All About The Endlers we Keep

Is There More Than One Type of Orchid Endler?

We raise several types of Endlers and guppies.  Our specialty is raising Orchid Endlers and unique variations of Orchid Endlers.

All of our Orchid Endlers are pure N Class Orchid Endlers because they originated from our colony of documented original 2006 strain of N Class Orchid Endlers which we purchased from Adrian Hernandez in 2013.

The original 2006 strain of pure Orchid Endlers is highly variable and subtle differences are common.  In fact, unlike other types of fish, no two Orchid Endlers are exactly identical.  

From time to time an extremely unique Endler is produced from our N Class Orchid Endler colony.  Using inbreeding and line breeding techniques we attempt to produce a stable strain.  This process can take years and is not always successful.

Our favorite Orchid Endler variation thus far is the Snakeskin Orchid Endler which was produced in 2014.

The strain was created from a single male variation coming from our pure N Class Orchid Endler colony.

So far we have developed three unique strains from these unique variations:  Marty’s Snakeskin Orchid Endlers, Marty’s Orange Line Orchid Endlers and Marty’s Orange Line Snake Endlers.

Are These Natural Variations Still N Class Endlers?

The definition of an N Class Endler is:  “Any Endlers Livebearer (and progeny) that can be shown to have originated from their native waters in Venezuela will be considered a ‘Class N’ Endler.”  

Because all of our unique Orchid Endler strains came from our original documented 2006 Orchid Endler colony they are the progeny of pure N Class Orchid Endlers and therefor are N Class Endlers.

What Are N Class Endlers?

“Any Endlers Livebearer (and progeny) that can be shown to have originated from their native waters in Venezuela will be considered a ‘Class N’ Endler.”

Simply put, in order to be considered N Class Endler there needs to be documentation showing that they came from their native waters in Venezuela.  Many Endlers sold today as N Class are sold without the seller being able to offer documentation or records showing that they originated from their native waters in Venezuela.

If you ever get the opportunity to receive any of our N Class Endlers we have a Breeder / Keeper Registry to help maintain the line of documentation up to the point that you received them from us.

What Are P Class Endlers?

“Any fish of unknown origin but appearing to be an Endlers Livebearer based on the characteristics of size, shape and color will be considered a ‘Class P’ Endler.”

Endlers that appear to be pure Poecilia wingei but have no documentation showing where they came from fall under the category of P Class Endlers.  Even though they may appear to be pure Endlers without documentation or records showing where they came from they should not be offered as N Class but rather P Class.

A vast number of Endlers sold today as N Class have no documentation and therefore should be offered as P Class.  Many pet shops offering N Class Endlers cannot provide such documentation or records.

What Are K Class Endlers?

“The progeny of any Endler’s Livebearer crossed with any other livebearer or any Hybrid strain will be considered a ‘Class K’ Endler.”

Even if an Endler appears to be 100% pure Endler, if it has been crossed with any other livebearer or hybrid it is considered a K Class Endler.  

Once a line of Endlers have been crossed with any other type of livebearer the resulting offspring can never be or ever produce N Class Endlers.

There are many beautiful K Class (hybrid) Endlers that are wrongly being offered as N Class or pure Endlers.  K Class Endlers are always offered as K Class to prevent confusion and help protect the purity of the pure Endler bloodlines.

Pure Wild Stock N Class Endlers Livebearers

Endlers Livebearers (Poecilia wingei), sometimes called Endlers Guppies are closely related to guppies (Poecilia reticulata). They are so closely related that Endlers can easily cross breed with guppies and produce fertile hybrid offspring.

If you happen to find Endlers at your local pet shop they are very likely to be hybrids even though they may be advertised as N Class.  Even in the unlikely event that the local pet shop was able to get pure N class Endlers they usually have difficulty keeping them away from other livebearers and end up with hybrids or females that have been exposed to guppies or mollies.

Once a female Endler has been exposed to a male guppy the female can produce several drops of hybrid fry even if they are never again exposed to another male guppy.

Local pet shops also have a difficult time providing documentation showing where the Endlers originated and linking them back to the original Endlers brought back from Venezuela.  This documentation is very important if you ever wish to offer your Endlers to others as N Class Endlers.

There have been some wonderful looking Endler/Guppy hybrids produce in recent years and due to the number of strains of both Endlers and guppies there is likely to be many other fantastic looking hybrids produced in the future.

There are some who believe that Endlers and Guppies are destine to become one and the same as they are allowed to hybridize over the years.

Why make sure that you have pure wild stock Endlers?

Great care has been taken to help preserve the pure genetics of Endlers Livebearers of the unique qualities of this beautiful tropical fish as well as the rarity of Endlers in the wild.

There have even been rumors that some pure strains of Endlers may be extinct in the wild.  While there are still Endlers being captured in the wild, some hobbyists believe that many of the new strains found in the wild today are Endler/Guppy hybrids.

This is because much of the wild Endler habit now contains a population of wild guppies making cross breeding possible.

Endlers Colors

Endlers usually have wonderful metallic colors on them. Green is the most common metallic color however there are also purples, blues, yellows and other colors. Another trait that is often found in Endlers is the bright orange or red colors that they have. This color is often very bright resembling the color hunter orange used by hunters to help improve their visibility.

Class K Endler vs. Class N Endler

Once a guppy is crossed with an Endler the offspring can never be pure Endlers and are known as K class Endlers.

These hybrids can produce beautiful results and may have traits that are associated both with Endlers and Guppies.  Recently we have begun offering Class K Endlers (Endler Hybrids) as many  them have become quite rare.

Our goal is to provide hobbyists with the best quality pure Endlers available as well as some of the rarest and most beautiful hybrid Endlers possible.

We take great care to ensure our pure N Class Endlers keep their pure genetics and we work hard to maintain great coloration by maintaining pure genetics and careful control of our breeding stock.

N Class vs. Wild Type

Just because an Endler is classified as N Class doesn’t necessarily mean that the strain can be found in the wild.  N Class simply means that the Endler is genetically pure or “pure Endler” and that the strain can be traced back to it’s origin in Venezuela.

There are many strains of N Class Endlers that while genetically pure they are not found in the wild.  An example of this would be our Snakeskin Orchid Endlers.  Other examples of N Class Endlers that are not found in the wild are Top Yellow Sword, Top Bar Red Endler, Snake Top Bar, Top Blue Sword and White Peacock Endlers which are strains developed by breeder AdrianHD.

There are also several strains of Endlers that are found in the wild that are not pure Endlers as they have naturally hybridized with wild guppies.  Many of the Campoma Endlers discovered after 2007 are believed to have some guppy genes in them due to natural hybridization

Why Keep Endlers Livebearers

Sometimes referred to as Endlers Guppies, Endlers Livebearers are easy to care for and can even do well in small tanks and fish bowls.

It is recommended that the tanks or bowls have a lid and a heater at a minimum and to include only males to prevent the tank from being overrun by young Endlers.

Endlers (Poecilia wingei) are quite fun to watch as they are quite active and will swim throughout all levels of the tank. The males spend most of their time courting the females.

Because the males are so relentless to the females it’s best to have more females than males or keep only males if you don’t desire to have breeding take place.

Although closely related to the guppy, pure Endlers have a look and personality that’s all their own. Male Endlers are typically smaller than Fancy Guppies with a bright coloration that has somewhat of a metallic look.

The most common colors found in Endlers are green, orange and black however they may also have purple, blue, red, yellow and other colors.

Some Differences between Endlers and Guppies

The male Endlers don’t have the long flowing delta tails that are seen on most Fancy Guppies in pet shops today however they may have a small sword on the tail depending on the strain.

This “sword” is usually just a coloration on the tail fin rather than a true sword. Some males may develop swords that are actual swords extending slightly beyond the tail fin.

Due to our selective breeding process many of our male Endlers have swords that are much longer sword than normal.

Male Fancy Guppies don’t usually have swordtails however hybrid crosses between Endlers and guppies often result in males with long flowing swordtails.

The intensity of the colors vary depending on their health, living conditions, and of course genetics. Endlers that are left to breed uncontrollably may tend to produce offspring that have washed out colors over time.

Controlled breeding is important if you desire to have the brightest, most colorful Endlers possible.

Caring for Endlers

Endlers are easy to care for and breed quite prolifically. As long as the tank is not over populated and there is plenty of hiding places for the young the fry will not normally be eaten by the adult Endlers with the exception of the very large older female Endlers.

For best coloration Endlers love lots of live plants in their environment and their tank should have a partial water change (1/3) every 2 -3 weeks. Small amounts of food should be given to the Endlers several times a day if possible with a minimum of twice a day.

Never feed your Endlers more than they can eat in 2-3 minutes at a time. Just about any high quality flake food will do fine. You may wish to crush up the flakes to make it more palatable to your Endlers.  Learn more:   Feeding Your Endlers for Color & Health.

Endlers will survive in a wide range of temperatures but will not tolerate cold temperatures so an aquarium heater is required if the room temperatures ever drop below 65 deg. F.

Overall the Endlers Livebearer is one of the easiest aquarium fish you may have the pleasure of owning. They are active and beautiful. They are generally peaceful and should get along with most other peaceful tropical fish.