Bred like the emperor tetra: condition males and females apart, then move a single pair in the evening to a small, very dim tank with fine-leaved plants, spawning mops or mesh, soft acidic water (pH 5.0-7.0, GH 1-8) at 24-26.5°C. Eggs are laid in small batches over several hours; remove the adults afterwards.
Keep a group of 8-10 and move a well-conditioned trio or group to a spawning tank.
30-40 L tank with a spawning grid or dense java moss, soft to medium water (pH 6-7.5), a sponge filter and subdued light.
Heavy live-food conditioning, then a water change with slightly cooler water in the morning.
Eggs hatch in 24-36 hours and the fry are free-swimming 4-5 days later. No sourced egg count found.
Start with infusoria or powdered fry food, then newly hatched brine shrimp; sort by size as they grow.
Adult males have red eyes, longer dorsal, anal and tail fins, and more colour. Females have blue-green eyes and look fuller-bodied, especially when carrying eggs.
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.