Endler Guppy Resting on Bottom of Tank

[John Zoidberg]

So I've been having issues with my Endlers Guppies. First my Endler males we bullying one that I originally assumed was the Alpha. Earlier this week i noticed that the one being bullied seemed to be slowing down and sometime sticking in a corner just to defend himself. So based on recommendations i got from someone on here i removed the jerks from the tank and put them into my quarantine setup this morning. Now he seems to be laying on the bottom of the tank. Every now and then he will swim half way up and come back down and rest on the bottom. When i fed the tank today he didn't swim to the top and when i tried to spot feed him he didn't eat. Yesterday was a fast day for the tank so he hasn't ate since Wednesday. I'm super worried he's my fav fish. Any thoughts? 

[Guppysnail]

He may have sustained injury from the bullying or the stress of it lowered his immune system and possibly made way for an opportunistic bacterial infection. I’m not a med treatment person so hopefully one of those will chime in. Best of luck for you and your little guy 🤞🏻

[John Zoidberg]

Update: I moved him to his own quarantine tank yesterday and treated him with aquarium salt. I felt I needed to try something and could not just watch him die. Unfortunately when I checked on him this morning he had passed. Was hoping for a better outcome but such is life. He will be missed.

[Scott Stevenson]

Sorry about your fish.
I'm a rookie fish keeper, but I have seen fish "bully" other fish that are already sick, I know it's too late now but I think the bullying may have been a sign of an already existing problem rather than the cause of the fatality. Again, however I am very new to fishkeeping and could be completely wrong.

[Guppysnail]

On 1/29/2022 at 10:45 AM, Scott Stevenson said:

Sorry about your fish.
I'm a rookie fish keeper, but I have seen fish "bully" other fish that are already sick, I know it's too late now but I think the bullying may have been a sign of an already existing problem rather than the cause of the fatality. Again, however I am very new to fishkeeping and could be completely wrong.

This is actually a very good observation. I have seen this on occasion when one of my fish sustains an injury that is not healing. The rest of the group harasses and segregates them.  It may or may not be a part of the survival instinct so the rest of the population does not get sick  

@John Zoidberg I am so sorry for the loss of your friend  for me it never gets easier  I learned to cherish whatever time I’ve had with my friend and appreciate that both of our lives were enriched because of the time we were graced with them  my deepest condolences  

 

[John Zoidberg]

On 1/29/2022 at 10:45 AM, Scott Stevenson said:

Sorry about your fish.
I'm a rookie fish keeper, but I have seen fish "bully" other fish that are already sick, I know it's too late now but I think the bullying may have been a sign of an already existing problem rather than the cause of the fatality. Again, however I am very new to fishkeeping and could be completely wrong.

On 1/29/2022 at 10:52 AM, Guppysnail said:

This is actually a very good observation. I have seen this on occasion when one of my fish sustains an injury that is not healing. The rest of the group harasses and segregates them.  It may or may not be a part of the survival instinct so the rest of the population does not get sick  

@John Zoidberg I am so sorry for the loss of your friend  for me it never gets easier  I learned to cherish whatever time I’ve had with my friend and appreciate that both of our lives were enriched because of the time we were graced with them  my deepest condolences  

 

Thank you both for your replies. 

Yeah I'm pretty new too. When my tank was finally cycled in September 2021 he was part of the first group of endlers I got. He showed no signs of anything and he seemed to be tank boss for the most part. The others would come up to him and flair at him. When he would turn to confront them the would act injured until he would turn away. So i assumed he was healthy, but what do i know I'm still learning. All the fish i've added since the initial group I quarantined and used the med trio. When i originally asked about the aggression i was told they were trying to establish the pecking order of the tank so i didn't think anything of it. 

Fish keeping as a long term experiment in biology and chemistry, it's a challenge and getting good at anything takes time and effort. I dont plan on giving up. I'm looking at it as an opportunity to learn and grow in the hobby, maybe do something a little different. Going to give it time to figure out whats next if anything.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I was sorry to see your favorite guy passed. 😔

[Scott Stevenson]

@John ZoidbergI know from my limited experience that its easy to kinda pull back when something goes wrong in a tank. Fish keeping can lose it's luster for a little bit. Just keep at it and keep learning.