Need advice pairing maroons

gar732 · Nov 20, 2014

I have a lightning maroon and a morse code that I'm trying to pair up. They are both juveniles and around the same size but the lightning seems to be the dominant one. When I first got them I introduced them to the tank at the same time and crossed my figures hoping this pairing would be easy, it was not. The morse code suffered from some torn fins and was fine otherwise but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be if I'd kept them together any longer. The morse code now resides in an acclimation box but the lighting is constantly trying to attack the morse code through the acrylic. I'm about to try to reintroduce the morse code but I'm pretty sure the results will be the same as last time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

mainereefer · Nov 20, 2014

wait till the lightning is bigger or get a big morse code
I put a small non lightning in with my lightning a couple weeks ago the lightning picks at the small one ripping its fins but not trying to kill it...
I will say my lightning is the first fish I have ever had that will try and attack my hand in the tank

Saltgator · Nov 20, 2014

Any chance the juveniles could both be females (lfs or whomever had them housed alone for a small period)? Far shot for juveniles but same thing happened to me trying to pair to goldflake maroons. Both were under a inch. It never worked in multiple attempts I tried. I had paired gold bands twice prior but had purchased a juvenile and a semi adult for those.

Imo, I'd switch them up. Put the aggressor in the box. I might even try putting them both in the box with some barrier that allowed flow rather than a solid barrier that didn't allow a flow (kinda like needle point).

gar732 · Nov 20, 2014

mainereefer said:
wait till the lightning is bigger or get a big morse code
I put a small non lightning in with my lightning a couple weeks ago the lightning picks at the small one ripping its fins but not trying to kill it...
I will say my lightning is the first fish I have ever had that will try and attack my hand in the tank

Getting another is my next step. My lightning doesn't show any aggression towards me at all, it's actually kind of skittish when ever I have my hands in the tank.

Saltgator said:
Any chance the juveniles could both be females (lfs or whomever had them housed alone for a small period)? Far shot for juveniles but same thing happened to me trying to pair to goldflake maroons. Both were under a inch. It never worked in multiple attempts I tried. I had paired gold bands twice prior but had purchased a juvenile and a semi adult for those.

Imo, I'd switch them up. Put the aggressor in the box. I might even try putting them both in the box with some barrier that allowed flow rather than a solid barrier that didn't allow a flow (kinda like needle point).

I think they are too small to females just yet but you never know. The morse code is slightly smaller and shows no aggression at all, it just runs for its life, so I'm pretty sure it's not female. I was thinking along the same line, I was going to try letting the morse code out and hopefully they get along. If that doesn't work I'll put the lightning in the time out box.

This is my first time working with maroons, all my other pairs are occy or perc and just recently orange skunk clowns and none of them have been this difficult to pair.