Not known to have been bred in captivity.
Needs a school of 6+ in a large tank; ripe females swell with eggs.
Very large tank or pond with floating plants or mops, soft slightly acidic water and warm temperatures.
Rainy-season style water changes with soft, slightly cooler water and plenty of greens and protein.
n/a
Fry take powdered food and brine shrimp nauplii, then chopped greens; grow fast and need space.
One breeding tank for the six-barred distichodus, drawn to scale from the breeding guide.
Water: 22–26 °C · pH 6–7.5 · soft water
A plan from the breeding guide and an adult size of 75 cm. Tank shape is a standard 2 : 1 : 1.2 box, at least 6 adult lengths long. Check each step in the guide above.
A row of tanks on their own stands for breeding the six-barred distichodus in numbers.
In total: 3 tanks, about 6,480 L of water. A litre of water weighs about 1 kg, so check that the floor and rack can take the weight.
Sizes are worked out from the breeding tank in the guide. Tanks fit a standard 120 cm rack when they can; bigger tanks go on their own stands.
No reliable external differences are known.
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.