Juvenile, a few days after purchase of this and six more. At this point, they are app. 6 cm.
It is impossible to distinguish their sex, so all You can do, is hope that there is a reasonable division between the 7 specimens. Here the juveniles are shown in their temporary tank, where they will remain until their permanent home is ready.
Almost 2 months after aquisition. The fish are growing visibly, and their colours are starting to show. They are now moved to their permanent 720 L Aquarium
The fish are thriving, and is shown here in various typical postures. The days are spent with a combination of typical feeding behavior (they dig!), a bit of imposing, and generally hanging out...
Images that show a little more of the fish and their surroundings. They grow incredibly fast, and are here app. 9 cm.
Another month has passed, and the first signs of the renowned long ventral fins are starting to show.
Nothing really new here, just a beautiful fish!
As above, not any great evolution, but the fish has now passed the 10 cm mark, and both colour and fins are starting to look like adults.
Almost half a year has passed since the last images, and the fish has been here for app. a year. They have in the mean time been moved to a new tank, which is essentially identical to the old, also a 720 L. Sizewise they have reached app. 15 cm. There are still no certain sex difference, but presumably , the ones with the most elongated ventral fins are males?
Their behavior is remarkably similar to what they displayed as juveniles; a little digging now and then, a halfhearted skin-attack towards the coincidentally closest Tank mate, and generally looking good...
Not much is happening... This image has been shot without flash.
Beautiful fish. They are now app. 17 cm.
The images below, show a breeding couple. They could be better, but in order to avoid disturbing the fish, they are shot without flash, resulting in some blurring due to movement.
Brooding female
Male