Need help...

[palileo]

I have a 3" White Banded Maroon which I received about a month ago... I've heard that it is a female because not only it's size but the fact that it has been by itself for at least a year. Is this true? Well, about a week or so ago, I added a smaller one... within a few hours, I found it dead. Most likely because the female killed it... and probably because it was a female also. Someone has told me that to be sure that I bring in a male I should pick the smaller fish in a group. Well, last night I added one that is about 1". The larger one immediately chased it away and has been bullying it. I removed the larger one from the display and put it in my refugium... to try and let the little one get comfortable. Well, today I decided to try and force them together in the refugium... The larger one is still picking on it. I'm thinkin I'll put the smaller one back in the display to let it get established and then add the larger one back in about a week or 2...

Anyone have any suggestions as to how to get these 2 to get along... or should I just remove them both and start our fresh...

 

[TOURKID]

your biggest problem is separateing them. your lil one is DEFINATLY going to get picked on. fins torn and ripped, lil bites etc. the only reasurance you'll need is to see that lil one shaking and shimmying. if it starts doing that it is showing submission. that it understands the female is the female.

do not pull either of them unless your SURE the baby will die without intervention. its just part of the mateing process. if she doesent stop picking on him within 3 days, then maybe start fresh, or try a different juvi. heres a few pics of my adventure

this is how i introduced my juvi. the female tried like crazy to beat on it, but just kept getting bites of plastic. i realeased the baby after about 35 hours.

this is what the baby looked like after about an hour.

this is what they looked like 24 hours later. he is acclimating himself to the nem and shes letting him

happy couple months later

if you need any help just ask.

 

[palileo]

wow... pretty much what is happening. the little one was shimmying, thought it was showing aggression back... i even have the same container to introduce them. they are both in it now as they are in my fuge in it... the little one definately looks like yours did... but it seems as the female is not beating it to death... just acting like it wants to. should i just put them back in the display? i was thinking i might be able to stress the female into not picking on it and forcing them to get along in such confined quarters...

 

[TOURKID]

no i would think the smaller quarters and leaveing her home wouls stress her out more. id move em back to the sisplay like 3 hours b4 lights out. so the lil one can find a good spot to rest

 

[palileo]

i returned them both to the display a few hours ago... female has returned to the bta and the little guy is in a corner at the top of the tank... hopefully he will be ok in the morning. thanks for the help!

 

[palileo]

this morning the little guy is still up in the corner of the tank with the female kinda coming out to see where he is. she isn't beating him up. seems as if she is either trying to coax him out of the corner or make sure he stays... not sure which one yet.

 

[palileo]

everytime he leaves his corner, she seems to be hassling him... i got really nervous that he might be doomed so i did as Tourkid did and put the little guy in the container right in front of the Green Bubble Tip. The female initially rammed into the glass a few times but seems to leave him alone now... The container is about 2 inches away from her and the anemone. I will probably leave him in there for a couple days to try and let her get use to seeing him.

 

[palileo]

it's been 24 hours since i released the little guy... found them swimming together away from the anemone for a bit but as soon as they saw me, the female went off to the anemone. the little guy stays up in a corner by my overflow. i see him venture off every now and then but seems to like the corner. every now and then the female goes up to the corner and looks to be trying to coax him away from the corner. hopefully they'll pair up. seems like the 3 or 4 days in the container next to the female and anemone did the trick because she is no longer beating him up.