As opportunistic eaters, endler fish will eat whatever fits in their mouths, including their fry. A problem like this becomes more prominent when endler fish are stressed, which can be caused because of inappropriate water conditions, an overcrowded environment, and lack of food.
As we move forward, we’ll cover more on why endler will eat their fry.
Do Endler Eat Their Fry?
Yes, it’s common for endler fish to eat their fry. While this is unfortunate, it’s a common problem for the species. It’s why breeders will place pregnant endlers in a separate tank and breeding box.
It’s common practice for pregnant endlers to give birth in the absence of other adult fish, which helps to reduce the chances of their fry getting eaten before they’re large enough to defend themselves.
Typically, once the endler fish gives birth, the breeder will put it back in the community tank, allowing the fry to live alone without the risk of being eaten. If you’ve never reared pregnant endler fish, this is what you should know about their behavior and their fry:
Why Do Endler Fish Eat Their Fry?
Endler’s aren’t actually cruel, as it is common for many similar freshwater fish. They’re not eating their fry out of malice. Rather, endlers are simply opportunistic feeders. Like most other fish; they’ll eat whatever will fit in their mouths.
If you’ve ever seen an adult fish around their fry, it can appear as if the fry is no different from food pellets. In reality, fish will gobble them up without giving it a second thought.
Additionally, endlers can protect their eggs from other tank predators by keeping them inside their bodies endler they hatch, a benefit that egg layers do not enjoy.
Admittedly, this practice puts endler at more risk, as housing their eggs in its body weakens the fish as it diverts resources to the fry.
Does Temperament Matter?
Believe it or not, temperament doesn’t play a role in this situation. People expect more temperamental species like cichlids to eat their young ones because they are so violent. In that same regard, they expect the peaceful endler to coexist with their young.
But this isn’t true. endler fish are peaceful and live in harmony with other peaceful fish. However, having that friendly temperament won’t prevent them from eating their own fry.
As previously mentioned, endlers aren’t malicious. They eat their fry because they confuse the fry for food. So, it’s not their temperament that drives these actions, and neither will it prevent them from eating their babies. They’ll do the exact same thing to an adult fish that has a small body.
Do The Conditions Matter?
Your endlers’ peaceful temperament won’t stop them from eating their fry. However, an aggressive endler is more likely to eat their fry compared to a peaceful endler.
A peaceful endler will eat any fry it comes across that’s small enough to fit in its mouth. An aggressive endler may hunt their offspring down before eating them. Even though endlers are considered being peaceful, the wrong conditions can compel them to lash out even more.
Check your parameters if you’re expecting a fry soon. Is the temperature too high? Is the tank’s pH levels good? How many fish are in the tank? Are the endlers overcrowded? If you have a clean tank with good water parameters, what’s the ratio of male-female mollies?
You need 2-3 female endlers for every male endler. Otherwise, the male endlers will fight one another. Endler fish are far less likely to eat their fry in a clean, sizable, well-maintained tank with the appropriate quantity of female fish.
Will The Endler Eat Their Fry Immediately?
The chances of an endler fish eating their fry as it pops them out are very low. While it’s possible, it’s unlikely. Pregnancy is a stressful time for fish, regardless of the species. This is why pregnant Endler are so sluggish and tend to stay in hiding.
As endlers are about to give birth, some of them may stop moving altogether.
Things can be made much worse if you’re forcing the fish to give birth in poor conditions. But even in the best of situations, the birthing process is still very stressful for an endler.
That’s why many experienced aquarists are hesitant to move the female endler back to the community tank once it gives birth. Rather, they’ll place the fish in a separate container for 1-2 days, allowing the endler to recover before returning it to the community tank.
All fish that have just delivered their fry need a break before it returns to their routine.
A good reason for this is because it may take a while for the female endler’s appetite to recover after it gives birth. Giving them an abundance of food makes a big difference.
When Are Endler Fry Safe?
You don’t have to separate the female endler from its fry. You can protect the offspring much better by adding plants. Although an aggressive fish will still hunt the fry down. But that behavior won’t last forever.
After one or two months, the fry will grow to a size where their mother can no longer eat them. It’s at this stage that you can move them into the community aquarium.
Tips On How To Protect Endler Fry
Adequate Preparation – To successfully raise endler fish, you need to prepare safety measures for the fry, even before the mothers birth them. First, you need to place live plants inside the aquarium tank, which eases the stress of separating the mother from her babies after birth.
Separating fry – Endlers are generally known for being heavy breeders, as they birth a large number of fry frequently. However, you can curb this by separating the male and female endler after they are being born. Moreover, you can determine the gender of the Endler fry after about 12 weeks of birth.
Maintain a clean tank – Ensure that you frequently change the water in the tank or breeding box. Moreover, when you clean the tank often, there’s less likelihood that the fry will be infected with the disease. This also helps to ensure they grow properly as they should, without complications.
Another way to provide safety for endler fry is providing space for them to hide. However, this can easily be achieved by adding artificial or real plants into the tank. Moreover, try to get a plant that is long with its leave reaching the aquarium top, and floating on the water’s surface.
Conclusion
Endlers can eat their fry after they’ve done giving birth. While it isn’t a guarantee, it’s certainly possible, as the adult endler becomes vulnerable and exhausted.
In order to avoid this, a good option would be to install an aquarium divider. This will allow the fry to escape to the other side of the tank. It’s also highly recommended to keep the water parameters within the desired range so that the parents remain calm in the meantime.
