Help with 2 male bluethroat triggers

[coppertop]

A few months ago we purchased a pair or blue throat triggers..male and female. Last week the small "female" starting taking on the coloring of the male. We now have a 6 inch male and a 3 inch male trigger in a 125 gallon mixed reef. All is well so far. But the larger male is very skittish and rarely comes out of the rockwork lately. He hasnt been eating lately either..just hiding. The smaller male is very confident and will eat anything, and even nip at a dipnet or tongs. Our LFS says we shouldnt have any issue with aggression yet bacause of the huge size difference, however one will eventually have to go. He will take one back but the problem is how to we catch a trigger? I would prefer the larger male go back because he is not eating lately...and hides at the sight of us. But he locks himself in a certain rock when we're around. Draining the tank is not an option. I saw a suggestion about catching the fish off-guard early in the morning. Would this work with a trigger? When they sleep is it possible to push it out of the rock and into a net?

What a headache...:hmm4: Pls help.

 

[coppertop]

Heres a pic of when we first got them. "Female" now has yellow on tail and blue jaw.

 

[flameangel88]

I bought a pair off LA DD last September and both were 3.25-3.5". Not long after getting them the female started to show male color. Both are around 4-4.5" and the female (changing to male) is slightly bigger actually shown courtship one night recently but haven't seen it again. The few days that followed one of them spent more time in the rocks and didn't even come out to eat but a week later everything is back to normal. I don't know what that was all about. Maybe the female went into the rocks to lay eggs? (wishful thinking here).

Here's the post on the courtship
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=16373674#post16373674

After a week in the DT both are swimming out in the open all the time. I'd bigger pair before but once settled in I never had any that was skittish. Was there any changes in your tank recently?

btw--where did you get the pair from?

 

[coppertop]

I bought a pair off LA DD last September and both were 3.25-3.5". Not long after getting them the female started to show male color. Both are around 4-4.5" and the female (changing to male) is slightly bigger actually shown courtship one night recently but haven't seen it again. The few days that followed one of them spent more time in the rocks and didn't even come out to eat but a week later everything is back to normal. I don't know what that was all about. Maybe the female went into the rocks to lay eggs? (wishful thinking here).

Here's the post on the courtship
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=16373674#post16373674

After a week in the DT both are swimming out in the open all the time. I'd bigger pair before but once settled in I never had any that was skittish. Was there any changes in your tank recently?

btw--where did you get the pair from?

Thanks for the link..very interesting. So what I understand is that the smaller "female" was simply a juvenile male. Not sure where I should go with this..I dont want any male-male agression.

Yes, there was a "change" in the DT that may have initiated the larger male hiding..we ran a diatom and blew alot of dust off the rock...he hasnt been the same since. He wont come out to eat. I hope he'll come around.. The smaller male wasnt bothered by it.

We bought the pair from our local fish store...Im not sure where his stock came from..but I can find out.