Endlers come in three grades, or Classes: Class N, Class P, and Class K.
Class N Endlers are wild caught or directly descended from wild caught Endlers. These are pure lines, containing wild, heritage DNA. People who raise Class N Endlers are actually preserving the species. This is important for conservation efforts, in case these fish need to be re-introduced into the wild. Class N Endlers are certified in the USA and Europe. Serious stuff for serious preservationist. I only have a couple of Class N Endlers lines in my nano fish farm - one being raised as strict Class N, and some I am using to develop Class K lines. Usually, Class N Endlers are the most expensive lines to purchase.
Class P Endlers look exactly like the wild caught Endlers, but their heritage is unknown - they are "undocumented". They are not worth as much as N Class Endlers for this reason. They are fine for a hobbyist who wants the look of Class N's, but doesn't want to spend as much. Some breeders use them for breeding purposes as well.
Class K Endlers are mutts, basically. This does not mean they are bad. Actually, the DNA mixing around makes them a stronger fish. This classification is the fun one, because many of the unusual, beautiful Endlers are creations of careful selective breeding for certain traits. You might think of them like "designer dogs" - cross-breeds. Often, Endlers are bred with guppies - and even platys and swordtails - to bring out certain traits. Some people might tell you breeding Endlers with platys and swordtails isn't possible, but I've raised fry from Endlers that turned in to “platys” (I sold them as Pleppys) – so, it is possible. These fry are all Endler Hybrids.
Class K Endlers range from randomly generated, not-so-pretty mutts (worth $5.00 or less), to the carefully line-bred, designer Endlers hybrids (worth $7.00 on up – way up! Certain established K Class lines are very expensive and more than rival Class N pure Endlers prices). Breeders should charge accordingly, depending on what they are raising (I note on eBay, it's a free-for-all. And some people just sell the fish because they want money - they don't care about their fish, or their reputation. Buyer beware). I expect Endler prices will rise with the economy - shipping prices are definitely going up, but so are supplies, electricity, water, etc. As a breeder, I plan to hold the line on my Endler prices until I ship my last 2022 fish in November - unless something really extremely drastic happens to the economy.
The Endlers’ classes do matter when it comes to price - but really, the intent is more about what kind of Endler breeder you want to be, more than anything else. For example, I'm kind of a klutz in the fish room. Right now, I have a female fry in my "scuds only" tank. How did she get there? No clue. What type is she? No clue. o, what am I going to do with this unidentifiable female fry? I don't know, lol! She is getting well-fed in the scud tank, so she may go into one of my experimental Class K breeding projects. What I'm getting at is that I, as a quality Endler breeder, am more suited to raise Class P & K Endlers - hence my business name, PK Endlers!
Now, you just have to decide what sort of breeder YOU want to be... if you want to be a breeder at all. There's nothing wrong with a big old tank of beautiful fish, simply for the sake of enjoying them. Have fun with your beautiful fish!
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