Illness in Endlers
The old adage “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” certainly applies to caring for Endlers Livebearers.
Providing a clean stable environment for your Endlers on one of the most important aspects in keeping your Endlers healthy.
Not long ago Endlers could only be found in their natural environment. Perhaps this is why Endlers while being extremely hardy can become overwhelmed with disease or illness if not properly cared for in a very short period of time.
Maintaining a Healthy Environment for Your Endlers.
As with any fish a good healthy environment should be maintained for optimum health and longevity. One of the keys to providing a good environment for your fish is a knowledge and proper use of the nitrogen cycle in your aquarium.
Here is a simple easy to understand video that helps explain the nitrogen cycle if you are not familiar with how it works.
Overcrowding and the Effects on Endlers Livebearers.
If you don’t have a way to properly take care and house the many fry that can be produced from a handful of Endlers you may wish to consider keeping only male Endlers in your tank.
Overcrowding Endlers can quickly lead to disease or illness. One of the most common illnesses that may have to be dealt with in an overcrowded tank is Ich.
Ich usually presents itself as small white specks on the body of the fish somewhat resembling salt. It is also easy to see on the female fish when it is on the fins as it can make parts of the fin look darker rather than clear as it should be in healthy Endlers.
Fortunately Ich is usually very easy to cure in Endlers once the overcrowded conditions are resolved because Endlers enjoy a higher temperature setting (75-81 Deg F.) then most tropical fish. The high temperature accompanied with treatments of salt and common Ich remedies rapidly cures the illness.
Note: Keeping your fish in a tank that is too cold can leave your fish in a weakened condition making them susceptible to illness.
Extreme cases of overcrowding can cause thin, weak fish, ammonia burn, deformities, and dropsy.
How Many Fish Per Tank?
The number of fish that can be placed in your tank is dependent on a number of factors.
Tank Size
The larger the surface area the tank has the better the oxygen exchange takes place. Tall thin tanks do not have as much surface area as short fat tanks.
Filtration Systems
Another factor is the type of filtration system used in the tank. Some filtration systems rely on carbon and small filters to help filter the water. The carbon helps to remove some of the harmful nitrates and ammonia that may be produced however many of these systems lack the ability to harbor sufficient quantities of bacteria to maintain a proper nitrogen cycle.
There are many excellent filtration systems available to help maintain a proper nitrogen cycle. Endlers will do best if a filtration system is used that does not create too much water movement.
We prefer to use sponge filters as it works well for us and provides nice water movement for the Endlers. Some of the advantages to sponge filters are that they are easy to clean, last a very long time if properly maintained, and are low in cost. Sponge filters also don’t require any expensive cartridges that need replacing every few weeks.
Partial Water Changes
Partial water changes are needed in order to maintain a healthy aquarium. In most cases you should not have to completely empty the tank of its water and replace it with fresh water as this is damaging to much of the beneficial bacteria that is created when cycling the tank.
The number of water changes required over a specific period of time varies depending on a number of factors including the number of fish in the aquarium, the number of plants and the type of filtration system used.
Plants are another factor that can help in maintaining a healthy Endler population. Plants help give shelter to the the adult Endlers as well as the fry. Plants also help to keep the nitrate levels down in the aquarium.
So Many Fish Exactly?
So how many fish should you keep in your tank? We have found that in a healthy well planted 10 gallon tank you should be able to keep 10-20 male Endlers,
This is only a general guide and your situation may be different. Be very careful not to push the limits too much as your fish may suffer ill effects very quickly.
Keep in mind that 8 females can produce between over 150 fry in less than a month so it’s important to remove them and place them in a suitable home as needed to prevent overcrowding.
Feeding Your Endlers
Another factor in keeping healthy Endlers is to give them a proper diet. Relatively speaking Endlers have not been kept in captivity for very long. It’s important to give them a diverse diet to help keep them in optimal health.
Feeding your Endler cheap flake fish food can result in your fish becoming constipated and in extreme cases can lead to death. Offering brine shrimp (live or frozen) as well as greens such as algae may help to prevent the Endler from getting constipated.
Our Endlers are fed crushed flake food, small pelletized food, frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, golden pearls, spirulina, and cyclops however we do try various other foods from time to time.
Algae is allowed to build up on rocks and the walls of our tanks as Endlers love to continually graze on any algae that may build up. This gives our Endlers an opportunity to eat throughout the day and gives them a food source when we are out of town.
Keeping Endlers is really not that hard just remember some of these simple guidelines and you should have happy, healthy Endlers for years to come!