A Fresh Start

[plankton]

Soak the food in garlic as well as the live/frozen.

[BalloonMolly]

Oo good shout, will do!

He had a bit of a go at the pea this morning, and since it's so lightly stocked I left some excess in for the day to be grazed upon.

[Martinspuddle]

He's getting much better in the evenings, actually interacted with the others again yesterday.

I've got a 50w heater for approx 50L (once decor and substrate have been accounted for), however the room the tanks in is very poorly insulated and right below the roof so prone to getting very cold very quickly. So I added an additional 50w heater to help them "keep up" with the swings in the room and maintain a more consistent temp. It's been much better since then but I think the damage was done in the few days before...

But, on that note, this will also make it very difficult for me to quarantine any fish in future because the 20L QT tank is in the same room and will obviously take even less time to drop in temperature. Hopefully it'll be a fair bit warmer by that point though!

From experience, I found aquarium heaters don't last very long in cold rooms compared to a heated room.

[BalloonMolly]

Yes I'm expecting that they'll be struggling, especially if used on their own - hopefully having both means they'll last a bit longer. Unfortunately I'm in a flat that doesn't have independently-controlled radiators so heating the room to a consistent temperature using additional electric heaters is very difficult (and expensive!)

[Staffylover]

If it's a fairly small tank just overnight could you put a blanket over for extra insulation - I do this with just a large towel in the QT tank which is in a cold room if it's going to be frosty, I leave 1 corner uncovered as an air gap I expect this is unnecessary but saves me worrying.

[BalloonMolly]

That's a good idea, I'll give it a go.

[Martinspuddle]

...don't forget a hotwater bottle, teddy and a bedtime story.

[BalloonMolly]

Been reading them bedtime stories and everything and making little progress...

Nitrogenous water quality is still excellent, zero everything. Been soaking the pea and bloodworms in garlic for the respective feeding days.

Yet the original Endler, while much more interactive and energetic, is still very dark in colour and has some amount of fin rot/torn fins. Can't see any sign of fungal infection and no parasites visible on the body. He bumps into decorations and other fish sometimes, and also looks very "rough": not pineconing like dropsy but is scales are quite distinct.

Two of the others had started to be very lethargic and despite having overeaten the week before (including pea), have not passed their food as far as I've observed. One of them died the day after they started shimmying and resting on the bottom of the tank. The other is still alive and his colour looks really good, but just hangs in a still corner of the tank and shimmies most of the time.

Really stumped for what to do other than carry on with the water changes and feeding. I live in quite an old building and worried that maybe it's something to do with pipe material meaning the water contains eg: lots of copper or something. Nothing is being sprayed near the tank, the water is well oxygenated, etc. any ideas?

[Martinspuddle]

Been reading them bedtime stories and everything and making little progress...

Nitrogenous water quality is still excellent, zero everything. Been soaking the pea and bloodworms in garlic for the respective feeding days.

Yet the original Endler, while much more interactive and energetic, is still very dark in colour and has some amount of fin rot/torn fins. Can't see any sign of fungal infection and no parasites visible on the body. He bumps into decorations and other fish sometimes, and also looks very "rough": not pineconing like dropsy but is scales are quite distinct.

Two of the others had started to be very lethargic and despite having overeaten the week before (including pea), have not passed their food as far as I've observed. One of them died the day after they started shimmying and resting on the bottom of the tank. The other is still alive and his colour looks really good, but just hangs in a still corner of the tank and shimmies most of the time.

Really stumped for what to do other than carry on with the water changes and feeding. I live in quite an old building and worried that maybe it's something to do with pipe material meaning the water contains eg: lots of copper or something. Nothing is being sprayed near the tank, the water is well oxygenated, etc. any ideas?

My house is 174 years old, I don't have any issues.

Most aquatic medications are copper based, so that won't be the issue. This is why you must be cautious when using with aquarium housing shrimp, Copper Cu even in small doses is lethal to Invertebrates.

A course of API Melafix might well help, Endlers are usually pretty tough.

How long since setup cycled, I've slept since your last post?

Have you tested your water supply?

[black ghost]

The copper used in medications is chelated copper (combined with other substances), which is very different to the pure copper molecules that dissolve from copper pipes. It dissolves more quickly at lower pH’s, but it is absorbed by silicone sealant, for steady slow release later. Some fish species are very sensitive to it.

What are the pH and GH of your tank? (I also sleep). Do you use water from the hot tap? (higher in copper).

”Copper can be toxic to some sensitive fish species and is highly toxic to many invertebrate species. Even for more tolerant species, chronic copper use can damage gills, kidneys, spleens, and other organs and systems. Copper will depress the immune system.”[/]
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FA165