Hello! I recently acquired a pair of apistogramma trifasciata for my 20 gallon tank. They were supposedly a breeding pair, but I've had them in my tank for about a week now and the male goes after the female and nips at her whenever he gets close. She spends her time on the opposite side of the tank from him trying to stay out of his way. He doesn't actively seek her out and chase her down, but he goes after her if they ever come across each other. The female seems to be okay for the most part. She does not hide all of the time, but she does seem pretty timid compared to the male, and clearly tries to avoid him.
Normally I would solve this problem by getting another female to balance out the aggression, but my local fish store does not have anymore of these fish, and likely will not for some time given their specialty nature. So I'm wondering what I should do. At what point should I be interfering and perhaps removing one of them from the tank? I do not have another tank available in which to keep the male or the female, so I could take one back to my local fish store if absolutely necessary. I don't want her to be living in fear.
Any advice appreciated!
Normally I would solve this problem by getting another female to balance out the aggression, but my local fish store does not have anymore of these fish, and likely will not for some time given their specialty nature. So I'm wondering what I should do. At what point should I be interfering and perhaps removing one of them from the tank? I do not have another tank available in which to keep the male or the female, so I could take one back to my local fish store if absolutely necessary. I don't want her to be living in fear.
Any advice appreciated!