Endler Santa Maria

A centimeter-scale livebearer from Santa Maria, gleaming quietly among the plants.

Endler Santa Maria livebearers are tiny, peaceful, colourful nano fish ideal for planted aquariums, bringing lively activity and easy care to community tanks.

• Water conditions: The Endler Santa Maria (Poecilia wingei “Santa Maria”) is a hardy but small livebearer that thrives in a mature, stable aquarium. Aim for a temperature of 22–27°C (72–81°F), pH 6.8–8.0 and moderate to hard water around 8–20 dGH. Keep ammonia and nitrite at zero and nitrate low, ideally below 20 ppm, with regular testing and weekly partial water changes of 20–25%. A tank of at least 40 litres (10 gallons) is suitable for a small group, though larger volumes are easier to keep stable. Provide gentle filtration, such as a sponge filter or a filter with a baffled outlet, and avoid strong current. These fish appreciate a well-planted setup with floating plants, moss and fine-leaved vegetation for cover, plus a secure lid because they are small and can be vulnerable near open tops. Stable parameters matter more than exact numbers, so acclimatise carefully and avoid sudden temperature or pH swings.
• Suitable tank mates: Because Endler Santa Maria are peaceful and only reach around 1–3 cm, they should be kept with similarly small, calm companions that will not bully or eat them. Good options include ember tetras, chili and other micro rasboras, small Corydoras such as C. pygmaeus, otocinclus, cherry shrimp and peaceful snails. Avoid large, boisterous or predatory fish, fin-nippers such as tiger barbs, aggressive cichlids, crayfish and any species large enough to treat them as food. If you want to maintain a pure Santa Maria strain, do not house them with guppies or other Poecilia livebearers, as crossbreeding can occur. They can be kept in a species-only breeding tank or a carefully planned nano community, but always research adult sizes and temperaments before adding tank mates.
• Feeding habits: Endler Santa Maria are omnivores with small mouths and fast metabolisms. Offer a varied diet of high-quality micro granules, crushed flake food, and small live or frozen foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, moina and microworms. Occasional vegetable matter, including spirulina-based foods, helps support digestion and condition. Feed two to three small meals daily, only as much as the fish can clear within a minute or two, and remove any uneaten food to protect water quality. Overfeeding is one of the most common causes of health and water-quality problems in nano tanks, so portion control is essential. Fry and growing juveniles benefit from finely crushed foods and tiny live foods, while adult females carrying young appreciate a steady but not excessive food supply.
• Care and maintenance: These livebearers are active, curious and best kept in groups, ideally with more females than males. A ratio of one male to two or three females helps reduce harassment and stress. Males are smaller, more brightly coloured and have a gonopodium, while females are fuller-bodied and less intensely patterned. Endler Santa Maria are prolific breeders, and fry are small enough to be eaten by adults, so dense moss, floating plants and spawning mops improve fry survival. If you do not want reproduction, keep sexes separate or choose a single-sex group. Quarantine new arrivals, acclimatise by drip or slow addition of tank water over 30–45 minutes, and handle them gently because of their tiny size. With clean water, varied food and stable conditions, they are lively, colourful and rewarding nano fish for experienced and newer aquarists alike.