Endler's guppy (Poeccilia wingei) is one of the smaller aquarium inhabitants. However, this does not make this fish any less interesting and it is therefore not surprising that the Endler's guppy can be found in many aquariums.
In our latest blog post, we would like to introduce you to the Endler's guppy.
The Endler guppy
When talking about the Endler's Guppy (Poeccilia wingei) in the aquarium hobby, this interesting fish is usually referred to as the "Endler Guppy". Some aquarists also refer to the Endler's guppy simply as the "Endler".
As mentioned at the beginning, the Endler guppy is one of the smaller aquarium inhabitants, but that doesn't make it any less interesting. The Endler guppy is a small, colorful, lively and relatively easy to care for fish and is therefore very popular in aquariums.
Habitat of the Endler's guppy
The natural habitat of the Endler's guppy is found in the northern part of Venezuela. It only occurs there in two geographically separate areas. Its natural habitat is limited to an area of approx. 100 x 50 kilometers. As its natural habitat is very limited, the Endler's guppy is not as adaptable as the common guppy.
In the northern part of Venezuela, the Endler's guppy can be found in the federal state of Sucre. More precisely in the Campoma lagoon. In Cariaco, the Endler's guppy can also be found in the watercourses of the local marshlands.
Features of the Endler guppy
The differences to the common guppies can be found in the coloration of the males, among other things. Another characteristic is the slight metallic sheen that can be seen in female Endler guppies. As with common guppies, the female Endler's guppy is also larger than the male and reaches a size of around 2 to 3 cm.
The male Endler guppies reach a size of approx. 1.5 to a maximum of 2 cm.
The vertical black band in the middle of the body is also a typical feature of the Endler's guppy from the Campoma region.
The dorsal fin of the Endler's guppy is supported by 6 to 7 fin rays. The caudal fin of the Endler's guppy is supported by 12 to 14 rays and the anal fin by 9 rays.
In male Endler's guppies, the anal fin is transformed into a mating organ.
With good care, Endler guppies have a life expectancy of up to 5 years. In the wild, Endler guppies rarely live longer than 2 years.
Endler's guppy aquarium
The Endler guppy feels most comfortable in a group of at least 8 to 10 conspecifics. When composing the group, it is important to ensure that there are more females than males in the group in order to reduce mating stress for the females. A group could therefore consist of 3 males and 7 females.
In the aquarium trade, aquariums with an edge length of 60 cm are often recommended. We personally recommend choosing an aquarium with an edge length of at least 80 cm. Endler guppies are very agile fish that love to swim.
Endler's guppies like a densely planted aquarium. Aquarium plants, mosses and floating plants are ideal for this. You can also decorate the aquarium with various roots and stones. This offers the Endler guppies plenty of opportunities to seek shelter or simply retreat.
However, always make sure that the Endler guppies have enough free swimming space.
Temperatures between 20 and 28 °C are fine for the Endler guppy. We recommend choosing a temperature between 25 and 26 °C. The pH value should be between 7.0 and 8.0 and the total hardness between 5-25 °dGH.
Feeding Endler's guppies
Endler's guppies are omnivores. In our online aquarium store you will find high-quality fish food to feed your Endler guppies a healthy diet. Here is a small list of products for a high-quality, balanced diet for your Endler guppies.
Main food
Wildlife Wild Guppy main food granules
Discusfood Premiumfood Guppy Super Color
StreamBiz Guppy Color Granules
As a supplement to the main food
StreamBiz Pure Nature - Artemia
StreamBiz Pure Nature - Red mosquito larvae
StreamBiz Pure Nature - White mosquito larvae
StreamBiz Red Mosquito Larvae Paste
Breeding Endler guppies
In contrast to other fish in the aquarium, where preparation is often necessary, it is quite simple with Endler's guppies. This is because the Endler guppy reproduces without any preparation and often more frequently than many aquarists would like.
It is therefore not surprising that the guppy is also known as the "fish of millions". As each female can give birth to up to 40 fry every three to 60 weeks, it is important that you can provide space for this many fish in advance or have suitable buyers for them.
If you do not want to or cannot ensure this, we recommend keeping the Endler guppy as an all-female or all-male group. As the males are more intensely colored than the females, pure male Endler guppies are usually kept. However, it should be noted that the courtship behavior of males is part of their natural behavior and it is therefore difficult to judge whether an all-male group can be considered species-appropriate.
In our opinion, the best option would be to be able to separate the male and female Endler guppies at any time until you have found a responsible aquarist for your Endler guppy offspring.
Endler's guppies socializing
Endler's guppies can easily be socialized with other peaceful fish. For example, armored catfish, shrimps, small tetras and danios are particularly suitable
We hope that this blog post has brought you a little closer to the Endler's guppy and perhaps we have aroused your interest in keeping this small yet very interesting fish in the future.
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