Endler's Livebearers were rediscovered by Dr. Endler in the late seventies. They are similar to guppy and will cross if given a chance. They are some very attractive hybrids. Most people desire the pure strains. I think they are easier to keep then guppies. They will eat any type of food offered. They like TetraMin flake food, shrimp pellets, and TetraMin tablets. Most fish benefit from live foods like Daphnia, blood worms, white worms and grindal worms.

The males are small less than an inch long. They do vary in the spot pattern. The colors found are orange, green, sometimes blue or lavender, and black. Many of my fish have an orange sword single or double on the tail. The females get much larger sometimes close to three inches. The females are basically baby factories producing 15 to 25 fry every month if males are present. They will continue producing fry for several months if the males are not available. They only live one to two years. The females will suddenly start to decline having a wasted look. They get very thin and have rot spots on the body die within a month or two usually when they reached two years of age. You need a breeding colony to maintain a constant population.

To start a breeding colony three pairs should be enough. It is probably a smart idea to get some from more than one source. I have three tanks (one 55 gallon and two 30 gallon tank) devoted to them.

They seem to thrive in any type of water. I had them in Chicago tap water and they did great. This water is rather hard. I moved to Louisiana last year and they did great in the local water which is light in minerals but has a pH around 8.4. I keep them at a temperature around 75 degrees. I don't have a heater since it is very warm here in the south. Last year when Katrina took out the power they did fine with temperatures of over 100 in the daytime. I don't think I lost any. The tank was full of Java Moss which I think kept the oxygen levels high and helps absorb the ammonia even though the filtration systems were off for the week. I would not recommend these conditions for long term health. They do best in larger tanks of at least twenty gallons. I seem to have die offs if they are in ten gallon tanks. As with all fish weekly water changes are needed.

They do great in a community tank. It is important that the tankmates are not aggressive. Angelfish will eat fry as fast as they are born. I have also had larger Killifish eat fry. Any fish that has a mouth large enough to swallow them is a possible preditor. Corydoras or Cory catfish make great tankmates. I have kept White Clouds and Congo Tetras with them with no problems. Bushy-nose or Bristle-nose Pleco are fine also.

I also have a gold form of the fish. It lacks the black pigment so the males are a gold color with lime green and orange spots. The females are a gold color instead of the normal brown-grey of guppies. The eyes are dark so it is not albino. There is an albino form of this fish. I have seen listed with pictures in other places.

There is a demand for this fish in recent years. They are almost impossible to find in store. If you do find them only males are available. I bought a few bags of these at a local fish auction in Chicago. I started with about twenty fish. I have at least two or three hundred now. I think they are a great fish for begginers. Children love seeing the small fish grow up. The males start to show color about five or six weeks after birth.

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