Aquarist Notes

Collection Point:   Unknown

Genetic Line:   Aquarium Strain

Year Acquired:   2024

Acquired six juveniles (four female and two male) from Mike Liu at ACA 2024. They are separated into three tanks - one female and one male in a 40g breeder, one male and one female in a 20g long, and two females in another 40g breeder that is heavily planted. I am waiting on the pair in the 20g long to spawn. UPDATE: The pair in the 40 breeder spawned twice (3/5/25 and 4/20/25). All the fry from the first spawn, maybe 35, disappeared within a week. I am guessing they were eaten because the numbers just kept dwindling yet I never once saw a dead one (unless they were being eaten post-mortem). The second spawn produced probably closer to 50 fry. Over time, they too dwindled to about 8. The largest is now probably a little over 1".

Species Spawned:   Yes

I provided the 40g pair with several ceramic cave options, including upturned pots with a cutout. The female chose a custom breeding cave with a flat top. The tank is bare bottom, which enabled me to spot fry from both broods quickly. Both adults care for the fry, alternating with no discernible pattern. I even witnessed the male move a fry once with his mouth. I ended up separating the adults within a few weeks post-spawn because the male was harassing the female. Once I removed the male, the female took to an upturned clay pot instead of her breeding cave. Within a couple of months, the female stopped paying any attention to the fry.

Have Reared Fry?   Yes

Once free swimming, the fry did not eat anything free-floating. They would only pick at bits either on the bottom of the tank or especially food stuck to caves, leaves, etc. I didn't find them to be particularly fussy about the food. They have eaten only crushed flake or golden pearls. Once they reached juvenile stage, they now will eat free-floating food and, in fact, will move to the front of the tank and come near the surface when I approach the tank. They now happily consume free-floating bits of flake.

Young fish available?   Yes