Endlers Livebearers: Everything You Need To Know

Do you want to rear Endler’s livebearers and you are looking for an article that comprehensively covers everything you need to know about this fish species? If so, then read on as I got you covered through this article.

What’s the Endler’s livebearer appearance?

Male endlers are orange, black, yellow-green, or baby blue in color, whereas females come in shades of golden silver. Females are larger than males. Males are slender, whereas females are broader and have rounder abdomens.

What’s the lifespan of an Endler’s livebearer?

Endler’s livebearers have a lifespan of 2-3 years. It’s typical for males to live longer than females.

What is the average size of Endler’s livebearer?

Most often, female endlers will grow to 1.8 inches long, and males may grow to 1 inch as adults.

How to care for Endler’s livebearer

Below is a comprehensive guide on how to care for endler’s livebearers.

1. Choose an appropriate aquarium tank

Start by choosing an appropriate aquarium tank for your Endlers. Most ichthyologists recommend selecting a tank that can hold 10 gallons (39.7 liters) of water if you want to rear 4-6 endlers. Also, make sure that you purchase a fish tank that’s made with waterproof, scratch-resistant, and heavy-duty material.

2. Fill the aquarium tank with the ideal water necessary for endlers livebearers to thrive in

For Endler’s livebearers to thrive, they need to live in dechlorinated waters with temperatures of 24-28 degrees Celsius and a pH of 7.2-8.5. So, make sure that you adjust your tank’s water parameters to be suitable for Endlers to live in.

Below are the steps to follow to dechlorinate your tank’s water, keep the water temperature at 24-28 and maintain the water’s pH levels at 7.2- 8.5.

How to dechlorinate your endlers livebearers tank water? Below are the different ways you can dechlorinate the water in your endlers aquarium tank:

• You can use a dechlorinating kit.
• You can let the chlorine evaporate from your fish’s tank on its own by leaving the lid open for a week and 3 days.

How to keep your aquarium tanks water at temperatures of 24-28 degrees?

• Install a water heater appropriate to your aquarium tank’s size. Always consult a pro before installing a water heater in your fish’s tank.
• Place a thermometer in your aquarium when heating the water.
• Never place your aquarium in direct sunlight when heating the water. Doing so may cause your water to overheat.
• In case you overheat the water, then lower your aquarium’s temperature by taking out some of the overheated water and replacing it with clean and cool water.

How to artificially raise your aquarium pH level to 7.2-8.5?

• Get rid of your Endlers metabolic waste to prevent your aquarium’s water pH level from going down.
• If the pH exceeds more than 8.5. then add a disinfected driftwood or peat moss into the aquarium to lower it.
• If the pH is low then add aquarium-safe rocks and shells to raise your fish’s tanks water pH.

3. Install a filtration system in the aquarium tank

A properly installed filtration system ensures that your Endlers get supplied with adequate oxygen, which in turn ensures optimal growth for your fish. So, make sure that you install a functional filtration system that can keep up with the number of fish in your tank.

4. Put decorations, substrates, and live plants in your livebearers tank

Consider mimicking your livebearers’ aquarium with their natural environment. You can do this by:

• Carefully place substrates such as aquarium plain sand, gravel, pebbles, rocks, or corals at the bottom of the tank. If you choose to use rocks, make sure they are neither basic nor acidic. Also, before placing rocks on your tank, boil them for 10 minutes to get rid of any parasites and bacteria that may be living on them.
• Use aquarium soil to grow live plants in your fish tank. Duckweed, Java fern, Java moss, Water Wisteria, Cabomba, and Hornwort are some of the best plants to grow in a tank with livebearers. Place taller plants in the back of your aquarium and short plants in the front of your fish tank.
• Use driftwoods, caves, or bubble makers to decorate your tank. Consider placing driftwood in the middle of your aquarium and caves at the back or corners of your aquarium.
• You can also place sea shells to give your fish tank an oceanic touch. Make sure that you boil the shells for at least 10 minutes before putting them in your tank.
• You can also use glass jars to add edge to your fish tank as well as provide a hiding place for your Endlers.

Extra tip: It would be best if you don’t add things from nature such as sand and plant roots because they might alter your tank’s water pH or contain disease-causing microorganisms. Never place anything in your tank without disinfecting it.

5. Light up your tank

The bacteria, plants, and Endlers in your aquarium tank need light for optimal growth. Endlers require 12 hours of light per day. Failure to provide these fish with light may cause them to have growth deformities. You can either use natural or artificial light to light up your Livebearers aquarium tank.

However, experts recommend that one use artificial light instead of natural light. This is so because it’s hard to control the water temperatures of your fish tank when using natural light. And due to poor water temperature control, algae can exponentially increase which may cause more problems to your endlers.

6. Create a flexible feeding schedule for your livebearers

Consider creating a flexible feeding schedule for your livebearers and adhere to it. Don’t overfeed your Endlers. Doing so may predispose them to fatty liver disease and fin rot. Make sure that you provide them with food that they can completely consume within 2 minutes.

You can either evenly distribute the food all over the entire fish tank when feeding your fish with dry food or select a specific spot when feeding your fish with food that can sink into the water. For optimal growth and health, consider providing your livebearers with a mixture of 2-3 types of food.

Please remember that you must frequently feed juvenile or small-sized endlers livebearers. You should also provide your livebearers with more dry feeds than wet feeds. Make sure that during feeding sessions, you observe how actively your livebearers eat the food you provide them with.

By doing this, you will know what food your fish prefer most which will help you incorporate it into your livebearers’ diet.

7. Be vigilant about your livebearer’s health

Endler’s livebearers are a relatively healthy fish species. However, they may sometimes be predisposed to a number of health conditions that may be life-threatening if not life quality lowering. So, ensure that you closely watch your livebearer’s health, you can do this by:

• Assessing how your livebearers respond to stress-livebearers that are stressed respond poorly to stress. They also tend to swim frantically without going anywhere, lock their fins at their side or rub themselves against surfaces.
• Measuring their level of activity-observe at least 2 of your livebearers for a minute on how they move their fins and tails. Livebearers that are in good health energetically move their tails back and forth, whereas those that are diseased will display a decreased level of activity by moving their tails sluggishly.
• Measuring their growth rate-this can be done by weighing the fish.
• Assessing their spawning time-healthy Endlers will spawn after every 23 to 25 days. Mature Endlers which don’t generate during this time frame are likely to be diseased.

Extra tip: If any of your Endlers die, ensure that you safely dispose of them and remove the other Endlers in the tank. Make sure that you disinfect the tank before putting back the surviving Endlers.

8. Come up with a cleaning timetable and follow it strictly

Ensure that you create a flexible cleaning timetable and strictly follow it. Below are simple but effective tips on how to clean your endlers aquarium:

1. Assemble all your cleaning supplies

Before you begin cleaning your Endlers aquarium, make sure that you gather all the necessary cleaning supplies. Doing so will ensure that you quickly clean your aquarium without putting your Endlers in harm’s way. Ensure that you have the following things before cleaning your Endlers tank:
• Water conditioner
• A pair of fish nets
• An aquarium cleaning sponge
• A gravel vacuum
• Algae pad
• A soft-bristled toothbrush
• Siphon
• Clean cloth and towel
• 2 or 3 large-sized buckets
• A clean fish container with a lid that’s filled with dechlorinated water
• Adequate amount of water to replace the water you will remove from your aquarium

2. Put on the appropriate cleaning clothes

Put on a short-sleeved shirt, sterile gloves, water-resistant boots, or shoes.

3. Disconnect all the electrical devices

Make sure your aquarium’s filter, heater, and aerator are switched off before you start cleaning your aquarium.

4. Gently remove your endlers from the fish tank

Using a fish net, gently remove your endlers from the fish tank and place them in the fish container containing dechlorinated water. Secure the container with a lid or a cover to prevent the Endlers from jumping out of the container.

5. Clean the sides of your aquarium

Use an aquarium sponge to clean the sides of your aquarium tank. Never use soap to clean the inside of your aquarium. Scrub the sides vertically to avoid over-dirtying the water in your aquarium.

6. Use a soft-bristled brush or an algae pad to clean the decoration

Remove all the decorations from the tank and clean them with a soft-bristled brush or an algae pad. Rinse the decorations with cold water and boil them for 10 minutes. Wipe them with a clean, dry towel and place them in a sterile environment before placing them back in your livebearers’ aquarium.

7. Use a siphon to remove the dirty water

Attach a small hand pump to the siphon and remove the dirty water from your aquarium. Remove approximately 25%-40% of the old water. Never remove all the old water from your aquarium during cleaning. By doing so, you risk putting your fish into a life-threatening situation.

8. Vacuum up any leftover food, contaminated gravel, and algae from the bottom of your tank by using a gravel vacuum.

9. Clean up the exterior of your Endlers aquarium

Use an aquarium-safe cleaning solution to clean the exterior part of your aquarium. Make sure you dry it up Replace the water removed from the aquarium with fresh and dechlorinated water.

Gently put your livebearers back into the tank. Don’t forget to connect your aquarium to a power source and aerator, and water heater.

What is the appropriate tank size for Endler’s livebearers?

According to expert endlers, livebearers should be kept in a tank size of 10 gallons.

What are the common potential diseases likely to affect endler’s livebearers?

According to renowned ichthyologists, below are some of the most common potential diseases that are likely to affect endler’s livebearers:

1. The Molly disease

It’s also known as the Shimmying or the Shimmies disease. Endler’s livebearers get this disease when put in waters with low temperatures, pH, and mineral levels. The main symptom exhibited by livebearers with this disease is rocking their body from side to side as though mimicking a snake’s slithering motion.

2. The wasting disease

It’s also known as Fish TB. This highly contagious disease is caused by mycobacterium. Mycobacterium is a gram-negative bacteria found in most fish aquariums. A fish becomes susceptible to this disease when it is stressed or when it’s kept in low-quality waters.

Endlers’ livebearers can also get infected with this disease when they eat food contaminated with this bacterium or feed on dead Endlers who had been infected with this disease.

Signs and symptoms:

• Decreased appetite
• A deformed skeleton or the fish may have a bent spine
• Distended belly
• Bulging eyes
• Lesions on the fish’s skin

3. Fin rot

Endler’s livebearers are also susceptible to fin rot. Fin rot in Endler’s livebearer may be caused by bacterial infection, injury, overcrowding, or subjecting the fish to stressful environments.

Signs and symptoms:

• Discolored fins which appear whitish or milky on the edges
• Decreased or total stoppage of feeding
• The fin becomes swollen and red at the base of the fins
• The fins’ edges become ragged
• A marked decrease in the fish’s movement

4. Ich

This is a common parasitic disease known to affect livebearers. It’s also known as the white spot disease. The protozoan ichthyophthirius multifiliis is the causative agent of this disease.

Signs and symptoms:

• The appearance of small white spots that look like sprinkled salt grains on the endlers livebearers body and gills
• The Endler’s livebearer persistently scratches its body against objects or surfaces
• A marked loss of appetite
• Unusual hiding behavior

You can prevent all the above diseases from developing in your endlers livebearers by ensuring that you:

• Keep these fishes in clean and quality water which has enough oxygen supply, and the right temperature
• Disinfect all the fish stock and juvenile fish that you import from outside before introducing them into your fish tank
• Regularly disinfect your fish tank or fish farm’s equipment
• Use loopholes, Potassium permanganate, and 13% chlorine bleach liquid or 33% chlorine bleach powder to disinfect your tank at least once after every 1 or 2 weeks
• Provide your endlers livebearers with quality food and diet
• Constantly observe that none of your fish has any signs of the above-mentioned diseases
• Use approved aquaculture drugs to prevent, control, and treat any of the above diseases. Ensure that you carefully read the instructions before using any of the chemicals. If you are unsure of how to use these chemicals and drugs, please let a pro do it for you

What’s the best food or diet for Endler’s livebearers?

Endler’s livebearers are omnivores. That is, they feed on both plants and animal matter. Below is a listicle of some of the best foods to feed endler’s livebearers with:

• Algae
• Algae wafers
• Brine shrimps
• Daphnia-small sized planktonic crustaceans
• Detritus
• Fish flakes-make sure that you crush fish flakes before feeding your livebearers
• Frozen or live Blackworms
• Frozen or live Bloodworms
• Frozen or live Grindal worms
• Tubifex worms
• Peas
• Zucchini
• Kale
• Red leaf lettuce-boil the lettuce before feeding it to your livebearers
• Duckweed is a rich source of minerals, vitamins, and protein for livebearers
• Rice hulls, brans, and polishings
• Micro pellets-this is best fed to juvenile livebearers which still have small mouths
• Moina-this food contains 50% protein, making it an excellent source of proteins for Endlers livebearers
• Spinach- Avoid feeding livebearers with caned or pre-cooked spinach. To make it easier for your livebearers to feed on the spinach, please boil it

What are endler’s livebearers’ behavior and temperament?

Endlers are known for their peaceful, extremely social, and active temperaments.

What are the best tank mates for endlers livebearers?

According to ichthyologists, the following animals are some of the best tank mates for endler’s livebearers:

• Zebra Danios
• White Cloud Minnow
• Small Rainbowfish
• Otocinclus catfish
• Neon Tetras
• Honey Gourami
• GlowlightTetra
• Glassfish
• Ghost and Cherry shrimps
• Ember Tetra
• Dwarf Corydoras
• Corydoras
• Cory Catfish
• Bolivian Ram Cichlids
• Betta Fish

How do Endlers livebearers breed?

Endlers’ livebearers don’t lay eggs instead, they reproduce by giving birth to live young fish known as fry. Females have a gestational age of 23 to 24 days. It’s advisable to keep female and male endlers in the ratio of 2:1. If you want to control your Endler’s population size, consider rearing more males than females.

Key takeaway

Endler’s livebearers, known scientifically as Poecilia wingei are small-sized fish that grow to lengths of 1-1.8 inches long as adults. These fish have a life span of 2 to 3 years. They give birth to live young ones after a gestational age of 23 to 24 days. These brightly colored fishes should be kept in a fish tank with a minimum size of 10 gallons.