Help! A. Panduro Male being aggressive towards female

[fyrefish]

I have a pair of two a. panduro, and in the last day the male has become very aggressive. He has had a really perky dorsal fin, bright colours, and is chasing the female constantly. When this first occurred, the female seemed to have brighter colours too, but now they have become dimmer. The female is constantly wedging herself behind the heater to get away from the male, who zips after her if she comes out. I also asked this on Reddit, and someone said the male was ready to mate but the female wasn't. Parameters are all 0. What should I do? I could separate them if necessary, but it would take a few weeks to set up a new tank. They are currently in an 8 gallon tank, as they are still juvenile.

 

[MacZ]

I also asked this on Reddit, and someone said the male was ready to mate but the female wasn't.

For once people on reddit are right.

What should I do?

Separate them.

I could separate them if necessary, but it would take a few weeks to set up a new tank. They are currently in an 8 gallon tank, as they are still juvenile.

Sorry to be a bit sardonic, but 8 gallons is too small for a pair without the option to separate them at any given time. You should have started out with a bigger tank (100 liters Minimum) or set up a second tank from the start to be able to separate them. Better research in advance would have prevented this for sure.
The juvenile phase is over as the behaviour and colouration show.

 

[Mike Wise]

Also not all A. panduro accept just any member of the opposite sex.

 

[fyrefish]

Thanks for the help! They might not be a pair, but I'm pretty sure they are given they were already paired up at the store I bought them from, and they've been fine for the last few months. The aggression has stopped now, and I think they've begun doing 'mating rituals'? (Like following each other in circles, I know this is a mating behavior for other cichlids but not 100% sure about apistos). I think the aggression was coming from the size of the tank, I'm planning to upgrade them to a 20 gal long or something similar as soon as I get back from holidays.