Care Guide for Endler’s Livebearers – The Guppy’s Little Cousin
Livebearers (or fish that bear live young) like guppies and mollies are always popular fish at pet stores because they’re so colorful and quick to make babies. Inbreeding is a common practice to produce specialty colors, which can sometimes lead to weaker strains that may not be as durable or long-lasting. Endler’s livebearers are an enjoyable and entertaining nano fish that is easy to keep for beginners.
What is an Endler’s Livebearer?
Poecilia wingei was named after Dr. John Endler. He rediscovered the species from Venezuela and brought them into the pet market. Males are up to 1 in (2.5 cm) tall, have a slim profile, and can display vibrant colors and patterns. Females can reach 1.8inches (4.5 cm), are rounder in shape, and have a tannish to silver color.
The male endler is bright and slim, while the female endler is silvery and has a round abdomen full of babies.
What is the difference between Endler’s livebearers types? This article focuses primarily on purebred Endlers’ livebearers (class N endlers), but care requirements for Endler-hybrids are very similar. Endlers and guppies have been crossed to make hybrids. Endler’s hybrids and black bar endlers are common types.
Are Endlers the same as guppies? No, although they are closely related and able to spawn together to create offspring that are fertile. Poecilia wingei, an Endler’s livingbearer, Poecilia reticulata, is a guppy. An Endler guppy is a mix of both.
Endler’s livebearer (left), Endler hybrid guppy (middle), guppy (right).
Are Endlers good beginner fish? Wild Endlers are already quite colorful and did not require as much line breeding to create beautiful strains. They are a great choice for beginners as they are more durable than guppies, and require less care than many other livebearers.
How to Set Up an Aquarium for Endlers
When we say the Endler’s livebearer is a hardy species, we mean that they can live in wide range of water parameters that might be considered nonideal for other aquarium fish. For example, you can keep them at room temperature in an aquarium without a heater. They can tolerate pH levels from 6.5 to 8.5, as well as almost any water hardness (or GH) they are exposed to. Of course, this is not to say that you can completely neglect their husbandry because like any fish, they can be prone to bacterial and fungal infections if the pH becomes too acidic or the nitrate level is extremely high. However, if you stay on top of their tank maintenance as you would with any other fish, they are very easygoing and will reward you with many babies.
How many Endlers are allowed in a 5-gallon aquarium? We recommend getting larger tanks for the large number of fry they will produce. For a 10-gallon aquarium, start with a trio of one male and two females. For a 20-gallon aquarium, buy six to nine of them. For a 20-gallon aquarium, you don’t need to buy a lot Endlers. However, you will need the right environment and no predators that can eat your young.
How many Endlers are needed? They prefer to be with their own species and feel more at home together. Due to their drive to mate, we recommend keeping one male per 2-3 females. It will allow the girls to get some respite from being bothered and irritated by the boys.
Males are tireless when it comes to courting females, so aim to get more females so that they are not constantly being pursued.
What kind of fish can live with Endlers and what fish are they compatible with? Endlers get along with most peaceful community fish, but not enough to eat them. If you find that the Endler population is growing out of control, you can add some African dwarf frogs or other predatory fish that will eat some of the fry while leaving the adults alone.
What are Endler’s livebearers eating?
The good news is that they are not picky eaters and will consume anything small enough to fit in their mouths, such as flakes, pellets, Repashy gel food, and daphnia. They are great at scavenging for food all over the aquarium, both at the water surface and substrate level, and have even been known to pick at algae if they’re hungry enough. Keep in mind that they need to be fed a variety foods to get the nutrients they need to grow strong coloration and boost their immunity system.
How to Breed Endler’s Livingbearers
If you have good food and clean water, your babies will start to appear around 23-30 days depending upon the temperature. The parents are not above eating their own offspring, so to increase the fry survival rate, provide lots of cover in the form of aquarium decorations or dense plants such as water sprite, wisteria, Pogostemon stellatus, and guppy grass. Make sure you use a sponge filter and cover the intake of the filter with a prefilter sponge to stop the babies getting caught up. You can sell the babies to your local fish market or give them as gifts to friends who are new to keeping fish.
Baby Endler’s livebearers don’t usually have many colors initially so they can blend in with the environment and avoid predation.
Endler’s livebearers make a great pet for novice and experienced hobbyists due to their ease of care, vibrant colors and friendly personalities. Check out our recommended vendors for more information about buying live fish online.