I haven't had any problems with them at all. There captive bred from a good breeder so I think alot of the old myths don't apply. They actually spawn regularly. The female holds the eggs in her mouth. But without the right conditioning she usually just swollows them. As for lighting I just have two t8 tubes that came with the tank. Up till yesterday though I had a dense carpet of silvania natans floating on the surface. But the stuff is crazy it gets out of control so fast. They like hiding under it. I'm gonna have to find a less prolific substitute.