[glamp88]

I'm stocking my 20 gallon tank with endler's. They are to be the only fish in this tank. Does anyone know a good number and ratio of males to females for endler's?

 

[Boz]

I like to keep my ratio at 1 male to a minimum of 3-5 females. Too many males and they pester the females to death. I've been putting my extra males in a separate tank and they look really pretty in a large group with no real aggression issues at all.

 

[spypet]

I manage to keep 2 tanks, a 10gal for all the females and fry and a 30gal for all my males. When a male fry matures enough to be sexed, I move him from the 10gal to the 30gal. I then take only 1 fully mature male from the 30gal with the best display traits, and put him in the 10gal with my females. I let him have his way with them for a few weeks, then I remove him and throw in a different alpha male who's traits I also want to propagate. This way I have a 10gal with mostly relaxed females and fry, and a 30gal full of gorgeous males actively schooling together. Interestingly enough, a single male in with a lot of females is more relaxed and less harassing then a few males competing with each other for the attention of a lot of females, since despite having so many females to choose, the males tend to focus on the same female at the same time. Keep in mind that one successful mating can yield multiple birthing cycles, so for the purposes of breeding there is little need to keep the males with the females. It's also useful for their resale value to keep some virgin females, so if you have males in with them too much, you'll be hard pressed to keep any of them virgin for long.

 

[glamp88]

Thanks. I know these guys multiply like crazy, but is there a good number to start with?

 

[spypet]

they don't multiply as fast as you think. first time pregnant females only birth a few fry every other Month, so it's only the larger and older females that shoot out a dozen fry every other Month. since Endler's live around 18 Months, you only get a few dozen fry per female over their lifetime.
for display purposes 5 or more males would be nice. for breeding purposes I'd want at least 3 females around the same size and just 2 males to start. it's best if the females are nearly the same size as the males tend to gang up on the largest most mature female. if you get one large female and the rest small, the large one may get so harassed as to jump out of your tank with a male following her right out on to your floor! of course, everyone's results do vary.
if you are serious about breeding, it's best to get Endler's from 2 unrelated sources in order to strengthen their genetic diversity. fish from the same source will be siblings or cousins from the same perennial stock.

 

[Boz]

Mine have multiplied like crazy. I started with 2 males and 6 females. In the last eight months or so, I've literally given away hundreds of them. I agree with SP's advice about mixing up the gene pool. I have traded mine out with others three times now to increase the diversity. Be sure of the stock you're getting. Mine have never met a guppy, but on another board I belong to, I frequently see ads for endler/guppy hybrids.

Do you need some?

 

[glamp88]

Yeah I'm looking for some to start out with. Let me know if you have any excess.

 

[Boz]

Sure glamp...I can send you a dozen or so fry for $7 shipped. I always toss in a sexed male so you can see that they're a pure strain as well. I take paypal, but if it's cc, I have to add an extra $1 for fees. Sorry. PM me if you're interested.

*edit*

I fogot that it's a holiday weekend coming up. It's too hot to ship tomorrow, so I can ship next Tues. at the earliest. I'll take payment on Monday if you're still interested.

 

[LeapingGnome]

Hey Boz, I'm curious, how do you ship fry? I have a thriving guppy colony going and will be looking to pass along some fry in the future.

 

[Boz]

Hey Boz, I'm curious, how do you ship fry? I have a thriving guppy colony going and will be looking to pass along some fry in the future.

You know, I've never kept a guppy, so I don't know how sensitive they are? Endlers are very hearty fish. I just put a few in each breather bag with some Prime treated tank water, then put them in a styro box and ship priority. I've even sent them in regular fish bags priority as well and they've done perfectly well. I just try to make sure to ship in moderate weather.

If you've never shipped before, you might want to read a few articles. I *thought* there was a sticky around here about shipping, but I'm not seeing it. If there is, could someone point it out, please?

PM me if you'd like. I have some articles tucked away in my favorites for shipping. It's not difficult, there are just a few things to keep in mind while doing so.