Endler's Hybridizing with Blackfin Mollies (Poecilia sphenops)

Piranha86

Piranha86

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Dec 26, 2009
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I'm getting a 20g long with some Endlers. I'm going to start off with around 6 male Endlers and 8 females. My friend wants to 'give' (dump)some of her 50 mollies in her 30g to me. (The breeding got a bit out of control there.) I want to put black mollies (2 males, 2 females) in there. Would they hybridize? I'm really just wondering if I would get any 'Mendler's'.

PS: Would the mollies eat enough Endler fry to put a dent in the population?
 
Piranha86 said:
Would they hybridize?
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Maybe. Mollies and guppies have been known to hybridize, and guppies are very very similar to endlers. (There is some debate about whether endlers are really a separate species, or just a localized variant of guppy.) I would not risk putting them together.

Piranha86 said:
Would the mollies eat enough Endler fry to put a dent in the population?
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Probably, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. As long as you have some floating plants and/or moss for cover, you should still have plenty of fry survive.
 
Piranha86 said:
I actually think having mendlers would be cool though...
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That's fine. Hybrids can be lovely. I don't see a problem, as long as you tell people when you sell/give any fish from that tank. You would not be able to say with certainty that any fish in the tank was a pure endler, and that's important to some people (like me) who are perhaps a bit OCD. :p:
 
Endlers and guppies are considered the same species. So yes they will probably hybridize with the black molly. Nothing is for sure of course when dealing with interspecific crosses however.
 
I just got some endlers for the first time, 1m and 2 f. Based on this admittedly small sample size I gotta say that if you keep male Endlers with female mollies the chances of crossover is slight. It would be like worrying that your neighbor's male chihuahua might knock up your female Great Dane.

male endlers are tiny beyond belief. Good thing they are brightly colored or you'd never see them at all. :)
 
THE V said:
Endlers and guppies are considered the same species. So yes they will probably hybridize with the black molly. Nothing is for sure of course when dealing with interspecific crosses however.
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There has been debate, but endlers are currently considered a separate species: Poecilia wingei. Guppies are Poecilia reticulata.

XanAvaloni said:
I gotta say that if you keep male Endlers with female mollies the chances of crossover is slight. It would be like worrying that your neighbor's male chihuahua might knock up your female Great Dane.
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I wouldn't be so sure about that. Endlers are quick and horny and fertilization happens very quickly. It's more like worrying that your neighbor's flying, super-sonic chihuahua might knock up your great dane.
 
cellodaisy said:
There has been debate, but endlers are currently considered a separate species: Poecilia wingei. Guppies are Poecilia reticulata.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Endlers are quick and horny and fertilization happens very quickly. It's more like worrying that your neighbor's flying, super-sonic chihuahua might knock up your great dane.
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While you were writing this, I was on google trying to find where I had read that. I also have read/heard they have been recently classified as Poecilia wingei, closely related to guppys, but their own species.

I'm not a fan of hybrids, and being ocd-ish, I normally keep species only tanks (except I do add pleco's and ottos to all my tanks). I know Endlers have been crossed with swords and guppies, haven't read anyone crossing them with a molly. Doesn't mean it hasn't happened, I just haven't come across it yet.

I do know I have had an endler tank set up for only 3 months, 2 males, 4 females. I have over 50 fry in there tonight, and two of my females are fat and ready to pop again. I think I'll be giving my local LFS Endler fry for years to come!

Good luck with your new tank.
 
If a good male to female ratio is present in the tank, it is unlikely mollies and endlers would hybridize, due to the size difference, but it is possible. The same goes for Chihuahuas and Great Danes - unlikely but possible. The offspring could either be cute or gosh awful ugly. Keeping hybrids in your own tanks is fine, but because of the possibility of someone you give or sell the off spring to not being honest as well, I would not allow any to leave my tank. There are many species that are in danger or extinct partially due to hybridization and many more where you can not find a pure strain. It is our responsibility as fish keepers to try and help keep the natural species alive for the next generations to also be able to enjoy.
 
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