Lyretail Anthias

[izzyish]

I purchased 3 lyretail anthias 1 week ago, 2 females and 1 male. I have them in a 16 gallon qt right now. One of the females, who is the same size as the male, recently has started fighting with the male. They lock lips and twirl around the tank, I just got through watching them do it for 10 minutes. Should I let them fight it out? I don't have another tank to separate them so that's out of the question. Since they look healthy should I just put them in the display tank so they'll have more room?

TIA
Izzy

 

[eatbreakfast]

The femaleis.challenging the male for dominance, and has likely began its transition to a male. A 16g does not have enough space for the loser to escape.