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Endlers are prolific breeders both in their native habitat and also in the home aquarium. So if you want them to breed you shouldn’t have any problems at all.
Endlers (aka Endlers Livebearers/Endlers Guppy) are livebearing fish. Which means that the females give birth to live young rather than laying eggs. The male Endler releases milt (semen) via his Gonopodium, which is his stick-like anal fin. The female draws the milt into her body and the reproduction process begins.
Endlers in an aquarium tend to breed all year round. So if you have both male and female Endlers you will find that the population of your tank increases quickly.
Knowing what to look out for when it comes to breeding is a great help.
Tip: Female Endlers can store milt (semen) for several months after the initial mating. Which means that they can continue to produce fry even if the male has been removed from the tank.
Endler Breeding Age
Endlers start breeding at a very young age. They are ready to reproduce at around just 2 months old. And as they are likely to be at least this age when you get them your Endlers are ready to get going as soon as you add them to your tank. In fact they may have already started breeding while they were in the Store’s aquarium.
As with any livebearer that’s been kept in a mixed sex tank it’s quite possible that the females you buy will already be pregnant. I had this experience with some of my Platy fish. So it’s best to be prepared for some early new arrivals in your tank.
Some Pet Stores and Aquatic dealers keep the male and female Endlers in separate tanks though. Which is helpful if you don’t want them to bear young straight away. Or you don’t want to breed them at all.
How Can You Tell A Male Endler From A Female?
Gender differences in Endlers are easy to spot when you know what to look for. Males are smaller and more colourful with an almost metallic/neon colouration. Females are considerably larger and generally have a muted, pearly beige colour.
An adult male Endler grows to approximately 1 inch (2.54 cm) in length although some can be a little larger. The female Endler grows to, on average, at least 1.8 inches (4.57 cm) in length. But again, can be a little larger than this. Because the females body is wider and more rounded she looks considerably larger than the male.
The difference in colouration and size are usually the easiest ways to tell the difference between male and female Endlers. But there is also the difference in the anal fin to look out for too. Males have an elongated Gonopodium with which he impregnates the females.
When it comes to breeding it’s important to be sure that you have both male and female Endlers from the very beginning.
Endler Male To Female Ratio
For mating the male to female ratio for Endlers should be 1 male to every 2 or 3 females. Although a higher number of females to males is even better. The reason for this is that a higher number of females helps to dilute male aggression and female territorialism.
Also female Endlers often die after having a batch/batches of fry. This is due to the stress caused by bearing a large number of babies. Having a lot of females and only a few males can help to reduce the stress of reproduction on the females. Which helps because each female is likely to become pregnant less often.
So if you want your Endlers to breed successfully, with the minimum of female losses, keep far fewer males than females in your aquarium.
If you don’t want your Endlers to breed at all, then it’s best to only have male Endlers. Not only are male Endlers smaller and more colourful than the females you can at least guarantee that they’re not already pregnant when you buy them.
Endler Mating Behaviour
The Endler mating ritual is fascinating to watch. The males display and show off to each other while trying to get the female’s attention. Once a male has her attention he does a jiggly dance in an effort to impress. If she accepts him he goes underneath her to impregnate her.
I came across a fascinating YouTube video that has excellent close up shots of the Endler mating ritual. The YouTube video link below is by The Dave and it’s well worth a watch if you are, or are planning to, keep/breed Endlers.
How Can You Tell If Your Endler Is Pregnant?
Pregnant female Endlers develop a Gravid Spot. The gravid spot is a dark/black area on the underside of the abdomen nearer the tail end of the fish. As the pregnancy advances the gravid spot becomes larger and darker as the fry develop. The female’s stomach also swells as the fry grow bigger.
Because female Endlers are pale in colour the gravid spot is easy to see. And it’s often possible to see the eyes of the fry as they get close to being born.
A few days before the birth the female Endlers abdomen, at the front, may become a little more square in shape as it does in other livebearers. And the gravid spot becomes larger.
So the signs of pregnancy are easy to spot in Endlers.
How Long Are Endlers Pregnant For?
If you’ve spotted the signs that your female Endler(s) are pregnant the next question you’re likely to ask yourself is ‘When will my Endler give birth?’ The gestation period for Endlers is approximately 23-24 days depending on tank conditions and temperature.
Knowing exactly when the day will be is difficult to judge. You’re highly unlikely to know the exact date of conception. So knowing the exact date the fry will be born is unlikely too. But at least you won’t be surprised when you see the tiny fry swimming around the tank.
How Do Endlers Give Birth?
It’s likely that your pregnant female Endler will find a quiet, secluded place in the tank to give birth. When the fry are born they drop down into the tank. If plants are close by they will rest in them for a while. If there are no plants the fry will rest amongst the substrate. Once rested they will be free-swimming.
It can take a while for all the fry to be born. So the female Endler may keep herself secluded/apart for quite some time. Once all the fry are born, and she feels ready, the female Endler will go back into the mainstream of the aquarium.
It’s a sad fact, but it’s common for female Endlers to die from the stresses of bearing young. So it’s best to be prepared for, and to expect, some losses when it comes to breeding Endlers.
How Many Fry Do Endlers Have?
Although it can vary greatly, Endlers give birth to between 5-25 fry at a time. The average number at one time is around 15 fry. But this can’t be guaranteed and it’s likely to vary between each brood of babies. Nonetheless, Endlers are prolific breeders, so over time you’re likely to end up with a lot of new arrivals in your aquarium.
As with any livebearer each birth will produce a different number of fry. Some of which will survive and others unfortunately won’t. Although that sounds a little sad it’s just the way of things.
Do Endlers Eat Their Fry?
Endlers are not known for predating on their fry. That’s not to say that it doesn’t happen on occasion, whether by design or accident. But the general consensus seems to be that Endlers rarely eat their own fry.
However, if your Endlers are part of a community aquarium the other fish may see the baby Endlers as a tasty snack. In which case it’s best to take some precautions if you want to save as many Endler fry as possible.
How To Save Endler Fry
Even though adult Endlers are unlikely to eat their own fry, you will need to protect the fry from being eaten by other fish in a community tank.
Here are a few ideas to help you to save as many Endler fry as possible:
- Plants – use plants (live or fake) to create hiding places for the fry. Dense leafy plants/mosses, and floating plants are all good choices for this.
- Tank Decorations – use tank decorations with tiny ‘hidey holes’ for the fry to shelter in.
- Add a breeder box inside the tank and put the fry in it until they are too big to be eaten. Endler fry grow really quickly so you’ll probably find that you don’t need to keep them in the breeder box for long. Then release them into the main tank when they are big enough.
- Nursery Tank – Set up a cycled nursery tank ready for when your Endlers start to breed. You can put the pregnant female(s) in the cycled tank just before they are ready to give birth. Then remove the females when they have finished birthing. Or you can use the nursery tank to grow-out fry before adding them to the main aquarium.
You also have the option of leaving things to nature and seeing how many Endler fry you end up with over time.
Feeding Your Endler Fry
Endler fry are extremely small at approximately 4 mm (0.157) maximum at birth. So any foods you give them need to be tiny. For example. you can feed them on ground down flake food, powdered fry food and also liquid fry food. There are other options too.
If you would like more information and some tips about what to feed your Endlers, both the adults and the fry, click here to read my article ‘What Do Endlers Eat?’.