Never, Ever. Keep male and female together.
did you know they give off a "scent" as if to say, here I am, this is me? When in the same tank, even divided, the female can have some problems such as: lethargy, clamping, immune system crash, egg bound. All of which can lead to sickness and/or death.
Males can become more violent, irritated, or if they are more passive they can become the prey...to the female. They can also start tail biting out of frustration.
I have seen a few people work with this, however their tanks I believe are 20 GALLONS long or bigger, stuffed so full of plants you can barely see anything other than plants, and they have the tank completely cycled, and maintain it every week to ensure the pheromones stay down, and the fish remain healthy.
IF your fish breed, the eggs will die. 1. There is not enough room in the tank. 2. I do not think you have the foods ready at hand. 3. In a small tank, I am unsure if you have an adjustable heater. 4. Ammonia is more present in smaller tanks.
Then, if they breed, the male will attack the female until she hides or dies. Doesn't matter to him. As long as his nest is safe. You do not want that! I've also had manly females that have killed their partner.
Is that a risk, you are willing to take? We want to ensure you have the knowledge, and the power, to have healthy and active fish. We don't want you to waste all that time and money for these fish, because of something that could have been fixed.