# How to tell if Endler is near time for giving birth ?



## Fishfur

Just like it says. I know the belly swells up, I know they can pick and choose when to allow a pregnancy. But how do I tell if it's near time to put them in the maternity tank so I don't have to chase fry all over the main tank ? Last brood I managed to catch six once I realized they had been born, and I'm guessing I missed quite a few of them. By the time I saw them they were a half inch long, so not newborn.

I have read that moving the Mom's can stress them, leading to premature birth and non viable fry. Up to now I have left them to their own devises, and provided plenty of floating plant cover, but of at least four or five broods I know have been born, there have been only a couple of survivors, females, no males. I started with four, [ might have been five ] F, one M. Lost the one M, but was kindly given a pair of males who have survived. No idea if they've parented any of the broods, as most of the girls were pregnant when I got them, at Peel's fall auction.

I want some fry to survive and grow up. I have two decent fry tanks , about a gallon in volume. One hangs inside the tank with it's own filter in it but is one room, so to speak. One hangs outside and has a divider that would allow fry to get away from Mom after birth, if it's necessary. Some things I've read suggest Endler mother's don't necessarily eat their fry, but will eat those of other females.

I also have a small Penn Plax maternity tank, which has an ingenious design that pulls the fry through a half inch tube into a separate tank as they are dropped by the mother. But the maternity portion of it is too small. Leaving a female in it for any length of time has got to be very stressful on her. I'm tempted to try copying the basic design, which uses air to provide the 'pull' that brings fry from one tank to the other through a connected large tube. I'd make the maternity portion much larger, in hope the females won't get too freaked out by being in it, or try the outside hang on tank.

There are Pencil fish, Glowlight Danios and CPDs in with the Endlers. While I am unsure just how tiny newborn Endlers are, I'm quite sure the first two species have little trouble eating them. The CPDs might be too small to snack on them. Endler males don't seem to be cannibals, which is nice.

Any tips much appreciated.


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## pyrrolin

I have a few pregnant mollies in my community tank so I added a huge bunch of Taiwan moss to give the fry a good place to hide and a fair chance to survive.

maybe get one of those breeder nets and put her in there in the same tank. Low stress move and you can keep an eye easily.


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## LTPGuy

Your, now mine female Endler, went through 2 delivery since our transaction. Survival rate was excellent in my once heavily planted setup. I am guessing the plants were great hiding place, but also provide food sources as I see the babies nipping on stuffs and things that's probably growing/living on the surface on the plants.

I thing the female also eats her youngins!

She is near her 3rd delivery. My wife harassed me daily about when she, the endler, was going to deliver so I looked up youtube for similar question about pregnancy, and here's the video that helped me.

Mine got a huge gravid spot, sitting near the bottom, and eats only fine food bits.

Good luck


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## Fishfur

Thanks.. I'll check out the video. I know I've had a bunch of babies, but like I said, survival has been very low. Too many predators, not enough hiding places, I would assume. Tank was full of guppy grass, which I sold.. so at this point there is far less cover. Hence the maternity tank idea. Just have to see how it goes.

Video was quite helpful, thanks for that.


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