For a time our efforts to breed a stable line of Orchid Endler’s with both a top and bottom sword has been a long struggle.
Unfortunately we have not been able to stabilize the line so far and most of the Endler’s that are being produced are regular N Class Orchid Endler’s with a double sword showing up seldom.
We are not giving up on our efforts however it is a long process to develop a stable line and we may never be successful.
Top & Bottom Sword N Class Orchid Endler’s are actually fairly common within Orchid Endler colonies. My guess is that it is a natural occurrence (or once was) in the wild. I have seen several all with a similar look from many different breeders and images of some of the original Endler’s from Adrian HD show that many of his original strains had top and bottom swords.
It would seem that with all the N Class Orchid Endler’s out there that have developed a top and bottom sword that it would be a fairly easy process to develop a stable line of them. Unfortunately it has not been as easy as expected.
For the most part when we try to breed these awesome looking males with some of our females most of the offspring have only a bottom sword and no top sword. Not sure why this has been so difficult although we suspect it has to do with the females.
While we are not completely giving up yet we may find our time and efforts may be better rewarded elsewhere. We would love to know if there are any hobbyists that has been successful in producing a stable strain of these beautiful fish.
If I understand correctly, the double sword means the color on the top and bottom of the tail, not just the bottom? And as this post is a few years old, I’m also guessing that you were able to do this successfully by now as I’m seeing them now. Just wanted to confirm I’m getting all this stuff right! Thanks, great website!
You are correct the sword coloration is on the top and bottom.
We haven’t actually given up. In fact we have some fabulous males.
Unfortunately we have not been able to completely stabilize the strain to produce top and bottom swords exclusively.
However the tanks containing the double swords are producing some of our most beautiful males.
This long term project may take years if it works at all.
Sorry I must have missed the notification you had replied or I would have responded sooner. Thanks so much for answering. I had originally started to draft my question before noticing the age of the post. When I saw the date, I figured that they (the sword coloration on top and bottom) were now commonplace as that is what I have. Mine are breeding like crazy as Endler’s do, and they all have color on top/bottom, so I assumed you were successful, although your note sounds like it is still a work in progress. (?)
If you’re able to take a moment and answer a second question for me, I’d appreciate it. I am surprised to find that I have a male who is either taking forever for all his regular colors to come in or he is just the result of a recessive gene that’s shown up (he’s also just a tiny bit larger than the other males). I have noticed that some take longer for all of the colors to come in, but I’m worried that if he stays this way, that I should remove him from the gene pool. I’m sure he has technically already “contaminated” his way through the tank, but could I ask your opinion on this, do you think I should remove him? (He has no black).
Thanks and this is a great site, really appreciated it as I was only new to Endler’s the past year or two. And thanks for the time to answer my questions!
From time to time males are born with very little coloration. These males are sometimes a little larger than the average male Endler.
In nature these males may help protect the species when predators enter their habitat.
Fortunately hobbyists have the ability to control breeding and can work to improve the beauty of their strains over time.
If your goal is to produce the most beautiful Endlers possible these males as any male that does not meet your standards should be removed from your breeding populations.
It can be surprising how quickly one male can affect the entire population.
OK, thanks again for responding. Interesting re: the rationale for size too!