Wiped Out And Starting Over Yet Again With A New Group Of Comma Bars

So Junebug asked me what happened to my last group of comma bars, the third batch that I got from the a university lab after they finally decided to get rid of the last of the N class Endlers that they'd collected in Venezuela years ago. Well, my fourth generation boys ended up mostly healthy, and I lost only a few to a mycobacterial infection that made their bellies bloat up till they faded away. However, I lost almost all of the girls. Without males to get in the way, the girl tanks had epic rugby matches as they attacked and spun around balls of Repashy Community Gel Plus. And sigh, doing that in Eco-Complete led to lots of cut up mouths that left them open to mycobacterial infections. I lost most of the fourth generation girls over a period of about a year, and the few girls who did make it seemed traumatized by the wasting away of the majority of their tank mates.

I tore down tank after tank as my 500 or so fish died off, and I dumped hundreds of dollars worth of that porous and therefore non-sterilizable Eco-Complete in the yard along with all of my gorgeous plants and large rocks. Never again. I only do organic potting soil and glass pebbles from here on. The porcelain pink castle now sits in a display case.

As for my wild-caught Micropoecilia Pictas, their tank began to leak and I had to get them into a sterilized formale Endler girl tank. Well, something must have gone wrong in the process because they ended up with TB also. I wound up with only one girl, and she ate her fry too well, so then I had none left.

The Girardinus Metallicus were left all together to their own devices. I got overwhelmed with getting my daughter to synchronized swimming an hour away 4 times a week plus having to maintain half an acre alone when we lost our last gardener. The G. Metallicus bred so quickly that it didn't matter that they were short-lived, and I began to think that mycobacteria can actually be a good thing in a tank where there are no predators. So currently, the G. Metallicus tank is the only one that I still have from my university lab fish. They're mostly healthy with an occasional adult male or female dying after a few sluggish days. Several girls each hurt an eye somehow, and now they're one-eyed but seem to get around just fine.

We sold our house finally and downsized to a nice condo next to the pool and overlooking a golf course. I went down from 14 tanks to just a 20-gallon full of G. Metallicus. I managed to sell off my largest tanks, but no one wanted the smaller ones. Hubby might have thought that I was over my fish craze, but no, I couldn't stop dreaming of those little Endlers I'd lost. So I got some that turned out to be N, P, K, and random guppy hybrids, then I got some more ChilI Endler hybrids, and now I have N class comma bars, some red spot N class, a tank of snakeskin N class from Orchid Endlers, and a red morph Micropoecilia Picta tank. So I'm up to 7 tanks, and I have to empty 20-gallons that I'm getting set up for 2 other types of Endlers I have my eyes on. And I'm utterly and gloriously happy!

Now, a few years later, I find that I have made a 180 degree turn in my outlook. I assume mycobacteria is everywhere, that I need to take care of my hands and sterilize often. Keeping water parameters as good as possible and not agonizing over what can go wrong next are two things I'm working on. It's not easy be an OCD Endler lover, but when in doubt (hmm, why did go into the kitchen or bathroom? what was I going to get?), I just wash my hands again and spray the doorknobs with rubbing alcohol because it can't hurt. And I rub my hands with petroleum jelly before bed because that keeps my skin from drying out and makes paper cuts less likely.

And here's a video of my new comma bars. There's not a single peacock in there, sigh, but I'll just have to find them elsewhere.

 

<3

All this time, I don't even think I knew you had G. metallicus LOL.

Love your lil' endlers.

 

cool fish sorry u lost a lot of them I once lost 300 guppies due to calamanaris had to sterilize the tank with chloreine then wash it out 5o times and then use chlorine nutralizer to get ride of the chlorine it worked very well

 

cool fish sorry u lost a lot of them I once lost 300 guppies due to calamanaris had to sterilize the tank with chloreine then wash it out 5o times and then use chlorine nutralizer to get ride of the chlorine it worked very well

Sigh. I've been there, too, unfortunately, and really feel your pain. Camallanus worms did in my 4o-gallon community tank that I'd treated with Kanamycin after a store-bought gold barb brought in TB.

 

<3

All this time, I don't even think I knew you had G. metallicus LOL.

Love your lil' endlers.

Hey, Here's the first conversation we had about it! Thanks for making me feel better about my aging brain

New Girardinus metallicus and Trinidadian poecilia picta

 

LOL figures. If your brain is aging then I guess mine is too. I'm too young for this! AAAAUGH! LOL

 

the worms are the worst

 

I've tried to get rid of these black bars for a long time. But every once in a while black bar males will come out of certain colonies like cobra and chilI endlers. For the black bar is one of the ancestors of these two hybrid strains. So, every culled black bar has been put in a tank with just black bars in it. So, every once in a while I'll bring those black bars to an lfs.

 

I've tried to get rid of these black bars for a long time. But every once in a while black bar males will come out of certain colonies like cobra and chilI endlers. For the black bar is one of the ancestors of these two hybrid strains. So, every culled black bar has been put in a tank with just black bars in it. So, every once in a while I'll bring those black bars to an lfs.

I've finally begun removing the black bars from the chilI tank and now I'm putting them in with my Girardinus Metallicus where they seem quite happy dancing for the big girls. I'm not ready to take them to any of the LFS in town--they're full of bacterial horrors, and I've sworn off them all.

 

Well, this coming weekend we'll have Holland's largest aquaterra event again. A lot of serious aquarists will pay a visit to this event. And I will bring along a large amount of these black bars. I'm sure, I'll get rid of them pretty fast. I'll offer them at a very low price. But the rare strains will remain my focus at this event to sell.
My Girardinus metallicus are swimming with my blonde hybrid blue star endlers. This goes perfectly as well.

 

Well, this coming weekend we'll have Holland's largest aquaterra event again. A lot of serious aquarists will pay a visit to this event. And I will bring along a large amount of these black bars. I'm sure, I'll get rid of them pretty fast. I'll offer them at a very low price. But the rare strains will remain my focus at this event to sell.
My Girardinus metallicus are swimming with my blonde hybrid blue star endlers. This goes perfectly as well.

I must go to Holland some time. That's one country that I've somehow always missed, and with an event like this, it's now going to the top of my list of countries to get to in the future.

 

HI Endler Collector! I am so sorry to hear about what happened with your fish. I am pretty careless about washing my hands playing in the fish tanks, so I will take your tale to heart and be more vigilant about cleaning hands between tanks! It is amazing how easily how a couple infected fish can kill off an entire tank. I recently purchased some albino corey cats, and I lost 3 of the 7 in short time, I thought it was the sharp gravel in the tank they were in so I moved them to my other tank that had 14 cories. I had 17 cories in there, and despite everything I have tried, I am down to only 5 remaining fish. I could never figure out what disease they have, because 1 day they are fine, eating, and happy, and suddenly they are dying an hour later. It was devastating to watch. Fish TB would be so awful because there is no cure. Even the medicine for a human has to be taken on a strict schedule for about 9 months, so our little fish friends have no chance.

I currently have 12 fish tanks set up. I have some Orchids, Blue Star, Snake skin, red chilI mongrels I bought from the pet store, and 3 female and 5 male peacocks I bought from a guy who got his originals from Andrian HD. My peacocks are the only endlers with no babies so far; I have 3 females and 5 males. I will send you some when I get the numbers up there if you still would like some. They are in a tank by themselves with some snails and an albino pleco. I have had these fish since October, so. I am hoping for babies soon. Happily, I am fish grandma to 6 new baby blue stars, about 20 orchids, and 7 snakeskins..... I just bought some wives for my mongrel red chilI and other color endlers. They should be here sometime this week!

I am in nursing school, and I starting buying fish tanks off Craigslist whenever I get stressed..... I have bought 9 fish tanks this semester..... SO nursing school can be stressful..... Luckily, today is my last final, AND my husband bought me a HUGE shelf to put fish tanks on in our basement. I have to stop buying tanks because I am out of room.....

 

I must be backwards I have plenty of tanks and equipment just nothing to put in them. Yet. Lol

 

Lol David! I have 3 tanks in the garage that are waiting for me to get time to set up! It's probably better to hold out for fish you want rather than just anything. I have a 46 bow front tank full of other people's fish I have collected when I buy their fish tanks I keep any community fish I can, but I always trade the cichlids and fish too big for the tank they are in to the fish story for store credit. I got 4 free red chilI endlers this way.

 

Yep mine are out in garage as well. My wife would probably shoot me if I got them all set up. 2 55, 2 29, 4 20, 6 10 actually have never had a 10 setup with anything in it since I was about 12. Lol

 

Lol! I have a few 10 gallon tanks and even some smaller ones set up. I have a 10 gallon quarantine tank, a 2 5 gallon tanks with 5-8 endlers in them, and 1 10 gallon with 6 blue star endlers and their 6 babies, and another with tiger or snakeskin endlers. I think they are tiger, but I am not sure..... I have 4 fish tanks on every floor..... My husband DOES want to shoot me....

 

My next tank I think is going to either be a 20 gallon shrimp tank or a 55 Pictus tank. See what the new year brings. Lol

 

Just got back from Sweden and read Fishgirl71 's and david1978 's posts with interest. So sorry to hear about those dead cories! I've had some absolute awful experiences over the years, and yet overall, fish continue to make me happy. The other day, my mother-in-law was getting on my case, and I just zoned out, thinking about how my tanks are coming along, and which fish I'll be moving into bigger tanks with what plants, etc. It really helps in a ways that I can't explain.

Don't forget to tag me when you posts pics of these tanks you're both going to set up!

 

Just got back from Sweden and read Fishgirl71 's and david1978 's posts with interest. So sorry to hear about those dead cories! I've had some absolute awful experiences over the years, and yet overall, fish continue to make me happy. The other day, my mother-in-law was getting on my case, and I just zoned out, thinking about how my tanks are coming along, and which fish I'll be moving into bigger tanks with what plants, etc. It really helps in a ways that I can't explain.

Don't forget to tag me when you posts pics of these tanks you're both going to set up!

Welcome back, endlercollector! Sweden! That is awesome! I have always wanted to travel there....I hope you had an amazing time. I know what you mean about mother in laws..... Mine lives in Colorado. I shudder to think what she is going to say about my out-of-control "hobby" when she comes to visit when I graduate college in May. She is not a pet and certainly not a fish fan, so I think she will be horrified about what I have done to her son's house.

I have been remiss in not posting photos of all my tanks. I will try to get them all on here while school is out. Once college starts I am going to be MIA because it keeps me very busy. I have a 55 gallon that will be my next project. It is currently waiting for me to get started setting it up. I have no idea what I am going to put in there..... Maybe fill it with assorted endler hybrids?

I am the proud grand fish momma to 3 Peacock endler babies. I am hoping to have more soon because I have 3 peacock females....

 

Welcome back, endlercollector! Sweden! That is awesome! I have always wanted to travel there....I hope you had an amazing time. I know what you mean about mother in laws..... Mine lives in Colorado. I shudder to think what she is going to say about my out-of-control "hobby" when she comes to visit when I graduate college in May. She is not a pet and certainly not a fish fan, so I think she will be horrified about what I have done to her son's house.

I have been remiss in not posting photos of all my tanks. I will try to get them all on here while school is out. Once college starts I am going to be MIA because it keeps me very busy. I have a 55 gallon that will be my next project. It is currently waiting for me to get started setting it up. I have no idea what I am going to put in there..... Maybe fill it with assorted endler hybrids?

I am the proud grand fish momma to 3 Peacock endler babies. I am hoping to have more soon because I have 3 peacock females....

Ooh, I am such a sucker for Endler and all itty bitty livebearer babies! I have never gotten over how sweet they are, and I'm so OCD, that I count them over and over even though I've gotten pretty good at estimating their numbers. I have about 350 right now, so I think I'll hit the million mark in a couple of months, heh heh heh. I'm looking into some fry eaters, but that will mean a substantially large tank, and I haven't told my husband yet. Oops! But I keep telling him that the fish make me happy in a w ay that nothing else does. I can't explain it. I guess it's the OCD thing and the ability to control something (cleaning, feeding) in a way that I can't control our home (hubby and daughter are trasher/hoarders). It keeps me from freaking out over the piles of stuff and filth everywhere. AUGH! Okay, look at the tanks, look at the tanks... think happy fish thoughts

A 55 gallon of assorted Endler hybrids would be quite colorful! My only misgivings about my random hybrid tank is that the person whom I got them from didn't cull for weak spines and also kept random tuxedo and cobra guppies with comma bars. Some fish are gorgeous, and some are just structural and/or color disasters! I pull those males and toss them in with my Girardinus Metallicus. They don't jump out because the girls are big and round, but they can't breed with them. Whew! If I could do that over again, I'd get some rainbow K class Endlers. There are some on Aquabid that I've been watching (yep, I just can't stop!)