Endlers Livebearer

[tear-scar]

I recently got 3 from the local shop; but the shop ONLY had males. I know that the females are less attractive, but the shop said they never carried females! Is this a common phenomena? Sounds super unfair to me; like preventing local keepers from breeding the fish on their own . . .

I read somewhere they have the same breeding habits as guppies right (being that they can actually hybrid and produce fertile offspring)? So they actually shouldn't be hard to breed.

 

[canarsie11]

You find that alot of shops only carry males because they are usually more colorful than their female counter parts.

And in most cases that is true.

I beleive also, by selling female, they risk a chance of you doing your own breeding. Which will equal less fish sold. What a hustle!

 

[snowyangel]

I always find females in with the males at stores, but ofcourse they're not labelled "endlers" they're labelled "feeders", but I always see tons of each together everywhere i go here. But i breed guppies, so i don't buy endlers b/c i don't need anymore babies.

 

[copeina]

It's been discussed a thousand times before, so here is my .02 in nutshell.

Endlers livebearers, while extremely similar to wild guppies, are believed to be a different species. These two species will interbreed quite readily.

If you are interested in keeping Endlers, do your part for the hobby and obtain them from a REPUTABLE source. Do not buy females from the "feeder" tank, as they are likely just Malaysian or Florida pond raised guppies.

Locally, Endlers are on our suppliers lists and (landed, freight incl.) cost around $2 each. Feeder guppies run $.03 each. If your LFS is in a similar situation, and is tossing their Endler females into the feeder tank, they are idiots (and not in business to develop a clientelle of real hobbyists). Likewise, if they are selling "Endlers males" for $1 each, they are likely just pretty male guppies from the feeder tank. This may be an honest mistake or maybe not depending on the individual shopkeeper's knowledge. Both situations are common.

Be suspicious, ask tactful questions, maintain the integrety of your stock once you get it, and distribute to others to maintain and preserve the species.

The commercial value of these fish is fairly low, so your LFS shoudn't feel too threated by a hobbyist possibly flooding the market. The real money is in goldfish, bettas, and neon tetras.

Good luck!
/Kris

 

[JeremyD]

I always find females in with the males at stores, but ofcourse they're not labelled "endlers" they're labelled "feeders", but I always see tons of each together everywhere i go here. But i breed guppies, so i don't buy endlers b/c i don't need anymore babies.

I wouldnt call those endlers....

Feeders are most often wild type guppies. They have very similar coloration to endlers, but are not the real deal.


And even so, if you still believed them to be true endlers (which are worth about 100x the cost of a feeder ) how do you know they've never been crossed? Then you breed them and sell them to someone else under the guise of pure endlers. This is how the purity of the strain is lost and hybrids are spread.

If you are truly interested in endlers, you should look to purchasing them from a reputable breeder....Most especially if you plan on breeding them.

 

[copeina]

I wouldnt call those endlers....

And even so, if you still believed them to be true endlers (which are worth about 100x the cost of a feeder ) how do you know they've never been crossed? Then you breed them and sell them to someone else under the guise of pure endlers. This is how the purity of the strain is lost and hybrids are spread.

If you are truly interested in endlers, you should look to purchasing them from a reputable breeder....Most especially if you plan on breeding them.

YAY!!!! Finally someone else on this forum that understands!!!

/Kris