A Little Competition ( Australia Only)

[jayc]

Received the Blue Star Endlers today, and just finished acclimating them for the last 9+ hours.

Moved them into their own tank. Lights are off for them to get used to it. 

Thanks again Wayne.

[Frosty]

YAY! When you turn the lights on I’d love to see some photos!

[Crabby]

On 9/22/2020 at 8:13 PM, Frosty said:

YAY! When you turn the lights on I’d love to see some photos!

Me too!

[jayc]

They were so difficult to shoot. Constantly moving.

 

The camera doesn't do this fish justice. The tail section that might look silver in colour in the above pics, is actually refracting more of a blue green colour in real life.

Edited September 24, 2020 by jayc

[wayne6442]

Looking good They may not colour up properly for a couple of weeks after they settle down 

Enjoy

[Crabby]

So... I was one of the winners of this competition, and I just realised I never uploaded any photos of the fish I was sent (thank you again so much Wayne, by the way!) but they've been doing well, up until yesterday, when I lost 2 shrimp (first in months) due to a high pH. I naturally did a water change with a slow drip back in, and the lid was off during that time. This morning I looked in the tank and couldn't see the male. This afternoon I checked again... and still no male. I looked for a body in case he jumped, but there wasn't one. I'm almost certain I checked the bucket after I took the water out for fish. I can't see any bodies in the tank either. I'm very confused and worried. Has anybody else just LOST a fish before??? 

Crabby

[Taste]

i just "lost" a cory once like this. i suspect it became one with the ecosystem, but damn did it have to happen quick

[sdlTBfanUK]

I used to keep endler guppies in my oldest tank and they were my favourites but I never did well with them and gave up. There are assassin snails and red cherry shrimp also in that old tank. The tank has a well fitting lid so none could have jumped out but the numbers slowly dropped each time I got a batch of new ones. They are very curious fish and go everywhere in the tank and very occassinaly I would find a body wedged/stuck behind or under something like a filter or heater. It was very densely planted as well so I expect others got wedged/stuck where I couldn't see them but I also expect the shrimps and snails had a good feast on the dead fish. 9 out of 10 times I never see a dead fish and only counting the remaining fish reveals any are missing?

I lost all the neon tetras (5 or 6) when we had a really hot week in the summer, in that same tank, but I never saw any dead bodies. Bizarrely the ember tetras in the very same tank were fine, so they tolerate higher temperatures obviously! Plan is to get an aircon/dehumidifyer for that room by next year, but they've been out of stock since the summer and they probably won't restock them until the spring now I guess?

Simon

[jayc]

On 11/16/2020 at 5:09 PM, Crabby said:

Has anybody else just LOST a fish before?

Yeah, I have.

Lost a female dwarf cichlid that got sucked into a surface skimmer. Didn't find it until I took the skimmer out wondering why it wasn't working. I have had others go missing and was never found and blamed it on other fish in the tank.

These endlers are not jumpers. At least I don't think they are being so slow. 

It might still be hiding in the tank if you have a heavily planted tank. 

 

On a similar topic, the Blue Star Endlers I got from Wayne has given birth. I see 3 babies. The female could have given birth to more but might have eaten some. She is still looking fat, so maybe there are more to come. They are being fed mozzie wriggles after all the rain we have been getting. So the live foods might be giving them the extra stimulus to breed.

Edited November 17, 2020 by jayc

[Crabby]

Nah I can't find him at all, I think he must be dead, whatever has happened. 

It's reassuring to hear I'm not the only one. Still a bit upset - he was a lovely fish, one of the most beautiful endlers I've ever seen. The girl looks MASSIVE in the belly, completely boxed off, but she's actually looked like that for nearly a month now! I can't tell if she's pregnant, or if it's something else. She does actually have a strange tube coming out of her, near her gravid spot, which I assume is her anal tube? At least, that's what she poos out of. Never seen it exposed on a fish before though. Hopefully it isn't a problem, and she's pregnant. I think if she isn't, I'll have to buy another male.

[jayc]

Happy to report that the pair from @wayne6442 has dropped another 12 fry !

And the female looks like she is still holding more.

This tank is going to be overcrowded soon. Fed the parents heaps this time, so they weren't tempted to predate on any fry. 

Edited March 24, 2021 by jayc

[Crabby]

That's awesome! Would love to see some photos once the fry start growing up.

[jayc]

Yeah, sure. 

However, that might be a couple of months from now.