Good Golly!

[Darkmoon Bettas]

Unfortunately, this project took a bit of a hit today. Two of the 5 fry died, asymptomatic, for no discernable reason. Water tested out clear, no signs of disease, nothing. The filter was running a bit slow (and got broken down and cleaned) but I don't think it was directly responsible for the deaths. The smallest fry with the slightly bent spine and one of the two larger ones died. The remaining 3 got a 30% water change, "just in case", and seem to be doing fine.

I have heard, anecdotally, that unexplained fry death around one month of age,just due to genetic weakness, is extremely common when this hybrid does occour at all. So this is not completley suprising, just disappointing.

I have preserved the bodies (in tank water, in my freezer) and if I can find a lab doing livebearer research that can work with me on conclusive genetic testing (without charging me an arm and a leg) I intend to send the corpses there to verify the hybrid. If anyone knows of any groups doing this kind of thing, please let me know.

 

[OohFeeshy]

You could probably easily get someone to do ray/scale counting. Or write in to PFK, they'd be interested and could probably find someone.

 

[MHunt]

Any more news on the Gollies? Are the final 3 still alive?



If they're going to get some colour it should be coming out soon i would have thought? More pics would be great!

 

[Darkmoon Bettas]

Unfortunately, I'm sorry to report that this experiment has reached its end, for now. The other 3 went the same way as the first ones, asymptomatic deaths in ideal water conditions. I'm going to assume it was simply genetic weakness. While the spawning was a success and was able to be documented well, I won't consider the entire project completely successful until I can raise any hybrids to adulthood.

Round 2 is in the works, but won't reach any interesting point for several months. Right now, I just have 2 female silver mollies in quarrentine, where they will be for at least 3-4 months (longer if either drop any fry). We'll see if reversing the parents makes any difference in appearance, or health.

I probably will also try the original version again concurrently, since a customer brought some guppies in to work that appear to be nearly fully grown but still sexually immature. I still have both original male mollies, who I know are willing and able to sire fry on female guppies, and having one "known" part of an iffy equation does make it easier.

 

[~T~]

Thats unfortunate but it has made for some good reading.My lfs has a female dalmation molly with some cm long fry so I might grab one of the smallest females and put her in my girlfriends guppy tank and see if I can get any fry of my own.

 

[MHunt]

Ahhh, that's gutting. But possibly inevitable. Better luck next time!

 

[chris_for_fish]

Ahhh, that's gutting. But possibly inevitable. Better luck next time!

I have a photo on my computer of an adult male endler x mollie someone posted on a forum a long while ago.

 

[OohFeeshy]

If you're going for a round two, perhaps try setting up a seperate tank with female mollies and male guppies?

 

[MHunt]

Ahhh, that's gutting. But possibly inevitable. Better luck next time!

I have a photo on my computer of an adult male endler x mollie someone posted on a forum a long while ago.

I did say possibly. It's not an impossible pairing otherwise the fry wouldn't have been produced in the first place.

Who knows what the genetic combination of this hybrid was without extensive and expensive genetic profiling. Perhaps they were destined to die young. It happens in all species, fish or otherwise.

 

[Darkmoon Bettas]

If you're going for a round two, perhaps try setting up a seperate tank with female mollies and male guppies?

Absolutely. If I do two pairings they won't be kept anywhere near one another. (Currently the new female silver mollies are in quarrentine by themselves in a 5gallon, the male mollies have been in a 20 gallon community tank for some time. I won't bring home male guppies for several months, until I know the molly girls aren' tretaining any sperm.)

 

[diburning]

Not to hijack your thread or anything, but I felt like trying it.

I thought that the best way to do it is to use genetically mixed fish to create the hybrids.

For example, Black mollies and some tequila sunrise guppies. I will be trying that combination out.

Later on, I may try to cross a gambusia with a molly (it will be very hard as gambusia are way smaller than a breeding size molly) The fry pictures you had on page 3 kind of looked like marbled gambusia so you have inspired me to try it.

I personally have crossed mollies and guppies but the fry have never lived for me. I believe it is because with hybrids, when the fish grows, and their cells undergo mitosis, the genes have a higher tendency to mutate or just break because it is a hybrid.

I also found that hybridizing fish gives way less fry than if it bred with it own species (for example a common cross is swordtail x platy. I have experimented and found that swordtail x platys have less fry than if they bred with their own species)

So if my hypothesis with the genetics are correct, then you would need a couple tanks of fish to hybridize before you would get a couple of survivors.

 

[diburning]

sorry for double post, the internet was laggy

 

[NoRp]

has the mum not given birth again?
once i get my new tanks setup and ccled fully im going to add a few female mollies to the tank
i know they will properly come pregnant but seeing as i only have male guppies in there eventualy i should start to get some muppies or golly w/e lol
what else can bread with guppies if i remember right its platie and swordtail or am i getting all mixed up in the families i guess ill have another look at other posts and see what i come up with

atm im also trying to find some Goodeid's in the uk WHICH IS HARD! im going to look into cross breeding them also.

erm endlar mollie!!!! just thought of it
dam i wish i had my spair tanks!

 

[Eridor]

aw man now im thinkinof crossin me male cobra guppy with sailfin molly should be good it all your fault lol thanks

 

[three-fingers]

Woah, just stumbled upon this thread, and has been a very good read!
I too actually found a blurry mottled image of a guppy-molly hybrid in an ancient book from the library when i was about 10 and keeping goldfish. This thread has been very interesting for me!