Females have stockier and less colorful bodies, and they also have a red adipose fin, while males, have blue adipose fin.

For breeding a small separate tank is enough with a few clumps of fine-leaved plants such as java moss or some kind of mesh with a large enough grade so the eggs can fall through it and can protect the eggs from the adults. The aquarium should be very dimly lit and the water should be acidic (pH 5.5-6.5), very soft (1-5 dGH) with a temperature of 24-27 °C. Filtering the water through peat is also useful, as it mimics their natural habitat. They can be spawn in pairs or in a small group, but either case condition them with plenty of small live and frozen foods. When conditions are to their liking the fish should begin to spawn the following morning. The parents will eat the eggs, so after spawning they should be removed from the tank. The yellowish eggs hatch in 24-48 hours, and the larvae become free-swimming after another 3-4 days. The fry can be fed with very small live foods or with liquid fry food. The number of the eggs can be 100-150. The fry grow quite quickly, with proper feeding they can reach 3-4 cm in length within 6 months.