Variety of Endler's livebearer
El Silverado endler
Poecilia wingei
One of 4 varieties of Poecilia wingei · See all varieties →
Also known as El Silverado Endler's Livebearer
FreshwaterBrackishFish
Varieties · Poecilia wingei
See all 4 →
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 72–86°F
- 22–30°C
- pH
- 6.5–7.5
- Adult size
- 1.6 in
- 4 cm
- Minimum tank
- 5 gal
- 20 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Breeding
- Easy
- Rarity
- Very common
- Family
- Poeciliidae
Overview
El Silverado males carry a silver body worked over with green and red, and dark spotting shows on some fish and not others. The silver ground reads very differently under warm and cool lighting, so look at a shop's own photos. Males only is the usual offering, and suppliers differ on how much red the line holds.
In the wild
The line traces to fish found in 2013 around Cumana in Venezuela by Philippe Voisin. He is the collector behind several of the named endler lines in the hobby, including El Tigre. Cumana sits by the Laguna de los Patos system that most trade endlers descend from. The silver is described as a phenotype picked out of that population rather than a guppy cross, though shop stock is not always documented.
Good to know
The silver comes from iridophores, reflective cells that scatter light rather than carrying a pigment of their own. That is why the color shifts with viewing angle and with the light over the tank, while the red and green stay put. Male pattern in Poecilia wingei is largely Y linked, so the look passes father to son. The line holds together as long as it is kept away from guppies.
Did you know
Most named endler lines in the hobby come from collections made in the 1990s and 2000s, which makes a 2013 find recent. Guppy breeders have since moved the trait across: Gary Lee spent 2015 to 2020 working the silverado look into fancy guppy strains. The same silver now turns up on fish that are not endlers at all.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
El Silverado 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.
Mini bumblebee goby
Brachygobius xanthomelas
Freshwater0.8 in (2 cm) · 5 gal (20 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Neocaridina shrimp
Neocaridina davidi
Freshwater1.6 in (4 cm) · 5 gal (20 L)59–84°F (15–29°C)
Red ramshorn snail
Indoplanorbis exustus
Freshwater0.8 in (2 cm) · 5 gal (20 L)68–86°F (20–30°C)
Yellow phantom tetra
Hyphessobrycon roseus
Freshwater0.8 in (2 cm) · 7 gal (25 L)68–82°F (20–28°C)
Micro bumblebee goby
Brachygobius nunus
FreshwaterBrackish1 in (2.5 cm) · 5 gal (20 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Ninja shrimp
Caridina serratirostris
Freshwater1.2 in (3 cm) · 5 gal (20 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Common questions
Is an El Silverado endler a different species from the Endler's livebearer?
No. An El Silverado endler is a variety of the Endler's livebearer, Poecilia wingei, and it wants the same tank, water and food as the species.
What size tank does an El Silverado endler need?
An El Silverado endler needs at least 5 gal (20 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
How big does an El Silverado endler get?
An adult El Silverado endler reaches about 1.6 in (4 cm).
Related species
1.6 in (4 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)Dwarf molly
Poecilia chica
1.6 in (4 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)
2 in (5 cm)15 gal (55 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Melanzona guppy
Poecilia parae
2 in (5 cm) · 15 gal (55 L)
2.4 in (6 cm)16 gal (60 L)77–86°F (25–30°C)Cauca molly
Poecilia caucana
2.4 in (6 cm) · 16 gal (60 L)
2.4 in (6 cm)13 gal (50 L)64–82°F (18–28°C)Guppy
Poecilia reticulata
2.4 in (6 cm) · 13 gal (50 L)
2.8 in (7 cm)29 gal (110 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)Pacific molly
Poecilia butleri
2.8 in (7 cm) · 29 gal (110 L)
3.1 in (8 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)Southern molly
Poecilia vivipara
3.1 in (8 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)