More Macropodus breeding

On the same day that I find someone interested in taking my young Macropodus, some of their siblings have decided to breed in the main tank. The largest male must have built a nest today - I don't recall anything like that earlier, but given its location in the tank, you never know.

When their parents bred for the first time (in this tank) the tank community was very different - there were a dozen or so platies, and four angels. Now there are no fish near the size of the male, and the female is at least as big as the other fish. There's also a lot more structure to the tank - the area around the nest is well vegetated.

The female has taken to chasing the other female Macropodus between matings, not that she doesn't do that anyway. In the past, after they were done mating, the parents established a two-tiered cordon around the nest, with the male keeping the female away from the nest, and the female keeping the rest of the fish away from the male.

I'll be curious to see how this works out.