I got a 10” male Trimac from a friend when I already had a 6” female…
　
They were both placed in a 4x2x2 120 gal. There was a large pot in the tank that had a hole in it large enough for the smaller female to fit in but the male could not fit. There was a pile of rocks and slate buried in sand which a pair of adult Convicts used as shelter.
　
The pair got along very well in this set up for about a year until I unfortunately had to get rid of them as well as the tank they were in. When they were ready to spawn, the female would retreat into the pot and lay her eggs and the male could not fertilize them. This could have been worked around, I just chose not to.
　
　
When dividing a tank we have to ask ourselves if half of the tank is enough space for each fish. In this case I do not believe it would be and would therefore discourage using a divider.
　
Instead, I do suggest you give the female a cave of sorts that she fits into that the male does not. My experience was that during ‘breeding week’ the female would hide for most of the week, but the other 3 weeks out of the month they would parade around the tank as a happy pair.
　
They were both placed in a 4x2x2 120 gal. There was a large pot in the tank that had a hole in it large enough for the smaller female to fit in but the male could not fit. There was a pile of rocks and slate buried in sand which a pair of adult Convicts used as shelter.
　
The pair got along very well in this set up for about a year until I unfortunately had to get rid of them as well as the tank they were in. When they were ready to spawn, the female would retreat into the pot and lay her eggs and the male could not fertilize them. This could have been worked around, I just chose not to.
　
　
When dividing a tank we have to ask ourselves if half of the tank is enough space for each fish. In this case I do not believe it would be and would therefore discourage using a divider.
　
Instead, I do suggest you give the female a cave of sorts that she fits into that the male does not. My experience was that during ‘breeding week’ the female would hide for most of the week, but the other 3 weeks out of the month they would parade around the tank as a happy pair.
