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Hey all! I've got a problem. I placed a juvi male firemouth in my 30 gal. About a week later, I introduced a slightly smaller female. The male chased her a bit at the start. But now, he'll spot her & give chase, nipping at her sides, till she finds refuge in some swords. Will they ever pair-up? I was thinking of getting a convict to divert some attention & maybe even "force" a pairing. The old "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" thinking. Or, even switching out the female & hoping for a better match. What're some of your thoughts?

What about taking the male out for a while to let the female settle in? That way he is invading her territory.

Dithers could be good too. Many people use danios as dithers as they are quick movers.

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Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Is putting a transparent divider in the tank out of the question? Only that's a time honoured method used when trying to pair up Cichlids when aquarists haven't access to multiple individuals. The venerable Innes book makes mention of it, though advises caution in case the "happy couple" turn out not to be so happy even after the divider has been in place.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thanks for the feedback Lindy & Cali. It'd be difficult to put a divider in, given how my tank is set-up. I went out today & purchased a convict, with the hopes of taking some of the tension off of the female. While the convict was getting acclimated to the new digs, I was able to catch Mr. Firemouth & place him in a "holding cell" outside of the tank. I'm gonna keep him out for a couple of hours, then re-introduce him. I'll keep you all posted as to how it goes. Wish me luck!

Well, I think I'm gonna shift some stuff around & install a divider to isolate the aggressive male. Right after I put him back into the tank, he started chasing "his lady" & the convict all over, with his dorsal fin sticking straight up. Beautiful fish, when he does that. But, the constant harrassment... I put each chiclid into the tank, one by one. Did I screw up from the beginning, by doing that? Also, I'm thinking of rearranging my tank. I've got some slate, stacked to form 3 caves, in the middle of the tank. Perhaps, making a cave at each end would give them some breathing room. Sound good?