Rarely bred in home aquariums; commercial fish are produced on farms, presumably with hormone stimulation. Occasional aquarium spawnings have been reported (e.g. Chester Zoo).
Rarely bred by hobbyists. Buy captive-bred fish from known farms; use a group of 6 or more.
Large tank (300 L+) with cool, well-oxygenated, flowing water, rocks and plants. Commercial breeders use hormone induction.
Strong current and seasonal-like conditions; farms use hormones.
Up to a few hundred eggs; hatch in about 24-48 hours.
Feed infusoria and baby brine shrimp, then crushed flakes. Keep water clean and well oxygenated. Fry grow slowly; give plenty of space.
Adult females grow a little larger, are heavier-bodied and a little less colourful than males.
Typical for egg scatterers
Feed live or frozen food twice a day. Keep males and females apart if you can.
Eggs are scattered over mops or fine plants, often at first light. Remove the parents straight after.
Most eggs hatch in 1–2 days. Keep the tank dim and remove white (fungused) eggs.
Fry use up the yolk and start swimming. Feed infusoria or liquid fry food several times a day.
Switch to newly hatched brine shrimp or microworms. Start small, daily water changes.
Add finely crushed flake. Sort fry by size so the big ones don't eat the small ones.
Most small fish reach about 2 cm in 2–3 months and can join the main tank.
A general guide for this breeding type. Days change with temperature and species.
Feed live or frozen food twice a day. Keep males and females apart if you can.
Set up a virtual breeding tank and see what would likely happen.
An educational estimate from the breeding rules, not a promise.