I realize I've been posting alot between my sick moor and other various questions...sorry. But, here is another one.

My orange fantail, Mars, is not leaving my white/red oranda, Pheonix, alone. He's swimming beside her, behind her, and she is currently floating next to my filter not moving. I know she's alive because she will move every once in awhile. Luckily Mars doesn't seem to bother her there, but he hovers around it so the seconds she moves he's right there.
I don't have spare tank and my third goldfish, Spaceboy, occassionally goes after her, but it's almost as though he feels left out so he chases her for a second then goes back to what he was doing.

Is there ANYTHING I can do to keep Mars away from Phoenix. I don't even know if she's old enough to breed yet. She is about (her body length, do you count fins?) 2" long, a little under. Mars is a little over 2". He's acting like a horny teenager and I want him to stop.

Also, I haven't sexed them, I just immediately (from the time I got them) started calling Mars a boy and Phoenix a girl, but I think I'm right.

It's fun to watch, but I worry about Phoenix. I also have no way of taking care of baby fish.

You could possible put a glass divider in, that way the female is segragated from the males. This would work for the short term until breeding season is over.

If she is showing signs of distress then its time to seperate.

this may be a sign she is tired or exaughested (sp?)
Can you divide the tank? if not can you set up a temp home for her? just to let her rest.
I am curently going thru the same thing. I take my female away and pop her in a breeder net/atatchment that is still in the same tank so they cant hurt her, after a while then I release her, once they get to full on again I pop her back in there.

He only chases her about three hours a day in two or three spurts. She hasn't been by the filter all that much today. I can't really separate them since I am stuck in my room due to illness and currently my sick fish is in my spare tank.

I have a TINY gallon tank that I guess I can use if it gets really bad. Would that be okay?

Thanks for the help.

That's happening to my fish as well. Even if you have a large bucket you can use to set up a temp home for one of the fish should do the trick. It's what I'm doing right now.

A one gallon tank would be ok for a couple of days, to give her a rest. Just remember to change the water often.

Good Luck

thank you for all the help. Mars has left her alone all day today, but I will have the other tank on standby just in case.