Endler guppy

Care at a glance

The Endler guppy is the smaller, more brightly coloured cousin of the common guppy, from a handful of lakes in Venezuela. Males stay under three centimetres and carry a pattern of metallic green, black and orange that differs per strain; females are larger and plain.

It breeds just as readily as the guppy, and that is precisely the trap: crosses with common guppies are fertile, so pure lines dilute quickly. If you want to keep the colours, do not house them together. In a small, warm tank with some floating plants you will have a lively colony within six months — so plan an outlet for the young.

Best not combined with

• Peacock bassCichla ocellaris
• Golden wonder killifishAplocheilus lineatus
• African butterflyfishPantodon buchholzi
• RopefishErpetoichthys calabaricus
• Leopard bush fishCtenopoma acutirostre
• Green spotted pufferDichotomyctere nigroviridis
• Blue gularis killifishFundulopanchax sjoestedti
• Bumblebee catfishMicroglanis iheringi

Related species

• Rosy barbPethia conchonius
• White cloud mountain minnowTanichthys albonubes
• Celestial pearl danioDanio margaritatus
• Denison barbSahyadria denisonii
• Chili rasboraBoraras brigittae
• Clown loachChromobotia macracanthus