maroon pairing

[extreme5450]

is it possible to pair a white and gold stripe maroon. i have a 3 in white stripe maroon and i am looking to find a small gold stripe. Since the gold stripe will still have its white stripes

 

[ocellaris123]

Yes it is possible, and quite commonly done. They are the same species, and you will get fertile offspring from the pairing.

 

[extreme5450]

thats good to hear, the white stripe that i have is a misbar will that be carryed on to the offspring? and do u think that i could put a 1in maroon it with my 3in maroon with success?

 

[ocellaris123]

Yes you can put a 1 inch maroon to pair up with the 3 incher with success. Just watch them closely. You may even try putting the smaller maroon in a breeder box for a day to let them get used to each other before you release him. Not sure about the misbar question.

 

[Korrine]

Please keep us updated on how it works out. I've read maroon's are the hardest to pair.

 

[extreme5450]

will do. I just found some 1 in gold stripes and i am going to pick one up tomorrow

 

[DGee]

I've successfully done this once, and used the complete opposite approach. I had a 2" who's gold stripe had just started on his head, I'd had him for about a year flying solo.

I added a large 3.5 - 4" GSM. Upon introduction the male swam right up to the female and began twitching. The female pretty much ignored him for the first day. Within the 3rd day they were inseparable.

I may have just been super lucky with the pairing but it was the easiest pairing I'd ever done. One day I think I'll try this method again.

 

[extreme5450]

i've had my white stripe for about a year flying solo also. i've just read that introducing a larger one will have them fighting so the death, since the original one will try to defend his tank

 

[Godoftheseas]

I initially had a 3-4 inch white stripe and wanted to find her a mate. Mine mate was also to be white stripe but the idea is the same. I had the little one approx. 1 inch long in a breeder box with holes cut in it. I let the breeder box float around the tank until she no longer went out of her way to take runs at the box. Then i placed a small piece of lr in the breeder box to sink it down to where the queen dwells. After another day I released the little. She beat the explicative out of him. Then I recaptured and started the process over again. Upon second release they were a happy albeit somewhat abusive couple.

Reader's digest version: Just pair them very slowly.

 

[velvetelvis]

Joyce Wilkerson also talks about how to pair maroons in her book. She recommends the same method DGee and Godoftheseas used: put a tiny male in the tank of a much larger female, give him protection, like a box or a barrier that she can't get into--and watch them like a hawk! Good luck!