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Endler’s livebearer Information

Poeciliawingei 5631800

Introduction to Endler’s livebearer

Endler’s livebearer is very hardy tropical freshwater aquarium fish which is also known as Endlers, Black-Bar Endler, Endler’s Guppy, Campoma Guppy etc. It is native to Laguna de Los Patos, Northern Venezuela. They are typically found in hard and warm water with a relatively high pH under the shade of underwater vegetation with very green and filamentous algae.

Endlers Livebearer’s Overview

It is an incredibly beautiful freshwater tropical aquarium fish. It has an elongated body with pointed snout and upturned mouth.  It is characterized with displaying bright neon orange line along the body from the head through the caudal fin. The color patterns start on the top, behind the eye and runs to the base of the dorsal fin. On the sides behind the eye, a patch is seen that runs about mid-way to the dorsal fin. A black mark is usually seen on the sides, which starts at the pectoral fin and it extends upward to the bottom of the dorsal fin. Male is smaller and very brightly colored with varying patterns of orange, black, green and blue while female is slightly larger and broader than male with pale green in color. Mature female also has a dark gravid spot near their vent while Juvenile male develops their gonopodium often before their coloring develops. They also have a smaller less distinct black spot behind the pectoral fins. Dorsal fin bears 6-7 soft rays while the anal fin contains 9 soft rays. It is an omnivorous and in wild it feeds on a variety of zoobenthos and detritus. In captivity Endlers take variety of foods like frozen or live foods such as brine shrimp, grindal worms, blood worms, tubifex worms, brine shrimp and  other small invertebrates but fry eats finely crushed flake food or one of the specially-prepared micro/powder fry foods. It can grow up to 4 cm in length and live up to 5 years with proper care.

Scientific Name: Poecilia wingei

Common Name: Endlers, Black-Bar Endler,Endler’s Guppy, Campoma Guppy

Origin: Laguna de Los Patos, Venezuela

Adult Size: 4 cm

Behavior: Peaceful

Tank Level: Middle to top

Minimum Tank Size:  5-10 gallons

Diet: Omnivore

Breeding: Livebearer

Care level: Easy to moderate

Water pH: 7.0-7.5

Water Hardness: 5-25 dGH

Water Temperature: 75 – 85°F

Water Movement: Weak

Lighting:  Moderate – normal lighting

Lifespan:  3-5 years

Background of Endler’s livebearer

It is a very colorful guppy fish which is very similar to the Fancy guppy. It was first collected from Laguna de Patos in Venezuela by Franklyn F. Bond in 1937 and rediscovered by Dr. John Endler in 1975. It belongs to the family Poeciliidae under order Cyprinodontiformes of class Actinopterygii. The genus ’Poecilia’ is derived from Greek, poikilos meaning with a lot of colors and species ’wingei’ is named after Dr. Øjvind Winge.  The original Laguna de Patos population is threatened by runoff from a municipal garbage dump. In the wild they are in danger of extinction due to pollution, overfishing and habitat degradation.

Feeding Endler’s livebearer

It is an omnivorous and in wild it feeds on a variety of zoobenthos and detritus. In captivity it takes variety of foods like frozen or live foods such as brine shrimp, grindal worms, blood worms, tubifex worms, brine shrimp and other small invertebrates but fry eats finely crushed flake food or one of the specially-prepared micro/powder fry foods. Feed should be offered once to three times a day in small amounts.

Housing Endler’s livebearer

The Endler’s livebearer is an ideal fish for the beginner. It is a peaceful hardy fish and makes a beautiful addition to a community freshwater aquarium. It is easy to care for and it requires an aquarium with at least 20 gallons of tank. They prefer a tank that is heavily planted with live plants or fake with excellent water quality and swimming space and good lighting. Some excellent plants for their tank are water sprite, water wisteria, Java moss, Java fern, hornwort, duckweed and Cambomba. They prefer a tank that has a neutral pH and soft-moderately hard water with the temperature of 75-85°F. It is community fish and it does best with other small peaceful species such as dwarf corydoras, small rainbowfish such as Iratherina werneri or Pseudomugil sp., peaceful tetras, Otocinclus Catfish. It should not be kept with larger tank mates.  Water movement in tank should be minimal, as they do not do well with a strong current. They spend most of time in the upper regions of the tank and. It is well known jumper and the tank should have well fitted cover to prevent jumping.

Breeding Endler’s livebearer

It is prolific breeder like fancy guppy and it can easily breed in the community tank.  They are livebearers and give birth to small batches of live young after about 21 days of pregnancy. It is best to keep them in a strict ratio of 2-3 females per male. Males attain breeding age in 3-5 while females can usually produce small fry drops at about 8 weeks. The female can produce new broods every 23-24 days. First few hours of life they primarily spent on the bottom of the tank, where they consume their yolk sacs. The fry are small in size and they are easy to see and are active swimmers soon after birth. At this time they should be kept in a tank with plenty of hiding areas or in a densely-planted tank.  Endler`s fry grow very quickly when it is fed 2-3 times per day. The fry can be fed with powdered fry food, baby brine shrimp and crushed flake food. They also nibble on the layer of algae and microorganisms that forms on aquatic plants.

Sexing Endler’s livebearer

Male is smaller and very brightly colored with varying patterns of orange, black, green and blue while female is slightly larger and broader than male and is pale green in color. Mature female also bears a dark gravid spot near their vent while Juvenile male develops their gonopodium often before their coloring develops.

Endler’s Livebearer for sale and where to buy

It is very popular fish amongst many aquarists. They are commonly available through dedicated breeders with moderate price. They also often hybridize with guppies and these hybrids are found under the name Endler’s Guppy in many pet shops. You can buy this fish from home by ordering them, look below online vendor that I would recommend from.

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