Vermiculite troubles....

[TJmach]

My male vermiculite male is not happy about having a lady in his life... I introduced the female a few days before the male. She was very interested in him at first but now she's terrified.. I have checked with a few people to make sure I don't have a female that's turning male but ill post pics incase someone sees something we didn't. It's been two days of serious aggression from the male. They've been in the DT for 6-7 days. Any suggestions will help!

 

[TJmach]

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Quoted for image.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Sadly, if it hasnt gotten any better by now it probably wont. Better make plans to remove one of them.

Sometimes a female will begin to transition and it wont be seen by the human eye, but is obvious to the male.

 

[TJmach]

Ok so if I want to try and pair one of them, what would be the best way to do so? Should I get another female and introduce it to the one that could be turning, or try to introduce to the male again?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Generally getting 2 juveniles together allows is best as it allows them to work things out on their own. In your case probably taking out the existing male and adding the smallest juvenile you can find is the next best option.

 

[TJmach]

Thank you very much for your help!

 

[TJmach]

Sorry to start up a completed thread, but how long does it typically take for a vermiculite wrasse to go from female to male, color change and all?

 

[eatbreakfast]

It really depends on a number of factors, anywhere from a couple of weeks to over a year.

 

[TJmach]

I would love to learn more about leopards, specifically. Are there any good books that you recommend?

 

[eatbreakfast]

The best way of learning is through experience, yours and other reefers.

Scott Michael has a book on wrasses that has pretty good info, but I haven't found any 1 book, that covers any group to my complete satisfaction.

 

[TJmach]

Thanks, to everyone for your input. I just wanted to give a quick update.
After about 3-4 weeks of serious aggression from my male, the female went into the sand. After 4 days of not seeing her I gave up on any chance she might still be alive...
On the 5th day she came out and was the aggressor for about a week.
Now the two of them (male and female) cruise around my tank together, happy as can be. There has been absolutely no aggression since.

By the way, Scott Michael does have a great book on wrasses, but I think the best advice I was given was "the best way of learning is through experience, yours and other reefers".
I've had aquariums my whole life and I'm still a newbie...