My male has been trying to breed my female but so far he has been unsuccessful. He doesn't chase her 24/7 but the female has gotten some Nice chunks taken out of her but no where near as bad as some of the pictures that I have seen here on MFK. That being said, she has gone off her normal feed routine and only spends a lot of time hidden in the sand, which she has never really done before. I plan on separating them with some egg crate but how long should I separate them and how long does it typically take the females to heal up? After my male learns to how breed successfully, are the following courtships as rough? Should I do anything once they are separated to help her heal faster other than my normal water changes?