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Re: Fp gardneri Akampa Dark Morph?
Hey Jay!
The idea of a killie version of the black Mollie is very attractive. You may
be able to isolate something. Certainly several albino killie strains have
been fixed (and I have albino Endler's livebearers showing up...).
As you have surmised, the color sports are usually recessive and a little
(?) selective work is required. Also, sometimes, but not always, sports are
a less hardy than "wild colored" fishes (witness the black angelfish).
Some darkening can occur when a killie is stressed or diseased, especially
in fishes at the bottom of the pecking order. You will know if this is the
case when you separate them out.
Another concern is that those black or melanistic areas may be more
vulnerable to cancers. Large red areas may do the same thing. Then again,
they may not. :)
Way back when, we had a golden lyretail develop a number of black spots on
the flanks. I toyed with trying to fix the strain but was too taken by too
many other neat killies (and they got beaten up by judges in shows too for
not being the correct colors) to take the time, space and effort.
Purely speculation, but the eggs may be a little more sensitive to handling.
Should that prove the case, either move the mops without touching the eggs
or set up the gardneri in a graveled (and or planted tank), feed well and
remove the adults. Keep up frequent, modest water changes.
Similarly some of our gardneri Misaje developed red spots considerably
larger than was usual. After a couple of generations those red spots
covering a scale were expanded into blotches covering four or five scales.
The trend suggested that an all red sided gardneri might be possible.
However the Misaje were gang spawned and the trait disappeared.
Should you go for developing the strain, I would suggest dedicating several
tanks to the process and closely noting spawning in a stud book. Your
vigilance will probably have to be similar to what breeders of show Bettas
and guppies have to exercise.
Good luck and all the best!
Scott
(Always the amateur aquarist)
I've got a question ... I have a couple of tanks of Fp. gardneri
Akampa I've spawned and raised. They are gorgeous fish. I have noticed
that there are a couple of fish in each batch that are MUCH darker in skin
color than the normal ones. I know there is some expected variability, but
these really look different. They have a nearly black skin color under the
normal blue, red and yellow markings. They are much darker than my Fp.
cinnamomeum. I have three males like this and one nearly black female. Has
anyone else seen this? I'm thinking about seeing if they breed true and are
potentially a mutant strain like australe Reds. Ideas?
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