Add a stunning burst of motion and intricate pattern to your aquarium with the Male Black Cobra Endler (Poecilia wingei). Known for their high energy, hardiness, and striking metallic snakeskin patterns, these premium livebearers are an absolute favorite for nano tanks and planted setups. The males display an intense, dark cobra pattern contrasted against vivid neon highlights, making them a true standout choice for any hobbyist looking to buy live freshwater fish online.

Quick Care Overview

• Origin: Laguna de Campoma and Cumana region, Venezuela

• Minimum Tank Size: 5 gallons (10+ gallons preferred for colonies)

• Care Level: Very Easy (Great for beginners)

• Diet: Omnivore

• Water Parameters: Temp: 72–82°F (22–28°C), pH: 7.0–8.5, Hardness: Moderate to Hard (10–25 dGH)

• Breeding: Highly Prolific Livebearer

Origin & Background

Endler's Livebearers are native to the warm, mineral-rich coastal waters and lagoons of northeastern Venezuela. The Black Cobra Endler is a selectively bred color strain derived from these wild populations, specifically stabilized to highlight the mesmerizing, dark metallic rosette or "snakeskin" patterns across the male's compact body.

Environment & Ideal Tank Setup

Because of their small adult size (reaching roughly 1 inch), a single-sex group or pair can thrive in a minimum tank size of 5 gallons, though a 10-gallon aquarium or larger provides a much more stable ecosystem.

Black Cobra Endlers truly shine in a planted aquarium. Dense groups of live plants like Java Fern, Anubias, and floating vegetation provide natural cover and shelter, making them feel secure while making their iridescent colors pop against the green backdrop. They appreciate moderate water flow and require stable, harder water conditions with a neutral to alkaline pH.

Diet & Feeding Guidelines

These fish are enthusiastic, active eaters. As natural omnivores, they require a varied diet to maintain their intense coloration and high energy levels. Feed them a high-quality daily base of crushed tropical flakes or micro pellets. Supplement their meals with live or frozen foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, and cyclops. They also readily graze on naturally occurring biofilm and algae in the aquarium.

Ideal Tank Mates

Male Black Cobra Endlers are peaceful, non-aggressive community fish that spend their days actively zipping around the middle and upper layers of the water column. Excellent tank mates include:

• Other peaceful nano fish (Rasboras, Neon Tetras, Celestial Pearl Danios)

• Corydoras catfish and Otocinclus

• Freshwater shrimp (Cherry shrimp, Amano shrimp) and ornamental snails

Note: Avoid housing them with large, aggressive, or predatory fish (like large Cichlids or Angels) that could easily mistake these small livebearers for a snack.

Breeding Habits

If you are looking to breed fish, Endlers are among the easiest livebearers in the aquarium hobby. If housed with females, they will breed readily. Females give birth to live, free-swimming fry every 23 to 28 days. To maximize fry survival rates in a community setup, ensure your aquascape features plenty of dense mosses and floating plants where the babies can hide until they grow too large to be eaten.

PLEASE READ BEFORE ORDERING

• The photos shown on fish product pages are representations of adult fish and are NOT the actual fish that you will be receiving. 
• Please visit our “Ordering/Shipping fish” page prior to checking out to familiarize yourself with our process.
• We ship fish exclusively using overnight shipping with either FedEx or UPS. We will not ship fish with lesser expensive shipping services like “Ground” or “Priority Mail”. This is to ensure the safety of the fish.
• Unless specified, all fish are sold as unsexed.