Caring for Endlers Livebearers is Easy
The Endlers Livebearer or Endler (Poecilia wingei) is easy to care for and can be quite rewarding. They are undemanding fish and are ideal for beginner and expert aquarium hobbyists alike.
Endlers Livebearer Care
- Scientific Name: Poecilia wingei
- Other Common Names: Endlers Livebearer, ELB, Endler, Endler Guppy, Cumana Guppy, Campoma Guppy
- Care Level: Easy
- Size: .75-2 inches (2-5cm) Females are larger than males.
- Preferred Water Conditions: 5.5-8.0 pH and Moderately Hard to Very Hard (May acclimate to most water conditions including brackish water.)
- Temperature: 64–84°F (18–29°C), ideal between 75-81°F (24–27°C)
- Origin: Campoma & Cumana Regions, Venezuela
- Lifespan: 2-3 years (Higher temperatures may shorten lifespan)
- Temperament: Peaceful; Will get along with most peaceful community fish.
- Breeding: Easy; The larger and older the female gets the more offspring she will produce. Endlers will produce fertile offspring when crossed with Guppies.
- Tank Size: Will survive in as small as a 1 gallon but does best in a 10 gallon tank or larger.
Endlers Livebearer Scientific Name
DNA and genetic research show that Endlers have been reproductively separated from guppies for 500,000 to 5 million years. depending on the gene tested and has been given the scientific name Poecilia wingei. Although they are classified with their scientific name there still those who believe that Endlers are simply another form of Guppy (Poecilia reticula).
depending on the gene tested and has been given the scientific name Poecilia wingei. Although they are classified with their scientific name there still those who believe that Endlers are simply another form of Guppy (Poecilia reticula).
The reason for the dispute is because Endlers Livebearers can easily breed with guppies and produce fertile offspring.
Our experience has shown that Endlers have a personality all their own and we much prefer them over fancy guppies.
Endlers are very active and occupy all levels of the aquarium. The endless activities are a pleasure to watch.
Direct From Our Customers
One of our customers shared their feelings about their Endlers in one of our reviews:
“The Orchid Endlers are the cutest thing ever! They arrived packed to perfection. None seemed to be in any distress whatsoever when they arrived.
I was concerned about doing everything right to get them ready to go in the big tank with my Platies. They adjusted PERFECTLY… unbelievably easy!
There were easy to follow instructions on how to get them ready to move to the tank. Very simple steps.
Enders Livebearer Personality
They are super curious and active. My Platies aren’t sure what to think of them exactly because they do have A LOT of energy. They’ve brought a ton of life to our community tank. We just watch and giggle.
They seem curious about every single thing – even about US. They swim right to the glass and stare at you if you are watching them closely. Then they take off back to exploring.
They swim at all levels of the tank as well. They don’t seem to have a certain depth they prefer. I love that. They will group up at times and swim together, but they also explore solo a lot. I adore them!
The males are already showing beautiful colors and some are already following the female Endlers around.
Endlers Livebearer Condition
Thanks so much for the extras and such great care in breeding and shipping.
I have to highly recommend this site if you are looking for REAL, healthy Endlers. You most likely will not find this quality in any fish store – even the small “Mom and Pop’s” shops and forget about the big chains! They are beautiful, very healthy, very active and SO easy to adjust to a new big tank.
For reference: I have a 50-gallon tank. I only have 4 red wag Platies in it. My tank was fully cycled without fish.
I’ve had the Platies for about 2 months. I wanted to learn about one species at a time and learn their behaviors before adding other types of fish.
The Endlers adjusted very well to the tank with lots of plants and a few small structures to swim in and out of. They seem to like the plants best as do the Platies.”
Endlers Livebearer Common Names
These beautiful fish are referred to as Endlers Guppies, Endlers Livebearers, ELB or Endlers.
Endlers can easily cross-breed with guppies. Use caution when purchasing Endlers if you desire pure strains.
If pure Endlers are desired it helps to understand the Endler Classification System or ECS. The ECS was developed in part by AdrianHD therefore only Endler strains developed by AdrianHD are recognized by the ECS at this time.
N Class Endlers Livebearer
“Any Endler’s Livebearer (and progeny) that can be shown to have originated from their native waters in Venezuela will be considered a ‘Class N’ Endler.”
K Class Endlers Livebearer
“The progeny of any Endler’s Livebearer crossed with any other livebearer or any Hybrid strain will be considered a ‘Class K’ Endler.”
P Class Endlers Livebearer
“Any fish of unknown origin but appearing to be an Endler’s Livebearer based on the characteristics of size, shape, and color will be considered a ‘Class P’ Endler.”
Most Endlers found in local fish stores will seldom carry N Class Endlers. This is because it is difficult for them to provide documentation showing their lineage to the original Endlers imported from Venezuela. It may also be difficult for a pet shop or fish store to keep Endlers separated from guppies.
Because it’s so important to document your N Class Endlers we provide a Breeder/Keeper registry which helps to show your N Class status.
Feeding Your Endlers Livebearer
Undemanding Endlers
Endlers are not demanding when it comes to food and will eat just about any type of fish food you offer them that is small enough for their little mouths. Although low-cost fish foods will be happily eaten by your Endlers it is best to feed them high-quality fish food to help maintain good health and color.
Avoid Overfeeding
Endlers Livebearers are quite active and seem to be constantly hungry. Avoid the urge to overfeed them and give them small amounts of food often.
Overfeeding your fish can lead to food being wasted on the bottom of the tank causing large amounts of bacteria to grow and producing harmful amounts of toxins in the water.
We use several different foods to keep our Endlers healthy and colorful. You can learn more about what we feed our Endlers by following this link: Feeding Your Endlers for Color and Health
Algae For Food
We make it a habit not to clean the sides and back of our tanks very often. Endlers love spending the day tearing at the green algae that may build up on the side of the tank making caring for Endlers even easier.
Although the algae on the walls of the tank may be somewhat unsightly the algae also help to remove harmful Nitrates from the water. Note: Too much algae may be a sign of poor water conditions.
Sometimes the Endlers exhibit a behavior similar to “flashing”. In most fish flashing is usually an indication that a fish has some type of skin irritation usually associated with an illness or parasite such as Ich. In the case of the Endlers Livebearer, this behavior is often observed when the fish are attempting to tear chunks of algae from the surface of a rock or other object.
Filtration
Most of our aquariums use sponge filters. These low-cost filters are easy to clean and seem to create just the right amount of water movement for our fish as well as providing mechanical and biological filtration for the tank.
We have also used a small bubble wand in some of our tanks and the Endlers seem to enjoy it.
Endlers enjoy water movement however choose a filtrations system that doesn’t cause too much water movement and causes the Endlers to become tired.
The filtration system used should also be designed in a manner that it will not suck up young Endler fry. When we use a back filter we like to place a filter sponge over the intake to prevent Endler fry from being sucked up into the filter.
Lighting
New advances in LED lighting allows having great lighting without producing too much heat. It also reduces power usage when compared to other types of bulbs.
We use plants that require little lighting. Not all of our lighting is nice, expensive lighting, some of it is would be considered low end LED lighting. We don’t see that the difference in lighting affects the fish in any way however using good lighting helps to make the metallic coloration, as well as the other colors of Endlers, really stand out beautifully.
For us, we feel the use of lighting and the duration of the lighting is what is most important for our Endlers.
Endler Size
The average size of male Endlers is 3/4″ to 1″. Pure Endlers seldom reach as size greater than 1″ however occasionally full-grown male Endlers may be smaller than 3/4″.
Adult female Endlers Livebearers usually grow to between 1 1/2″ to 2″. On rare occasions, females may grow larger.
We had one female Endler years ago that was kept in a 55-gallon tank that grew considerably larger than 2″ before she passed away.
Endlers Are Adaptable to Most Water Types
pH
We have found that they do best in hard water however they can adapt to a pH as low as 5.5.
Endlers were originally captured in Venezuela in water which was green with algae. It is believed that Endlers developed their bright coloration to help males be seen in the algae rich waters.
Other Water Conditions
Endlers are so undemanding and easy to care for that we don’t even monitor the water conditions in our tanks except for ammonia and nitrites.
Endlers will do very well with frequent water changes. We recommend that you do a 10% – 15% water change at least every week however this depends on the size of the tank, how well the beneficial bacteria are converting waste and how many nitrates the plants are taking up in the aquarium.
Our Endlers have also done well in a well-planted low tech tank with few water changes.
Whether you choose to do frequent partial water changes or keep your Endlers in a tank similar to our low tech tank, Endlers enjoy a well-planted tank with lots of live plants for the small fry (babies) to hide in and to help control fluctuations in water conditions seem to help the Endlers feel more comfortable. We notice that the Endlers seem to have their best coloration when the aquarium contains lots of plants.
Salt
We have found that the addition of salt seems to be beneficial as it is with some other livebearers. Because we also find plants to be beneficial to our Endlers we try to use plants that are somewhat tolerant of salt such as Cryptocoryne.
We believe most of the Cryptocoryne (Crypts) that we keep are Cryptocoryne Wendtii. We also keep Java Moss. Both types of plants seem to do well in low light conditions.
Ideal Water Temperature for Endlers Livebearers
Ideally, Endlers should be kept at a temperature between 75-81°F (24–27°C) but will do well at temperatures between 64–84°F (18–29°C). Endlers will likely die at temperatures near 60°F (16°C).
The temperature of the water is thought to have some bearing on the sex of new fry. Although we haven’t been able to do any scientific testing, higher temperatures seem to result in more males and lower water temperatures results in more females.
Other factors such as pH may also have some influence on the number of males or females produced.
The origin of Endlers Livebearers
Although Endler fish were first discovered by Franklyn F Bind in 1937 in Laguna de Patos in Venezuela, they were not introduced into the aquarium trade until after they were rediscovered by Dr. John Endler in 1975.
Their Introduction Into The Hobby
Many of the first Endlers that were introduced into the hobby came from Endlers collected by Armando Pou from Laguna de Patos in the Cumana region in the late 1900s and the early 2000s. These Endlers were line bred into unique strains and offered to hobbyists by Adrian Hernandez (AdrianHD).
In later years other Endlers were discovered in the Campoma region as well as the Cumana region of Venezuela by Phillip Voisin & Co. as well as others.
One of the most popular Endlers strains developed by Phillip Voisin & Co. is the Blue Star Endler.
The Dispute
There is some dispute as to whether the Endlers captured in the Campoma region are pure Endlers or not because many of these Endlers were captured in waters that also contained wild guppies.
Whether they are pure or not there are some amazingly beautiful strains developed from Endlers discovered in the Campoma region.
Endlers Livebearer Lifespan
We have never actually documented the lifespan of any single Endler however it appears that they live about 2-3 years. Some say they can live as long as 5 years.
Water temperature seems to have a strong influence on the lifespan of Endlers. Higher temperatures will lower the lifespan of Endlers.
A Non-Aggressive Species
Endlers are not aggressive. They are perfect tank mates for small non-aggressive fish.
Large pregnant females can become quite nippy however when they are near their “due date”.
In general, Endlers are a great community tank species however pure Endlers should not be kept with guppies if as they will readily crossbreed.
Endlers are a pleasure to watch and they will occupy all levels of the aquarium. Endlers will eagerly congregate to one part of the tank when it’s feeding time.
Breeding Endlers Livebearers
There’s not much to caring for Endlers when it comes to breeding as they are very prolific breeders. They will give birth to small fry every 23-24 days however this may vary depending on the temperature of the water.
How Many Fry?
The number of fry a female will give birth to depends on the size and age of the female. It could be as low as one or as high as thirty or more! A mature female will usually give birth to 10-20 fry.
Keeping Them Pure
If you wish to keep N Class Endlers Livebearers be sure to keep any other type of livebearer out of the tank because the males will attempt to breed with other livebearers.
The offspring produced from Endlers/Guppy crosses will produce a hybrid that can reproduce. Because of the ease of which Endlers will breed with Guppies, it is important to keep them separated if you do not wish the resulting offspring to be hybrid.
Breeding N Class pure strain Endlers with other livebearers will result in K Class Endlers (The progeny of any Endlers Livebearer crossed with any other livebearer or any Hybrid strain will be considered a ‘Class K’ Endler.)
It may be possible to cross Endlers with Mollies or Picta however they would likely produce non-fertile offspring.
Endlers Livebearer Courting
The courting of the Endlers Livebearer is similar to the guppy. However, they spend much more courting and less time chasing females than do guppies.
Males will attempt to display their colors and fins to the female often by swimming to the side of the female and then skillfully swimming backward in an attempt to get the female’s attention. At times males will also display to other males.
Males will often bite the female near the cloaca (genital pore) while courting.
Because the male Endlers are so relentless towards the females it is usually best to keep more than one female per male in the tank to prevent the females from becoming stressed.
Endler Fry
Young Endlers will leave the fry alone and will seldom eat their fry however large female Endlers may develop a taste for the young fry.
The problem of large female Endlers eating their fry seems to diminish in larger uncrowded aquariums.
Providing lots of hiding places for the fry will help keep them from being eaten by the larger females.
Well planted tanks help protect the young fry and also seems to keep Endlers happier and healthier.
Ideal Tank Size for Endlers Livebearers
While Endlers will survive in a small desktop or Betta tank it is not ideal. Endlers do best in a 10 gallon tank or larger.
How many Endlers can be kept in a 10 gallon aquarium?
The aquarium’s ability to handle the bioload helps determine how many fish can be kept in any size aquarium.
The filtration system, how long the tank has been set up, the number of plants, type of lighting, food and other factors all affect the aquarium bioload.
Partial water changes can help to improve water quality when needed.
We have found that Endlers can be somewhat sensitive to rapid changes in their environment. Large tanks such as 40-gallon breeder or 55-gallon aquariums help to reduce rapid changes in temperature and water quality.
Along with the larger tank size, plants help Endlers feel more secure and help them to have better health and color.
We like to use dark-colored substrate in most of our tanks as it seems to intensify Endler coloration or at the very least help it to stand out more.
Endler Illnesses
Water Quality
Poor water quality is the leading cause of Endlers getting sick. When water quality is poor, fish can become stressed to a point that they can’t fight off infection or parasites.
This is a common problem with raising Endlers due to the number of fry they produce. Increased numbers of Endlers can create more waste than the beneficial bacteria can keep up with.
This produces a spike in ammonia which burns the skin and gills of the Endlers. These burns make it more difficult for them to breath and leaving them open to infections.
Signs of Illness
Although Endlers are quite hardy they do seem to be somewhat susceptible to rapid changes in water quality. Overpopulation, lack of water changes or poor filtration can all lead to rapid water quality changes. These changes can leave Endlers weakened and prone to internal bacterial infections or parasites.
These infections can cause Endlers to lose weight rapidly and will eventually cause death. Older female Endlers seem to be most susceptible to the illness.
Treat infections with high temperatures and salt or with medications. The type of medication depends on the type of infection.
Ich
Another common disease that can affect Endlers is Ich.
Endlers like temperatures that are higher than most tropical fish. Adding salt to their tank makes the treatment of Ich easier. Please note that some tankmates or plants may not tolerate the addition of salt.