On either side of the body, there is a single, large black spot near the start of the caudal fin.

The males will be slightly more colorful, develop a large nuchal hump on their foreheads, and will be somewhat larger than the females (7.5 cm as opposed to 5 cm).The females will have a more brightly colored yellow belly and will have a black bar running along the edges of their anal fins.

The males will then swim in a circular pattern near the entrance to the spawning site and will flare their pectoral fins at passing females.

The male will alternate between fertilizing eggs and ensuring there are no potential intruders near the entrance to the spawning site.

PVC pipes can offer excellent spawning sites provided there are numerous plants such as Java fern nearby.