Endler's Livebearers

[tracygh]

I have been hearing a fair bit about these guys lately and would love to hear any opinions and/or knowledge/experience anyone has about them.

Are they costly? Are they good fish in a community? Do they get large? Do they breed easily? Do they bite when you take them out to play? Just kidding on the last one there

I have noticed a few people with stuff in their signatures about them.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Toirtis]

Are they costly?

No, but it could coat a bit to get a specific locale/strain.

Are they good fish in a community?

Yes and no...they will not trouble anything, but because they are so small, they are easily targeted by larger fish.

Do they get large?

No, about the size of feeder guppies.

Do they breed easily?

Very....just like a guppy (although, despite some people's misinformation, they are not guppies).

This chap is generally considered to be the best source for endlers strains, and knows a fair bit about locales, etc: http://swampriveraquatics.com/

 

[ripvanrina]

I just bought 2 Endler's for $4.99 a piece, so they're not like getting guppies but the price isn't too bad. They're really adorable and stick together most of the time. Everyone in my tank leaves them alone, sometimes they socialize with the tetras. They're great fish!

 

[Jchillin]

I would also suggest contacting TankGirl...she is a wealth of info on them.

 

[Puriti]

O____O those things...are freakin awesome......lol

 

[Lepomis]

Males stay about 3/4 of an inch long. The females are much bigger, more along the size of a female guppy. They are very prolific and have a high survival rate. They typically don't eat the fry so in no time you will be tossing, flushing, using as feeders, or selling them. I started with one adult female and within four months she has had in the neigborhood of 140. I am sure some got sucked up in the filter and others died off, but non the less you end up with a tankfull in a hurry. A male only tank can really be beautiful and you can pack a lot of fish in a tank at 3/4 of an inch. Color and pattern variation is amazing. Oranges, reds, yellow, green, blues, purple on all the same fish. Along with black bars and snakeskins you can get some really striking fish.

 

[Toirtis]

Color and pattern variation is amazing. Oranges, reds, yellow, green, blues, purple on all the same fish. Along with black bars and snakeskins you can get some really striking fish.

Do be careful, though...many advertised as pure endlers, like the snakeskins, are endlers x guppy hybrids.

 

[Elmware]

Livebearers are usually friendly with most community fish. They breed worse than rabbits if the water condition is right.

As for taking them out to play, not recommended. I once learned the hard way how easy it is for them to get a heart attack just by handling one to inspect the spots. I never did that again.

My female is about 3 inches, and the males are about 2 inches. I've read that they can grow up to 4 inches somewhere.

They also don't live very long. Usually a couple years.

 

[Lepomis]

Good point Toirtis. Many do sell hybrids so buy from reputable sources if you are wanting pure strain endlers.

 

[jrp1588]

they just look like feeder guppies to me...Very colorful feeder guppies mind you...but still, what's the real difference?

 

[mr funktastic]

this is a picture of one of the endlers in tracygh's tank(i am her neighbor and i had the camera lol) it took us a long time to get this pic so please help us identify it

 

[tracygh]

thanks funky.

I've had these guys for a little while and someone recently pointed out to me that they were Endler's...I'd never heard of them. The LPS that I work at sells them as feeders, 12/$1.99 CDN (that's about $1.50 US). When I suggestes to my manager that they might be worth more than pennies, and that Big Al's sells them for a few bucks each, she just snuffed at me and mumbled something about idiots....

Any help IDing these guys would be great.

TIA

 

[Fluff]

That looks like a feeder guppy to me. Endlers have much brighter/sharper/cleaner colors and patterns.

 

[Lepomis]

I will second the feeder guppy identification.
Here is a good site to catch up on endlers

www.endlersr.us