aernympha
Fish Herder
HYBRIDIZATION.
LOOK (OR PERHAPS WE SHOULD SAY THINK) BEFORE CROSSING
By Tom Hayes
One goal of ever serious aquarist is to come up with something new. Certainly there is nothing more exciting than discovering that one (or several) young fish from a brood is different from its brothers and sisters in coloration or finnage, and is perhaps the first of its kind. I'm sure many a hobbyists has had this experience have been disappointed for those unique creatures usually turn out to be undersized, sterile, or if they grow to normal size and are fertile fail to produce duplicates of themselves.
The kind of fish I've just described is a mutant, which occurs by change not by design. Well then, why not try to create a new fish by design? Why not hybridize? After all, won't this result in not one but many fish of a new color pattern or finnage? The answer to this is "possibly" and only possibly. Furthermore, the results maybe disappointing. Before experimenting with hybridization to "see what happens" the following points should be kept in mind.
# 1. Crossing fish of different colors does not necessarily mean offspring sporting a combination of both colors. The genetic make-up of the fish determines the color....that is, if one color is dominate all the young maybe of that color (although future generations will produce some of other colors).
#2. New hybrids often are sterile or of low fertility. A friend of mine developed a striking fish, but the strain has never been established as 90% of them have been sterile. This has been the fate of most hybrids despite the many beautiful strains of guppies, swordtails, platys, mollies, that have been developed. And where an established hybrid strain has been successful, it was usually only after several generations of fish. The entire process may take several years.
#3. Not all hybrids are beauties. Is hybridization truly successful if the product is unattractive? A colorless or washed out fish certainly will not adorn your living room show tank. Neither will a local retailer be impressed with the uniqueness of an ugly fish that will not sell.
#4. Experimenting with fish usually requires the use of a number of tanks as well as a number of fish. The beginning fancier, or the fancier with limited space, would do well to stick to the more mundane breeding combinations. Also specimens for hybridization experiments should be as perfect as possible le ( if culls are to be used....forget.) The fancier with limited breeding stock cannot afford to use his prime fish for experimentation.
something intersting to read 
LOOK (OR PERHAPS WE SHOULD SAY THINK) BEFORE CROSSING
By Tom Hayes
One goal of ever serious aquarist is to come up with something new. Certainly there is nothing more exciting than discovering that one (or several) young fish from a brood is different from its brothers and sisters in coloration or finnage, and is perhaps the first of its kind. I'm sure many a hobbyists has had this experience have been disappointed for those unique creatures usually turn out to be undersized, sterile, or if they grow to normal size and are fertile fail to produce duplicates of themselves.
The kind of fish I've just described is a mutant, which occurs by change not by design. Well then, why not try to create a new fish by design? Why not hybridize? After all, won't this result in not one but many fish of a new color pattern or finnage? The answer to this is "possibly" and only possibly. Furthermore, the results maybe disappointing. Before experimenting with hybridization to "see what happens" the following points should be kept in mind.
# 1. Crossing fish of different colors does not necessarily mean offspring sporting a combination of both colors. The genetic make-up of the fish determines the color....that is, if one color is dominate all the young maybe of that color (although future generations will produce some of other colors).
#2. New hybrids often are sterile or of low fertility. A friend of mine developed a striking fish, but the strain has never been established as 90% of them have been sterile. This has been the fate of most hybrids despite the many beautiful strains of guppies, swordtails, platys, mollies, that have been developed. And where an established hybrid strain has been successful, it was usually only after several generations of fish. The entire process may take several years.
#3. Not all hybrids are beauties. Is hybridization truly successful if the product is unattractive? A colorless or washed out fish certainly will not adorn your living room show tank. Neither will a local retailer be impressed with the uniqueness of an ugly fish that will not sell.
#4. Experimenting with fish usually requires the use of a number of tanks as well as a number of fish. The beginning fancier, or the fancier with limited space, would do well to stick to the more mundane breeding combinations. Also specimens for hybridization experiments should be as perfect as possible le ( if culls are to be used....forget.) The fancier with limited breeding stock cannot afford to use his prime fish for experimentation.
something intersting to read 
