# Endler problem (maybe sbd?)



## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

1. Size of tank? 16 gallon bowfront

2. Water parameters
a. Ammonia? 0
b. Nitrite? 0
c. Nitrate? 10
d. pH, KH and GH? 7 and 3
e. Test kit? Master Kit from API

3. Temperature? 79

4. FW (fresh water) or BW (brackish)? FW

5. How long the aquarium has been set up? 1.5 - 2 years

6. What fish do you have? How many are in your tank? How big are they? How long have you had them? 4 Bronze corys. I guess I've had them almost as long as the tank. 1.5 years. 5 Endler's livebearers. 6 months maybe? 1 female betta (about a week). A bunch of pond snails

7. Were the fish placed under quarantine period (minus the first batch from the point wherein the tank is ready to accommodate the inhabitants)? The female betta was not but the problem I'm having existed before her.

8. a. Any live plants? Fake plants? Lots of live plants (java moss, wisteria, crypts, java fern, vals, anubias, dwarf sag, frogbit)
b. Sand, gravel, barebottom? Eco Complete
c. Rocks, woods, fancy decors? Any hollow decors? Two pieces of driftwood, both over a year old.

9. a. Filtration? Aquaclear 30
b. Heater? Yep

10. a. Lighting schedule? What lights are used? Plant light, 15 watts, 8-10 hours a day
b. Any sunlight exposure? How long? No

11. a. Water change schedule? Weekly. 
b. Volume of water changed? 25% or more
c. Well water, tap water, RO water? Tap
d. Water conditioner used? Prime
e. Frequency of gravel/sand (if any) vacuumed? Weekly or every two weeks

12. Foods? Fancy guppy food (Hikari), stuff that lives in the tank. They eat things out of the java moss all the time. Corys get sinking carnivore pellets, betta gets atison's. 
How often are they fed? Once a day, small pinch. They've lately been getting some atisons in there because I crush them for my female betta. She's only 6 months old.

13. a. Any abnormal signs/symptoms? One male Endler seems to have a problem. Right after he eats he starts losing his ability to use his tail and his equilibrium gets all screwy. He ends up on his back, rights himself and tries to swim. At first his tail is very stiff and he doesn't seem to use it at all. Over time it gets better. By late evening/the next morning, he's fine. Then when he eats it starts over again. I isolated him in a breeders trap for now because his brothers are picking on him and I thought if I could control his food better, he would do better. I fed him very little today and see no change. This has been going on for weeks now. I'm thinking swim bladder problems but I wanted to see if anyone had any other ideas? 
b. Appearance of poop? Not sure but I have him in a breeder trap so I can see it better.
c. Appearance of gills? Seem fine, not swollen at all.

14. a. Have you treated your fish ahead of diagnosis? No
b. What meds were used?

15. Insert photos of fish in question and full tank shot if necessary. 
Video of behavior here (please excuse my husband's ball game and yelling. Also please excuse little Ninjette trying to hog the camera )...





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## InvertPlanet (Mar 25, 2011)

have you tried boiled peas? This is supposed to be a simple and very digestible solution for a swim bladder condition.

Another option might be soaking the food first.. (just tossing ideas out there)


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

I might try the pea option. I've switched foods. I have tiny new life spectrum pellets and he seems to be doing better on those. Plus, I've waaay lowered the amount I was giving them. Those teeny pellets are hard to judge sometimes and I think I've been overfeeding in general. But I think a pea might help clear him out. He does nothing but hunt for food all day. I think he has issues. :lol:


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## ghostgirl (Oct 16, 2010)

He almost looks like scooby doo when he gets food. just kind of rolls around saying mmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmm. I hope the little guy gets better soon.


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

I would bet a digestive problem... Probably constipation due to overeating.

A cooked pea (preferably fresh or frozen- canned are full of salt) would work -squeezed out of the 'skin'. Give him 1-2 per day for a week if he will eat them.
Feed him algae tablets/flake if possible, and give him 1-2 days without food every week.

If there's no improvement, you might have to use epsom salts...

Next time you do a water change, save 1 gallon of the water.
Dissolve 1 tbsp of Epsom salts in a cup of fresh dechlorinated water, add it to the gallon of ages tank water, and leave the endler in it for 10 minutes. Then remove to the main tank again.
(You can scale down the amounts, and place him in a container floating in the tank..
That way the temperature won't be different.)

If this sounds too complicated, you can always add low doeses of Epsom salts to the main tank.. Just seems needless since you only have one sick fish.


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

Thanks! I can do that. I have to do a water change tomorrow. I have a little critter keeper I can use for 10 minutes. I'll see if that helps. He's not interested in peas. He went... Ptooooey!!! Right now he's kinda windmilling around. I watch him now and he eats CONSTANTLY. Even while he can't stay upright, he's munching in the gravel while upsidedown. :/
Edit, I forgot to mention, everyone gets fasted on Saturday.


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