Pairing off to a bad start

[gwand]

I have a pair of young adult (less than inch) Apistogramma borelli quarantined in a 10 gallon well planted tank with three coconut caves. The female does not tolerate the male and always chases him away. After the quarantine period they will be the sole inhabitants (except for 10 n. beckfordi) of a well planted 20 gallon long with multiple caves. What are the chances the female will accept the male as she gets older?

 

[GaryE]

It's more than likely he's the one needing to grow. I always had trouble with pairs in 10 gallons. Once the tiny ones like borellii pair off, the tank size works, but for the intro period, small tanks aren't always the best.

 

[anewbie]

Pictures might help to guess the age; typically the male borelli is 2 to 3 x larger than the female. In the world of fishes size seems to matter though not always.

 

[GaryE]

The reason I thought the male might need time was fitness more than size. If she's taking runs at him and he can't stand his ground, then she'll see him as a weak one. If he gains strength, she might reconsider...

It also depends on whether they're fighting as testing, or if he's been driven to the top corner of death.

 

[gwand]

I bought the pair from the Wet Spot. Neither have much color yet. They are both about one inch and roughly the same size. Are they really male and female? My

QT tank has numerous plastic plants and 3 coconut caves.

 

[anewbie]

I'm not sure they are m/f; better pictures would help - cocnut shells are not that great for hiding - they are ok for laying eggs since the female can defend the spot but for hiding they can become traps which fishes don't like. The top one could be a male simply because it has colouring but if it is a male it is far from mature; the bottom what is confusing me are the pelvic fins which look like a male with the long extension but it could be an adult female; though it might grow another 1/4 to 1/2 inch to reach full maturity if female. In any event at a bit over 1 inch it is likely sexually mature if a female and the male will need as much as 4 months to reach sexual maturity so i would either sep them or put them in a larger aquarium.

--
i take one thing back while the pelvic fins are long but the anal fin does look like a female.

 

[gwand]

Shouldn’t a mature female be a golden yellow?

 

[anewbie]

Shouldn’t a mature female be a golden yellow?

Only in breeding dress; often times when not breeding she will be a very dull yellowish colour.