i think interbreeding might also be one of the reason zebs are becoming cheaper here in the UK.
the people who are "hoarding" them are now realising the bad effects of interbreeding and trying to get rid of the frys asap. or maybe not.
Are Zebra Plecs L046 Becoming Cheaper?
- Thread starter jarmado
- Start date
i think interbreeding might also be one of the reason zebs are becoming cheaper here in the UK.
the people who are "hoarding" them are now realising the bad effects of interbreeding and trying to get rid of the frys asap. or maybe not.
dylema
Fishaholic
I don't like the idea of letting siblings mate. It is not a good idea at all. Many problems can be caused by recessive genes, if one parent carries a single bad recessive gene there is no chance of the offspring having a problem but the offspring may carry one of the bad recessive genes and one good dominant one. When you breed the siblings the chances of ending up with two bad recessive genes, and hence the problem, is much greater (maybe 20-30%). Think about humans, In cultures that promote or at least accept first cousins marrying, have a higher rate of birth defects for this reason.
Did you say you had ZP's or were trying to buy some? Are they easily available were you're from?
Dylan
no ZPs yet. trying to get some but realized the issue of interbreeding.
it is becoming easy to source now here in the UK.
i have been offered 1" frys and someone is also selling some on aquarist-classifieds.
i also saw someone selling a pair of adults for £250.
and ebay always has a ZP for £150.
dylema
Fishaholic
That still makes them a pretty expensive fish.
I would like to see some kind of breeding program where they are contantly being put back in the river and swapped for wild ones to boost the natural population and maintain the gene pool. I guess this is not really possible as I doubt aquarium bred fish would survive in the wild. And I read there is a dam being built which will wipe out the wild population
. Maybe before the dame is finished (if we are not too late already) some people could save all the wild plecs and start a huge pleco farm lol.frys are at £80 range.
That still makes them a pretty expensive fish.
I would like to see some kind of breeding program where they are contantly being put back in the river and swapped for wild ones to boost the natural population and maintain the gene pool. I guess this is not really possible as I doubt aquarium bred fish would survive in the wild. And I read there is a dam being built which will wipe out the wild population
Teelie
Fish Aficionado
Those aren't true L-046's. My LFS has "Zebra Plecs" for a similar price in the US and one look told me they were an imitator species.
smithrc
My names Russell.... ....and I'm a
As Teelie said - you wont find zebra plecs in stores - if you do the price tag is likely to be around £300.
The prices are still going up - young 1.5" examples have been selling for £180 on ebay recently.
mark7616
potatoes
Lol you just have to know where to buy them the reason they are coming down in price as they are getting popular again same with all things. I can get 1.5" zbras from a breeder in St Albans for £60 each.
smithrc
My names Russell.... ....and I'm a
I did say ebay
Breeders are a different matter
Most will only sell to people they know or have experience with through forums etc...
Zebs prices are not coming down imo and we're still a few years away from that happening..
Although several people are breeding them in the UK only a few are breeding them in any real numbers the rest seem to be sporadic at best. And until supply can meet demand there is no reason why they would or should come down.
Although several people are breeding them in the UK only a few are breeding them in any real numbers the rest seem to be sporadic at best. And until supply can meet demand there is no reason why they would or should come down.
Teelie
Fish Aficionado
At the rate they grow and age they breed, it might be a decade or more before we see their prices drop to the double digit numbers.
SuperColey1
Planted Section
What does the australian poster mean by :
'We don't have the diseases in Australia that are prevalent in Europe, if you know what I mean'
What diseases are you talking about? We don't have any diseases here from importing animals!! We have some of the stongest quarantine laws in the world.
In fact Jose Mourinho was arrested the other day (apparently) after arguing with Police when they questioned him about the possibility he took his dog to Europe (on private plane of course) and therefore it would have to be quarantined on its return. (This is a newspaper story and am not sure of its accuracy, but there are very strict quarantine rules here.)
If you are talking Avian Flu. This is an airborne disease and therefore Australia is more at risk than the UK being closer in proximity to Asia!!
If you are talking Mad cow disease or foot & Mouth, the former was caused due to the poor quality of food fed to the animals in question and Foot & Mouth was 'allegedly' brought about by 1 unscrupulous farmer smuggling dodgy sheep from the continent, and killing his own animals rather than using a licenced abatoir.
Smuggling happens in Australia as it does all over the world as land borders are as susceptible as water borders (although in islands like Britain and Australia you can land on any number of unpopulated coastlines)
Next you will say there are no drugs in Australia apart from homegrown!!
As for Zebra prices coming down due to inbreeding. This is a very bad assumption. People who breed take care to buy adults from seperate bloodlines to avoid this issue.
Unscrupulous moneymakers may not care about inbreeding but they would not be putting their prices down as if they were in it for the money, they would hardly reduce their price.
I welcome the high prices as it means that it limits the amount of these rare fish that can be sold out easily to any Tom Dick and Harry who will then chuck them into their show tank with many other 'show' fish where they wil starve to death.
Not meaning to sound elitist (and I don't have any Zebras as the moment) but until there are sufficient numbers of these fish, they should opnly ever be kept by people who will house them properly, with other zebras to have company and breeding possibility and in a low stocked or species tank. (I know high prices will not mean this happens but it does limit the amount in community tanks)
Andy
'We don't have the diseases in Australia that are prevalent in Europe, if you know what I mean'
What diseases are you talking about? We don't have any diseases here from importing animals!! We have some of the stongest quarantine laws in the world.
In fact Jose Mourinho was arrested the other day (apparently) after arguing with Police when they questioned him about the possibility he took his dog to Europe (on private plane of course) and therefore it would have to be quarantined on its return. (This is a newspaper story and am not sure of its accuracy, but there are very strict quarantine rules here.)
If you are talking Avian Flu. This is an airborne disease and therefore Australia is more at risk than the UK being closer in proximity to Asia!!
If you are talking Mad cow disease or foot & Mouth, the former was caused due to the poor quality of food fed to the animals in question and Foot & Mouth was 'allegedly' brought about by 1 unscrupulous farmer smuggling dodgy sheep from the continent, and killing his own animals rather than using a licenced abatoir.
Smuggling happens in Australia as it does all over the world as land borders are as susceptible as water borders (although in islands like Britain and Australia you can land on any number of unpopulated coastlines)
Next you will say there are no drugs in Australia apart from homegrown!!
As for Zebra prices coming down due to inbreeding. This is a very bad assumption. People who breed take care to buy adults from seperate bloodlines to avoid this issue.
Unscrupulous moneymakers may not care about inbreeding but they would not be putting their prices down as if they were in it for the money, they would hardly reduce their price.
I welcome the high prices as it means that it limits the amount of these rare fish that can be sold out easily to any Tom Dick and Harry who will then chuck them into their show tank with many other 'show' fish where they wil starve to death.
Not meaning to sound elitist (and I don't have any Zebras as the moment) but until there are sufficient numbers of these fish, they should opnly ever be kept by people who will house them properly, with other zebras to have company and breeding possibility and in a low stocked or species tank. (I know high prices will not mean this happens but it does limit the amount in community tanks)
Andy
Teelie
Fish Aficionado
I'd love to do a Zebra colony but the prices are prohibitive. A good thing in the long run since if I can buy them, so can the average ill-informed fishkeeper who sees "plec" and thinks "algae eater."
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