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away other fish from their area of tank.
Breeding this fish is probably best achieved in
semi adult fish due to their huge eventual size, as
attempting a pairing in fish of adult size could not
only cause damage to the fish themselves but also
their tank mates and indeed their tank and décor;
a adult of 12 inches can easily punch through the
aquarium side if they are trying to flee over amo-
rous attention. Sexing these fish is difficult and it is
often a matter of taking an educated guess. Fe-
males are likely to be smaller than males of the
same age and they should also be more rotund in
the belly region. Males also generally have more
pointed anal and dorsal fins. If you are unsure
then venting could be a way to determine sex, just
be sure that you know what you are doing before
attempting this tricky procedure.
Pair formation involves a lot of chasing, body slap-
ping, jaw locking and displaying which can contin-
ue for a couple of weeks. During this period the
fish will intensify their colour to a predominantly
ivory body with black markings between the eyes,
on the chin and the black belt will appear more
prominent. The female will also start to show her
ovipositor if she is satisfied with her mate, this in
turn leads to a fattening of the belly as she fills
with eggs. Alongside their chasing, t hese fish will
carefully choose a spawning site. They will clean
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