The epic battle begins.

[Gold Stripe]

Well I went for it. Just introduced my 5 inch Gold Stripe that I have had for 5 years to my new 75 Gal along with a 2.5 inch Gold Stripe that I picked up at the LFS today. They locked fins almost right away and the 2.5 realized that he is no match so now he is playing defense. Little guy is much faster and more agile than the 5. Guess I will sit here all afternoon and watch to make sure nobody gets seriously hurt. No damage yet to either. Wish me luck.

 

[Gold Stripe]

Well that didnt last long. 10 minutes of fighting and now 5 is hiding in cave on 1 end and 2.5 is hiding in cave on the other end. Dont know if thats a good thing or a bad thing.

 

[Gold Stripe]

Now 5 is chasing 2.5 around the tank again. Little guy sure is fast.

 

[Gig 'em]

If I were you I'd take the little one out right away. In order to properly pair the two of them you need to give them time to properly establish their relationship. I paired mine by putting the two together in a 10 gallon tank and made a divider out of some left over plexiglass I had laying around. That way the two clowns could see each other and give time for the larger male to begin the sex change if not already a female. About a week of them developing a relationship worked for me and I put them together under close observation. The larger one would charge the smaller and it would go into the submissive position. They've been a happy pair ever since.

 

[Gig 'em]

Here's a picture of my pairing operation

 

[dalilgriffith]

Gig Em has the right idea but this is not 100% effective. Please contact all LFS for their return policy on these specimens as some will reject them, even alive.

 

[Grunt]

I had the hardest time pairing GSM's, just due to aggressiveness of females. I kept my males in a breeder box for a long time and if it didn't work out they went back in for protection.

Good luck

 

[Gold Stripe]

They are setteling down now. They can be in the same general area and when she turns towards him he just shakes and she leaves him alone.

 

[Gig 'em]

yeah that's what you want. The shaking is going into submission. That's a good sign of the pair becoming compatible. My pair still do that every now and then. Good luck with them and I hope everything turns out well

 

[Gold Stripe]

Well he only did the shaking thing once that I could see and now he is dodging her again. Much calmer though. Yesterday all he did is hide in the rocks and peek out occasionally and she would run him back in but today he is swimming all around the tank at the same time she is. They will swim within inches of each other without incident. Then the next time by she will flinch in his direction and he will bolt. But he comes right back. Just fed them and both ate like pigs so dont seem to be that stressed out..

 

[stykthyn]

my female seemed to pair up just fine with the male and then out of the blue two years later she up and killed him.

 

[dalilgriffith]

Female GSM's point of view
The male's bitter reality

 

[Gold Stripe]

I now pronounce them.....engaged?

Well she doesnt chase him anymore. But I'm not sure where we are in the relationship.

Since I dont have an anemone or any corals in the tank yet, she has picked out a cave that she calls home. He found a smaller cave to hide in while she was assaulting him so that she couldnt get to him.

Now they seem to be dating?

She will leave her cave and swim over to his. He will come out and shake a little for her. Then they will hang out together for a few minutes just swiming and drifting. He will shake every once in a while and they will rub together. Then in a few minutes she will go back to her cave and he will resume exploring with my purple tang. Later on they will repeat the sequence.

I want to get an anemone for them to share but I just downsized from my 180 to my 75 a few weeks ago and even though I never really got a spike (Rock and sand from my 4 year old 180) I want to give the tank a chance to age and finish the diatom cycle from the new lights.

Any thoughts on what is really happening?

 

[garygb]

It sounds like they are developing a pair bond. Your intuition is right about waiting a little longer for an anemone. I would wait at least a couple of more months even with cycled sand from your old tank. Since BTA's are the natural host for maroons and the easiest host anemone to keep, I strongly suggest you get one when you do decide to add an anemone. Karen's Rose Anemones, the FAQ's at the top of this forum, and the seemingly endless posts and articles on WetWebMedia will provide you with all the information you will need to successfully maintain an Entacmea quadricolor (either rose or green). If you can, get a tank-cloned one as they are generally tough. Congrats on the maroons pairing, that species can be touch-and-go. When you add an anemone, hopefully the pairs dynamic will continue and they will both peacefully inhabit the host. My guess is that the female will stake it out as her territory, but eventually let him join her and insist that he stay in the anemone at all times--bossy, sassy girls that they are.

 

[Gold Stripe]

Update: She will now let him come into the mouth of her cave and shake for her but she wont let him stay in there yet. She kind of drifts up against him sideways and nudges him out the door when he gets too far in. But when they are out in the open she lets him swin half a fin behind her and to the side. Looks like he knows his role.

 

[myreefcentral]

another guy bites the dust and gives in and letting the woman wear the pants...when well we ever see a male fish rebel and say no, i'm the man in the relationship...i wear the pants, you do what i say...then again, even us "human" guys don't have the nuts to stand up to our counter-parts either...haha!

 

[Gold Stripe]

And they said it couldnt be done. True love reigns!

The happy couple and their new home. All is right with the world.

 

[Grunt]

Congrats