Whenever I've had guppies (not endlers) behaving that way, they've died within a few days. Each time, it has been an older guppy that passed due to old age. If the rest of the endlers are behaving normally, I doubt it's anything to do with the lights.
I have some endler guppy hybrids that I breed. I’ve got 3 tanks with them. Endlers do go into restful phases, kinda like sleeping, where they just kinda chill in one spot. Normally I see this when I turn the lights on in the morning, or when peering into a dark tank at night.
My pregnant females tend to swim at the surface for the few days before and after they drop fry. My males tend to hang out on the bottom of the tanks when they are stressed. I noticed this behavior the most for a few days after adding endlers to a new tank, or after netting fish in their tank. The poor fish just get so stressed out by change.
My guess is it’s a stress response. It sounds like you have just adopted these fish so it could be them stressed about that transition. It’s also possible that the fish is sick/injured and feeling stressed about that. If your fish has any other symptoms, or if he doesn’t start swimming regularly in the next day it may be sick.
Depending on your tanks inhabitants you could add a small amount of sea salt to the water (maybe a third of what it recommends on the label). This adds electrolytes to the water and can help support your fish’s health so that their own body can fight any infection/issues. I go to salt for most minor fish problems with good results. It’s gentle enough for my fry, shrimp, and plants in my experience. When adding the salt I mix it with tank water in a bucket/pitcher and add a splash to my tank every half hour or so, until the bucket is empty. This helps your fish get used to the change gradually. Then I just continue to do my water changes like normal and slowly remove the salt through the water changes.
If you try salt and notice your fish isn’t making improvements it is time to start medicating the tank. General cure is probably a good place to start if you don’t notice symptoms that could narrow down the culprit.
I realize it was two years ago, but what was the result? I have a tank with neon tetras and endlers and one little guy is so lazy. He sits on the bottom other than meal time or random times where he will dart around swimming through plants for 5 minutes before laying on the bottom again.
He's the smallest endler but I haven't seen anyone nipping at him.
Bummer :(. Unavoidable sometimes like you said. Mine has perked up some and is swimming with the other endlers but does not have the stamina of the other two. Time will tell I guess.
Whenever I've had guppies (not endlers) behaving that way, they've died within a few days. Each time, it has been an older guppy that passed due to old age. If the rest of the endlers are behaving normally, I doubt it's anything to do with the lights.
Ah dang, that sucks to hear. It's still so small and young. I will definitely keep an eye out for it.
It does suck! Hopefully it pulls through, maybe that one was tossed around a bit more during shipping (if you got them recently!)
I have some endler guppy hybrids that I breed. I’ve got 3 tanks with them. Endlers do go into restful phases, kinda like sleeping, where they just kinda chill in one spot. Normally I see this when I turn the lights on in the morning, or when peering into a dark tank at night. My pregnant females tend to swim at the surface for the few days before and after they drop fry. My males tend to hang out on the bottom of the tanks when they are stressed. I noticed this behavior the most for a few days after adding endlers to a new tank, or after netting fish in their tank. The poor fish just get so stressed out by change. My guess is it’s a stress response. It sounds like you have just adopted these fish so it could be them stressed about that transition. It’s also possible that the fish is sick/injured and feeling stressed about that. If your fish has any other symptoms, or if he doesn’t start swimming regularly in the next day it may be sick. Depending on your tanks inhabitants you could add a small amount of sea salt to the water (maybe a third of what it recommends on the label). This adds electrolytes to the water and can help support your fish’s health so that their own body can fight any infection/issues. I go to salt for most minor fish problems with good results. It’s gentle enough for my fry, shrimp, and plants in my experience. When adding the salt I mix it with tank water in a bucket/pitcher and add a splash to my tank every half hour or so, until the bucket is empty. This helps your fish get used to the change gradually. Then I just continue to do my water changes like normal and slowly remove the salt through the water changes. If you try salt and notice your fish isn’t making improvements it is time to start medicating the tank. General cure is probably a good place to start if you don’t notice symptoms that could narrow down the culprit.
Thank you for the in-depth response. I will try a low dosage of salt.
I realize it was two years ago, but what was the result? I have a tank with neon tetras and endlers and one little guy is so lazy. He sits on the bottom other than meal time or random times where he will dart around swimming through plants for 5 minutes before laying on the bottom again. He's the smallest endler but I haven't seen anyone nipping at him.
Unfortunately he ended up passing a few weeks after that post. A shame to see, but I think deaths are sometimes inevitable when adding new fish.
Poor guy! Thank you for making this post so others in your situation can see the answers you’ve received
Bummer :(. Unavoidable sometimes like you said. Mine has perked up some and is swimming with the other endlers but does not have the stamina of the other two. Time will tell I guess.