Endler Hardyness

[Bebobb]

How hardy are Endler's livebearers compared to zebra danios? The reason I ask is because after the meeting of my local aquarium club on Saturday, we always have a mini-auction, and one of the members is bring some Endler's. Thanks!

 

[Bebobb]

Bump?

 

[OldMan47]

Mine are tough as nails but there is no telling with the poor fish that people call endlers these days. Many of them are mostly domestic guppy with just a trace of endler blood in them. Mine are from a wild caught population that has not been diluted by mixing with guppies and they are iron clad survivors. They do far better than zebra danios in my hard water but the situation might be reversed if you had a soft water

 

[Bebobb]

Well, heres the situation. I ran out of ammonia, and I can't find anymore. Most of the people in my club just take a handful of danios and cycle the tank with them. Ammonia is so rare around here. So I really want Endlers, so do you think that they would be as hardy as danios would be for cycling? I read that they are adaptable to most conditions, but I don't know about this. I will be performing a 25% water change every 1-2 days for about a month.

 

[helterskelter]

they will be fine in that. these fish are quite hardy and if you only sticj to a few and do plenty of water changes like you say they will be fine as I've done this my self a few times over the years.

 

[OldMan47]

My endlers have never been placed into an uncycled tank but almost any fish can be used for a fish-in cycle, if you are regular with water testing and willing to do the water changing work involved in a fish-in cycle.

 

[Bebobb]

I plan on using about 5 of them in a 40 gallon breeder. Do you think that this will be fine?

 

[OldMan47]

In a 40 gallon breeder, the chances are that the fish will never produce enough ammonia to cause them any problems at all. The tank will slowly cycle from the small fish load and the endlers will breed to the point that as the filter media starts to be able to process nitrogen, the fry will be adding to the bioload. I would be surprised if you ever see any ammonia or nitrites in that tank with that small a population.

 

[Bebobb]

Then maybe I could get 6 Endler's (2 male, 4 female) and 6 zebra daios, do you think that this will help out with the cycle any?

 

[Bebobb]

Bump. ^^