Biparental substrate spawner: lays eggs on a flat rock or other cleaned surface, and both parents guard the eggs and young.
Buy a group of 6 young fish and let them pair up.
A 55-75 gallon (200-280 L) tank with caves and a flat stone, 26-28 C.
Warm water and heavy feeding. A pair will clean a flat surface.
About 500-800 eggs per spawning; in aquaria they hatch in about 3 days at 26.6°C and the fry swim freely about 3 days later.
Feed baby brine shrimp, then crushed pellets. Parents guard well. Separate when fry reach 3 cm.
Mature males have long, pointed tips on the dorsal and anal fins; females lack these. Both sexes darken almost to black when breeding.
Typical for open substrate spawners
Grow up a group and let a pair choose each other. Give them a flat stone or broad leaf.
The pair cleans the stone and lays rows of eggs. Both guard them.
Wrigglers hatch in 2–4 days and are moved to pits by the parents.
Feed baby brine shrimp several times a day. Parents often herd the fry.
Move fry to a grow-out tank before the parents spawn again.
A general guide for this breeding type. Days change with temperature and species.
Grow up a group and let a pair choose each other. Give them a flat stone or broad leaf.
Set up a virtual breeding tank and see what would likely happen.
An educational estimate from the breeding rules, not a promise.