Trying to Pair Two Flame Hawkfish

[MuffsAbby]

A few months ago, I had a major leak in the bulkhead of my tank. Regrettably, in the process of draining the tank, I lost my flame hawk. The little guy jumped to the middle of the rockwork, where there was then no water. I couldn't get to him, and he either couldn't or wouldn't jump back in the water. By the time I managed to get to him, it was too late. He was my favorite fish, and it broke my heart to lose him.

Fast forward to today...the DT is now fixed and my other fish are back in. Today, I went out in search of a new flame hawk. I found two, both small (about 1.5 inches each). I have always wanted a pair, so I bought both in hopes of pairing them. They went in my QT about 5 hours ago. I bought a tank divider and put it in, but either it was useless or I am, since there was still a small space at the side, and one of the flames snuck through said space. I thought, oh no, here we go"¦but the two flames just huddled together in the corner of the tank. I removed the divider, since it was serving no purpose. Over the past few hours, I have seen only one minor chase, lasting about 2 or 3 seconds. Otherwise, the two flames have either huddled together, or ignored each other. I fed them about an hour ago, and both ate. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things continue to go well.

Wish me luck"¦and any advice or experience is welcomed.

 

[MuffsAbby]

Update: So far, so good. No signs of aggression from either flame, and neither appears to be hiding from the other. They seem to be ignoring each other. They are both eating well, and they don't fight or chase each other when food goes in the tank. I managed to see them side by side once, and could get a better handle on their relative size...they're both small, but one is a bit bigger than the other.

Interested in hearing from others who have tried this, or who acquired two "paired" flames. Did yours simply ignore each other at first? Do they still do that today?

 

[bullitr]

I have mine fight for few minutes when introduce and still jab at each other once in a while when they see each other so far so good.
If yours are not fighting then consider yourself lucky.
Good luck with yours

 

[MuffsAbby]

Thanks bullitr...good luck with yours too!