Mature males in breeding condition turn almost black with blue iridescent spots along the sides of their bodies and on the fins. Females remain a pale yellowish- brown. A positive effect of the sponge filter and java moss is that they encourage the growth of infusoria. The fry are so tiny that they are unable to accept newly hatched brine shrimp when they become free swimming. They feed on the infusoria as their first food.
Green water is the ideal first food but microworms are good substitute.
The wigglers are so small and transparent that they are invisible. They become easier to see when the eye spots become apparent. Undoubtedly the adult fish will eat the fry if given the opportunity, however, as evidenced by the number of small fish I was able to collect, they do not eat many. I figured that the ample feedings of live foods kept the number of fry eaten to a minimum. As the number of visible fry increase they tend to congregate at the surface and on the bottom.