The body colour is yellow-brown marked with crimson spots. There is a dark stripe extending from the nose, via the eye, and along the body to the tail root. A second stripe extends from below the eye, along the lower part of the body and terminates also on the tail root. The dorsal fin is beautifully marked with crimson spots near the base, and streaked with the exact same colour on the tip. The anal and caudal fins are marked similarly.
The fins are much more developed and much better marked on the male. This is particularly true of the caudal fin which has extending filaments on the upper and lower lobes.
This species should be kept in old water, pH 7.5. The fish won’t take kindly to even slightly new water, and they do need a carnivorous diet, preferably live.
They’re just a little challenging to maintain successfully and not too simple to breed. Nevertheless, neither is impossible.
Eggs are deposited among clumps of plants and hatch in about 12 days. The perfect breeding temperature is about 72° F and also the water should be slightly saline.