Sexual Dimorphism

Pairing two juveniles will most likely form a male-female couple. When I started looking for a pair, I found a medium sized one and a smaller one. They paired up right away and were my first pair of fish to spawn.



Spawning

Once the pair becomes established they will spawn about every 7 to 10 days. The eggs will usually hatch on the fourth night after spawning.

The broodstock tank requirements are fairly simple. All that is needed are a few lengths of PVC pipe, 3-4" in length, 1-1.5" in diameter. It is sometimes recommended to provide an extra piece of PVC suspended higher in the tank for the female to hide in if necessary. (I did this for a while but my female never used it. It would be best to start out providing this in case it is needed... some pairs can get a bit rough when spawning.)

The male of my pair likes the larger PVC pipe for his "den" but they always spawn in the smaller pipe.



Typical spawning behavior:

I was also able to catch the broodstock pair in action today around 4:30pm:









































                                                                                            And, the result:



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