of the volume of the aquarium, combined with a soil siphon. It is always recommended to use a Tetra AquaSafe conditioner, which makes tap water safe and healthy for fish. It removes chlorine and heavy metals from the water and enriches it with vitamins and natural colloids that protect the mucous membranes of fish. The dosage of the drug is 5 ml per 10 liters of freshwater.
Shine
Aquariums with chrome beauties use moderate to bright lighting. This allows you to highlight the extraordinary beauty of the fish and make the dots on their body flash. An excellent option would be modern LED lamps, which provide a good flow of light and convey the natural color of the decorative filling of the aquarium, plants, and fish.
Priming
Handsome Chromis like to dig up the bottom of the aquarium, so it is recommended to use fairly heavy soil that does not have sharp edges. This saves you the hassle of regularly rebuilding your indoor aquarium landscape, and the fish will do without injury.
Plants
When keeping handsome Chromis, it is better to opt for plants with rather hard leaves – Cryptocorynes, Elodea, Anubias, etc. The delicate leaves of living plants will sooner or later be bitten or destroyed. Digging from the ground is also possible.
Feeding the handsome Chromis
The good health and longevity of fish depend not least on proper and nutritious nutrition. High-quality dry food for cichlids should be the basis of the diet of handsome chromis. After all, they not only contain an entire range of nutrients and vitamins but also contain functional additives that improve digestion and enhance color.
Tetra’s cichlid food range is quite wide. Basic feeds for chromis will be Tetra Cichlid XL Flakes, Tetra Cichlid Granules, or Tetra Cichlid Sticks.
Foods containing natural carotenoids include Tetra Cichlid Color, TetraPRO Color Multi-Crisps, or Tetra Rubin. Regular feeding with them enhances the natural color of the fish.
Periodically, handsome chromis also require plant feeding. The highly nutritious TetraPRO Algae Multi-Crisps or the double-sided Tetra Cichlid Algae balls with a high content of nutritious spirulina algae will help you with this.
They feed the chromis in small portions that they can eat in a few minutes.
Compatibility
Chromis the handsome man can hardly be called a good neighbor. This cichlid quite often shows aggression towards the fish that are nearby, especially during spawning. You will not envy someone who dares to approach the Chromis spawn.
If the prospect of keeping a species aquarium with handsome chromis does not inspire, you can try to settle them with black-striped and eight-striped cichlazomas or akars. Chromis get along well with the cichlids of the African Great Lakes, although it is better to exclude the Mbuna group.
The catfish of the pterygoplichta or synodontis will look good with these bright cichlids.
