Brackish in Fresh?

Most Brackish fish can survive in fresh water, But chance's are it will not be as healthy as one that is kept in brack. Its life span will diminsh as well. It depends a lot on the type of fish. Mollys which are brack are commonly kept in FW, and generally they do alright. I had a batch of molly fry, I have 4 in FW and 2 in BW, The pair in BW are much bigger then there FW siblings so it sorta of proves my point even more.
 
Keeping brackish fish in freshwater is not a good idea. There are many which can survive if the water is hard enough, but many will not. They will be more prone to ailments which then may spread to your other fish in addition to having a drastically shorter life span.
 
Agreed, keeping BW fish in FW is not a good idea. Some species like mollies, and other low end do moderately fine in FW for extended periods but also suffer the same detrimental effects after awhile. Brackishwater fish require the esstential minerals and buffers in MARINE salt to live a healthy and happy life. In FW a BW fish's growth is stunted and their immune system is jeopardized, if you attempt this don't expect your fish to live long.
 
I think also your Orange Chromides will look very bland and washed out in color. It is best to keep them in a brackish tank. I will let you know, they are easy to breed if you keep them to themselves. I found them to breed readily like convicts.

jim
 
I am just trying to think of a peaceful cichlid that I would be able to put in my community tank I have a Bolivian Ram in there right now and hes doing great! the only two cichlids that are relativly smaller are the Orange Chromatid or a Purple Cichlid.
 
What about a dwarf gourami, you can geta nice orange red or blue colouring in hose fish. And they should compete with the rams.
 
It's not a good idea to mix cichlids, they're generally competitive in nature. It also depends on your tank size. There are far better cichlids to choose than to force a BW species to suffer in FW. I really don't think that you have much of an option though. Most cichlids are bottom/middle dwelling and the Ram already has that area staked out.

how big is the tank?
 
It will depend on the age of the Mono. Fish that transition from FW/BW to increasing salinity do so at different ages. A juvenile mono won't be able to take full strength SW--it needs to develop a bit, and then transition over the course of a few weeks to months.
 
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