Sold as Blue Star or French Blue Star, this line pairs blue flank patches with orange marks at the tail. The blue is structural, so it can look flat under a warm lamp and switch on under a cooler one. Seller photos tend to catch the flattering angle. Males only is the usual offering, and some sellers list stock as EBA certified, meaning a breeder association has vouched for the lineage.
In the wild
The founding fish were caught in the Campoma area of Venezuela by Philippe Voisin and companions, with sources giving the year as 2010 or 2011. Campoma is a coastal lagoon system in northeastern Venezuela, one of the populations kept separate from the Laguna de los Patos fish. French Blue Endler is the same line under another name, not a different strain.
Good to know
Blue in livebearers is structural rather than a blue pigment, made by stacked platelets in iridophore cells that reflect short wavelengths. The orange marks are pigment based, mixing carotenoids the fish takes in with its food and red pteridines it builds itself. Male pattern rides largely on the Y chromosome, so the two traits travel together down the male line.
Did you know
Endlers are unusual among aquarium fish in having a breeder association that registers colonies by lineage. The Endler Breeder Association certifies breeders and their stock, and Blue Star is among the lines listed. That paperwork exists because endlers and guppies cross readily and the hybrids are fertile, so a strain can be lost in a couple of generations.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
Blue star endler is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.
1.6 in (4 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
2 in (5 cm)15 gal (55 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
2.4 in (6 cm)16 gal (60 L)77–86°F (25–30°C)
2.4 in (6 cm)13 gal (50 L)64–82°F (18–28°C)
2.8 in (7 cm)29 gal (110 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
3.1 in (8 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)