# rip tuffy. help!! i need to know if the rest of my endlers r ok.



## summers1rose (Jul 7, 2011)

Ok this week. He was fine. Tuffy is a endler guppy mix. He was swiming fine till friday. Friday morning i found him swimming slow n when he would stop he would sink yo tje bottom nose first. So i took him out and put him in a bowl. Shortly after class that night he had gone. After looking at him in a bag. I found a red dark color u spot on him. Idk what it is. He didnt have it before. And after sitting in the bag for the night as i tried to find why. He got fuzz on him. :-(. Please help me make sure my tiger endlers will be ok. Pics are in profile. My phone wont let me post them on a message.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Added your pics for you so others can see.

First off,its normal for fuzz to appear after death,thats just the slime coat seperating from the body of the fish.They all do that.

What we need to know is the tank setup.How many fish,how many gallons,when your last waterchange was,what your ammonia nitrite and nitrate is,and if you did anything different to the tank when you noticed this happening.

Will also help to know what other fish are with him too.If there was a red U mark,that sounds to me like someone bit him.

Is any of the others acting like he did before death?

So sorry for your loss,RIP Tuffy.


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## summers1rose (Jul 7, 2011)

Well it is a 29 g tall. I just did half water change w new filter. 2 weeks ago. Just put plants in. Idk rember all the kinds. But one is java moss. I have tiger endlers. Maybe 20 idk hard to count babys. I have 2 common placo. Small ones. When i put the plants in i changed the water. I don't have a tester. I. Change a gallon 2 times a month. N watch for bubles or oder. They have never been this way. Wonder if it was the placo


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## summers1rose (Jul 7, 2011)

O and i couldnt post the pics because my phone wont work with the forum. I can text and upload thats it.


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

It sounds to me that he just got beat up and the stress got to him. You don't even really have adequate space for one plecostomus, let alone two. And they produce a lot of waste. I would do weekly 25% water changes to keep your tank at optimum health. Most of the time plecostomus won't attack any other fish (though I occaisonally see my boyfriend's plecostomus Chase his goldfish around the tank, no harm ever comes to either party). But there is a lot that I can't tell unless you could tell me the nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia in your water.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Well for one thing, it sounds like it may have had ammonia poisoning. Even with the plecos being small they still produce a lot of waste. You need to be changing out at least 25% of the water each week. You don't need to change out the filter as when you do that you are loosing a lot of good bacteria. Just rinse it out in old tank water in a bucket every couple of weeks. It can last a long time that way and don't change it for a new one until it's falling apart.

You need to consider rehoming the plecos and get a bristlenose or some oto's in there instead. You can't wait till they start getting to big as they won't in that small of a tank. It just stunts there growth causing a short lifespan and a painful death because the outside quits growing but the insides don't.


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## summers1rose (Jul 7, 2011)

Ya i have a 10 or 20 gallon. My son wants the placo's n sharks like balla n red tails. So i think i may put them their till i find out if walmart will take them back. Idk what i will get but my end if the month check should be a good one so i am picking up some things to help me with the tank. My ex along time ago took alot of things. And gave me the junk stuff. My heater even makes a noise when it heats up. Lol. But thanks yall. If you know someone who wants those placo's message me. They can come get them if they live close enough.


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

Be careful when buying bala sharks, they get too big, I have 3 in my 75 gal tank and that's pretty much all that will properly fit in there.just trying to save you from another headache  sorry to hear about your losses though, I hope things get better for you soon.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I agree with susan,it sounds like ammonia poisoning with how little you change out.You should be doing weekly waterchanges of about 30%,or even more considering you have babies.Plecos are heavy waste producers and will foul a tank quite quickly if the water is not cleaned like it should be.

Red streaks are one sign of ammonia poisoning,and if you do not keep the water changes up,sadly the rest of the fish will follow after Tuffy.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Is Tuffy the fish that was in a tank that was taken down for 1-2 years (no light, no filter) and he lived because there was some water left in it and your son was 'practicing' feeding fish. Then you discovered he was still in there one day? If it is, he could have just been old. Guppies (Endlers are a guppy species) only live for 2-3 years.

I agree with the others as well though - it could also have been ammonia poisoning.

Sorry about Tuffy!


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## summers1rose (Jul 7, 2011)

Ya. That was tuffy. Well i found one placi w a spot that is raised n red. Tuffy didnt have a raised spot. So i am watching the other one. Tge one w the spot is doscile. Swims slow n easy just puts around the tank. When the other is a butt n speeds around. Like he has torets or something. He just is everywhere. I like he doscile one cuz he sits n eats has been since i got him a month ago. But if this is a bug. Then it came from walmart. Maybe i should talk w them about damaged product cuz of infection.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

It won't do any good to talk to walmart about a disease as they don't really care. And if its over the guarantee time they won't take it back.

I still think its your water that is causing the problems as you don't do enough changes for the fish that you have. You need to research your fish before buying and you need to learn to do weekly water changes if you want a healthy tank.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

^ Agree 100%.You will always have health issues if you dont learn to do those changes.Its a pain sure,but its for the health of the animal.Look at it this way.You have say,a husky in a kennel.The kennel is about 12 foot by 12 foot(of course this isnt big enough but just bare with me a minute.)You feed the dog and give him water yada yda like you should.When a week passes you will notice there is poo in the yard.Would you leave this for a month and let it pile up?Of course not,that would be detrimental to his health.Its the same thing with fish,except you cant see the waste.It still builds up though.And its pure ammonia.Think you can live with ammonia all in your house?

Not jumping on ya,and I know that its hard to get into certain habits,just trying to give you an example


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Where is that damn agree button? *rotating smile


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

That's what this: "*i/a*" is for!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

holly12 said:


> That's what this: "*i/a*" is for!


You tell her!!


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## summers1rose (Jul 7, 2011)

Lol well i had to re arang plants so i took half water out. Took fish out first. Lol. They are doing better. I moved the placo's. My son has both till my bf n i can buy a bigger tank. Since he came over w 4 mollys!!!!! N a snake looking fish. Ugg. So now its 30% water change on even days. Men what r we going to do lol. My son begged me to look at fish n we founf a ghost catfish. Something that stays small. The mollys may move their too. Idk yet. But i am taking care of this.


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## summers1rose (Jul 7, 2011)

Begging to think i need a room thats a tank. Lol. O n today bf molly had babys!. Ugh.


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## summers1rose (Jul 7, 2011)

O and he did. I forgot to say. Found a breed if endlers. Think class p. They have longer tails w markings on top n bottem. Pet store had them labled w guppes n in w them. So he got 2 males. N a blue female guppy n blue male guppy. So ya. I am thinking cregs list n pick up only for ones we want gone. N a smake upside head for both of us. I know that.


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

oh my x.x I know it's hard not to buy too many fish, but thats a little silly! lol you can find quite a few good deals for bigger fish tanks on craigslist though(thats where I got my 75 gal w/ stand for $100)


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